Abstract/Notes: This paper presents findings of the longitudinal School Success Study (SSS), which is being conducted to determine the academic and social effects of nongraded (multiage, continuous progress) programs on Tennessee elementary school students. Covering the years 1993-99, the research seeks to identify successful school practices in both nongraded and graded programs. The study includes elementary-age students (K-4) from seven Tennessee schools that are implementing nongraded programs (n=1,500), three of which also have students in traditional classes (n=750), and five comparison schools in which all students are enrolled in single-grade classes. Academic achievement is measured by the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) and the Tennessee Holistic Writing Assessment. Social development (academic self-concept) is measured using the Self-Concept and Motivation Inventory (SCAMIN). A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicates that students from nongraded classes during.

Language: English

Abstract/Notes: This study examined nongraded, multi-age elementary classrooms from the perspective of involved principals, teachers, and parents. Data came from field notes taken at on-site observations and from in-person structured and unstructured interviews with principals and teachers. The schools were all located in a small urban town in north central Mississippi. The study found that the schools set up and operated the nongraded classrooms in different ways. The classrooms operated according to the philosophy of the teachers in charge of the classes under the guidance of the principal; each classroom was different from the next. The schools that experienced the most success were those in which the teachers did not feel threatened and were given the freedom to operate as they deemed appropriate. Some parent concerns included mixing the sexes, having siblings in the same room, giving up traditional grading and assessment, and possibly short-changing math. Keeping parents continually informed

Language: English

Abstract/Notes: In nongraded, multi-age classrooms, children have the opportunity to learn a great deal from their more proficient classmates. Children in multi-age, nongraded programs often learn that children differ, and they learn to assist each other in productive ways. The organizational scheme has the potential to remove much of the competition of traditionally graded classrooms and, for many children, the stigma of being "behind." Researchers in the Center for Research on Education, Diversity, and Excellence (CREDE) project "Appalachian Children's Academic and Social Development at Home and in Nongraded Primary Schools: Model Programs for Children of Poverty" have studied the implementation and effects of nongraded primary programs on rural and urban children of Appalachian descent in Kentucky, where a statewide, nongraded primary program has been implemented in various forms since 1990. In this practitioner brief, the authors share responses and recommendations from administrators and practitioners in the study.

Language: English

Published: Santa Cruz, California, Apr 2002

Abstract/Notes: This document is a guide for small school districts that are interested in using a nongraded arrangement at the elementary school level. Nongrading recognizes that children learn at different rates and in different ways and allows them to progress as individuals rather than classes. A 4-year phase-in approach eases implementation of the nongraded system. After the phase-in period, one additional grade level should be added each year until grades K-6 are completely covered. A school-based team reviews and places students by considering the students' mental, physical, emotional, educational, and social development. Teams of two or more teachers assume responsibility for groups of learners through cooperative planning, instruction, grouping and regrouping, and student evaluation. The continuous progress approached promotes mainstreaming of exceptional students allowing teachers of special programs to serve as consulting teachers or tutors. Gifted students work at the level that best

Language: English

Published: Austin, Texas, Jun 1991

Abstract/Notes: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the perceptions of Texas public Montessori school principals as instructional leaders in science. Twelve public Montessori school principals were interviewed for this study. Two research questions were used: How do public Montessori principals perceive Texas science standards in public Montessori Elementary classrooms? How do principals view their role as an instructional leader in elementary science related to teachers' effectiveness and student outcomes? Research question one resulted in the following themes: (a) aligning curricula to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), (b) engaging science instruction as integrated and hands-on lessons, (c) emphasizing required district and state assessments, and (d) incorporating traditional teaching methodologies to support Montessori instruction. Research question two yielded common themes: (a) balancing Montessori methodologies and philosophies in public school settings with competing demands, (b) monitoring assessment scores as the determination of student success, (c) working in collaboration to support teacher effectiveness, and (d) providing resources and support to teachers. Implications for Montessori practitioners: paradox of Montessori education in a public school setting, strong support for science in classrooms from the principal and a need for continued research around Montessori education in public school settings.

Language: English

Published: Beaumont, Texas, 2013

Abstract/Notes: One of the fundamental social problems in America is how to create racially diverse schools. While policy makers are slow to fix underlying housing segregation or return to busing, creating racial diversity through school choice is widely popular across the political spectrum. How can school choice create more racial and socioeconomic diversity, instead of increasing segregation?

Language: English

Published: New Haven, Connecticut, 2016

Abstract/Notes: This basic qualitative research records the author’s findings from the one-on-one in-depth personal interviews with twenty-three teachers, trainers, and administrators working for the Christian Montessori schools. The purpose of the study was to explore the experiences of the teachers in facilitating meta-learning, the how-to-learn and the why-to-learn, among students in the Christian Montessori schools. The findings are as follows: First, both the Montessorian training and the Christian spiritual preparation of the teachers in the Christian Montessori schools enables them to effectively facilitate both the how-to-learn and the why-to-learn meta-learning, which endorses their claim that they are the true heir of the original Montessori method; second, the teachers’ most meaningful way of facilitating meta-learning is students’ receiving spontaneous training through the teachers’ respectful scaffolding; third, the Christian Montessori school model is an integrated and viable system for educational reform pursuing both the how-to-learn and the why-to-learn at the same time.

