Montessori Partnerships for Georgia

Public Montessori works!

“At the end of kindergarten, controlling for baseline scores and demographics, Montessori children had significantly higher reading, short-term memory, theory of mind, and executive function scores. Intention-to-treat effect sizes exceeded a fifth of a SD, considered large in field-based school research [M. A. Kraft, Educ. Res. 49, 241–253 (2020)]. This contrasts sharply with the more typical finding, where impacts of preschool are observed immediately following the program but disappear by the end of kindergarten. Further, a cost analysis suggested three years of public Montessori preschool costs less per child than traditional programs.”

A national randomized controlled trial of the impact of public Montessori preschool at the end of kindergarten | PNAS Although seminal studies from the early 1960s suggested quality preschool can have lasting positive effects, agreement is lacking on the efficacy o...

Our partners at Premier Academy are opening a new Montessori preschool classroom for 3- and 4-year-olds at their south Atlanta location! Info sessions June 17 and 24; see below for details.

This new classroom is part of Premier Academy’s commitment to provide free or low-cost education (free for qualifying Head Start families; CAPS accepted) for families who might otherwise not be able to afford the high cost of this popular educational program. We are so excited to help share the news!

To register for the info session, scan the QR code below or click here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeIrybCOPz1eJoAh_eY5ttxn8YeerCi8bTGrmrZ-Y_r24IroQ/viewform?usp=dialog

Teaching literacy is a hot topic, and we're gaining recognition nationwide for our work demonstrating the Montessori literacy curriculum's alignment with the science of reading!

At the Public Montessori Conference in April, participants packed in to hear a presentation of our work by Annie Frazer, along with that of Montessori Works (a similar organization in Delaware) and the National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector. Attendees expressed excitement about our work and a strong desire to collaborate nationwide.

As more and more states adopt laws specifying how reading can be taught, our partners in Savannah-Chatham and Baldwin County school districts, both of which have approved the Montessori literacy curriculum, are helping lead the way!

https://open.substack.com/pub/afteralpha/p/the-ai-tutor-takes-a-break

Another powerful piece from Kate Broughton.

In Montessori environments, we pay close attention to the child’s real work: the effort, the struggle, the joy, and the ownership that help them grow into capable human beings. This reflection from Kate Broughton is a beautiful reminder that learning is more than producing answers. It’s about becoming someone who can think, try, revise, and take responsibility.

In a moment when so much can be generated by AI, her words call us back to what is most human in our classrooms and in our children.

“Because machines can generate answers, but they cannot build a human being.

They cannot give a child the feeling of tying their own shoe for the first time.
They cannot replace the pride of building something that actually works.
They cannot replace the frustration of trying again after failing.
They cannot replace the experience of being responsible for something real.
They cannot replace belonging to a community.
They cannot replace trust.
They cannot replace being needed.
They cannot replace the slow construction of competence.”

“Very young children understand something that older students sometimes forget. Very young children do not say, “Help me do this so it is perfect.” They say, “Let me do it.” “I did it myself.” “I made this.” “Watch me.” Somewhere along the way, many children stop wanting to do the work and start wanting the result. They stop asking, “Can I do this?” and start asking, “Is this for a grade?” That is a very important moment in education. That is often the moment integrity begins to move, because the focus shifts from becoming capable to appearing successful.

If we look at education through the child lens, integrity is not primarily about honesty in the moral sense. It is about becoming a person who can do things, who tells the truth about what they can do, who takes responsibility when things go wrong, who contributes to a group, who finishes what they start, who tries again after failure, who can be trusted.

Integrity, in this sense, is closely tied to independence, competence, responsibility, and belonging.

This is why the conversation about AI in education is not really about technology. It is about the purpose of education. If education is mainly about producing correct answers, then machines may become the best students. But if education is about developing judgment, responsibility, persistence, collaboration, care, courage, curiosity, and contribution, then the role of school becomes more human, not less.”

The AI Tutor Takes a Break Can Humanness Be Synthesized

Upcoming webinar: the author of The Digital Delusion will offer a webinar titled "Bring True Learning Back to the Classroom"! March 24th, 7:30 Eastern Time.

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Action Network Live with Jared Cooney Horvath: Bring True Learning Back to the Classroom. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. A Special Event for Educators, School Administrators, District Officials, and Parents You’ve been told that progress looks like AI tutors, cutting-edge EdTech, and an equitable approach to device distribution for your students. Yet your years of studying, teaching, and working with children give y...

Job Openings at Our Network Schools!
Baldwin County School District in Milledgeville, GA has Montessori openings for this fall at both the Primary (Children’s House) and Elementary levels.

If you’re a certified Montessori teacher and interested in joining their team, contact:
Megan Shuman, District Montessori Lead
[email protected]

Not sure if you qualify?
Check out our guide to Georgia’s public Montessori teaching certificate:

Montessori Teacher Certification Resources • Montessori Partnerships for Georgia Montessori Teacher Certification Resources Guidance for Montessori Certificate Seekers The Georgia Montessori Teaching Certificate qualifies the holder to teach in a Georgia public Montessori classroom. To qualify, a certificate seeker…

Registration closes Monday for our March 7 neurodiversity workshop! Engaging and practical, this helps you answer the question: What do I do on Monday? Sign up now to be sure you get a spot.

Follow the Child: What Do I Do on Monday? • Montessori Partnerships for Georgia Workshops Follow the Child: What Do I Do on Monday? Applying Neurodiversity-Affirming Practices in the Montessori Classroom Tools, language, and clarity for the moments when following the child feels hardest.…

Job Openings at Our Network Schools!
Baldwin County School District in Milledgeville, GA, has Montessori openings for this fall at both the Primary (Children’s House) and Elementary levels.

If you’re a certified Montessori teacher and interested in joining their team, contact:
Megan Shuman, District Montessori Lead
[email protected]

Not sure if you qualify?
Check out our guide to Georgia’s public Montessori teaching certificate:

Montessori Teacher Certification Resources • Montessori Partnerships for Georgia Montessori Teacher Certification Resources Guidance for Montessori Certificate Seekers The Georgia Montessori Teaching Certificate qualifies the holder to teach in a Georgia public Montessori classroom. To qualify, a certificate seeker…

A no-cost opportunity for Montessori guides to connect and learn with leaders from the Montessori Institute of North Texas!

Still one of the best-kept secrets in Montessori professional learning. Our free, online trainer-facilitated PLCs have been supporting Montessori educators for years through real conversations about our shared practice.

A quick March update:
The 6–12 Montessori PLC has moved to March 17.

Join us!

Amazing teacher workshop coming up March 7 in Atlanta! Julie Carnes brings her neurodiversity-affirming strategies and her deep knowledge of Montessori together. Registration closes Monday, March 2nd.

Follow the Child: What Do I Do on Monday? • Montessori Partnerships for Georgia Workshops Follow the Child: What Do I Do on Monday? Applying Neurodiversity-Affirming Practices in the Montessori Classroom Tools, language, and clarity for the moments when following the child feels hardest.…