Language: English

Published: Deerfield, Illinois, 2020

Abstract/Notes: The purpose of this study was two-fold: 1) to examine the relations between pre-kindergarten (pre-K) teachers' characteristics, belief in developmentally appropriate practices (DAP), and DAP classroom practices and 2) to examine the relations between principals' characteristics, DAP and testing beliefs, and preferred pre-K classroom practices. Sixty-six principals and 63 pre-K teachers from public schools in small districts (districts with only one elementary school) in Oklahoma participated. Principals and teachers completed questionnaires containing DAP, demographic, and time allocation information. Data were analyzed using correlations and regressions.Findings and Conclusions: In the study of teachers, number of child development courses taken (r=-.29) and number of years experience teaching pre-K (r=.30) were related to DAP beliefs. The relation of DAP beliefs to DAP classroom practices was moderated by teacher's beliefs in the importance of obedience; DAP beliefs and practices were positively related for teachers with lower belief in the importance of child obedience. In the study of principals, principals' ECE courses taken (r=.36), ECE state test certification (r=.59), elementary certification (r=.34), number of years as a principal (r=-.25), years teaching preschoolers (r=.35), experience teaching 4th to 6th grades (r=-.35), and years teaching 4th to 6th grades (r=-.30) were related to principals' beliefs in DAP. Principals' ECE state certification (r=.41), ECE courses taken (r=.27), and years teaching 4th to 6th grades (r=-.33) were related to preferred DAP classroom practices and experience teaching 1st to 3rd grades (r=-.29) was related to use of workbooks and worksheets. DAP beliefs (r=.60) were significantly related to preferred DAP classroom practices. Testing beliefs were not related to principal characteristics or preferred classroom practices. The relation between the number of early childhood courses taken by principals and preferred DAP classroom practices was mediated by principals' beliefs in DAP.

Language: English

Published: Stillwater, Oklahoma, 2010

Abstract/Notes: En el presente trabajo se describen y comparan los niveles de adaptación, ansiedad y autoestima registrados en 72 alumnos de escuela tradicional y 65 de escuela Montessori de la ciudad de Puebla, de entre 9 y 12 años de edad. No habiendo encontrado diferencias estadísticamente significativas en las tres variables estudiadas entre estas dos escuelas, es dado concluir que tanto la adaptación, como la ansiedad y la autoestima son fenómenos determinados por una multiplicidad de factores tanto internos (inteligencia, personalidad, maduración, aptitudes, actitudes, entre otros.), como externos (familia, escuela, sociedad, cultura), que actúan interrelacionados. Así mismo se establecen las correlaciones existentes entre adaptación, ansiedad y autoestima. Se describen, además, los análisis factoriales aplicados a los tres instrumentos psicométricos utilizados en esta investigación, ya que dos fueron generados en España y otro en Estados Unidos de América. Se recomienda que, ante la escasez de instrumentos psicométricos construidos y validados en nuestro país, se promuevan investigaciones que tengan como fin la producción y difusión de tests en México, lo que permitirá realizar estudios confiables y válidos en el campo de la Psicología. [In this work, the levels of adaptation, anxiety and self-esteem registered in 72 students from a traditional school and 65 from a Montessori school in the city of Puebla, between 9 and 12 years of age, are described and compared. Not having found statistically significant differences in the three variables studied between these two schools, it is possible to conclude that both adaptation, anxiety and self-esteem are phenomena determined by a multiplicity of internal factors (intelligence, personality, maturation, aptitudes, attitudes , among others.), and external (family, school, society, culture), which act interrelated. Likewise, the existing correlations between adaptation, anxiety and self-esteem are established. The factor analyzes applied to the three psychometric instruments used in this research are also described, since two were generated in Spain and another in the United States of America. It is recommended that, given the shortage of psychometric instruments built and validated in our country, research is promoted aimed at the production and dissemination of tests in Mexico, which will allow reliable and valid studies in the field of Psychology.]

Language: Spanish

Published: Cholula, Mexico, 2010

Abstract/Notes: This study explores the experiences of public school Montessori teachers. Max van Manen’s methodology for hermeneutic phenomenological research provides a framework for the study, and the philosophical writings of Gadamer, Abram, and Levinas guide the textual interpretations. Voices of curriculum theorists, in conversation with Maria Montessori’s words, reveal possibilities for understanding the experiences of Montessori public school teachers in the context of contemporary curriculum discourse. Six public school Montessori teachers engage with the researcher in a series of open-ended conversations. These elementary school teachers work with majority minority student populations in three different urban school districts. They range in age from mid-30s to early 60s, and have between 5 and 33 years of teaching experience in public Montessori schools. Their conversations illuminate the experience of teaching in public Montessori schools in three main themes. The teachers tell of being transformed and drawn-in to a way of life as they take Montessori training. They speak of the goodness of work that calls children to concentrate their energies and grow into active, caring and responsible people. Finally, they reflect on boundaries of difference encountered in the hallways and meeting places of public schools, and the shadows cast by state tests. The study suggests a need for Montessori teachers in public schools to participate in open-hearted conversations with parents, non-Montessori educators and administrators about what they are trying to do in their classrooms. It also reveals that decisions made by school administrators have a powerful effect on the ability of Montessorians to create engaging, child-centered learning environments. Finally, the study suggests a need for teachers, administrators, teacher-educators, and policy makers to embrace the questions and possibilities for creative growth inherent in tensions between the conflicting paradigms of adult-driven technical/scientific educational schema and the Montessori developmentally-based teaching style.

Language: English

Published: College Park, Maryland, 2007