MontessoriPublic is a digital and print communications and advocacy platform bringing Montessori into the public conversation. The successor to Public School Montessorian, MontessoriPublic presents news and information about Montessori public schools (district, charter, and magnet), other publicly supported Montessori programs, public policy affecting Montessori, and Montessori-relevant ideas and events in education. Through the website, an email newsletter , social media , print publications, and engagement with news and opinion producers, MontessoriPublic communicates about and advocates for public Montessori.

Website: Bookmark our homepage or follow us to keep up with public Montessori developments. Browse and share MontessoriPublic as a source of information on Montessori education, public Montessori, public policy, and more.

Newsletter: Subscribe to MontessoriPublic Update, our email newsletter, for periodic updates.

Support MontessoriPublic: MontessoriPublic is a non-profit dedicated to promoting public Montessori.  Become a member, supporter, or sponsor here.

Public School Montessorian was a national Montessori newspaper published and edited for 26 years by Denny Schapiro, a Minnesotan journalist, teacher, professor, dean, and tireless supporter and promoter of public Montessori. At a time when many public Montessori teachers were struggling in isolation, Public School Montessorian shared their stories, their struggles, and their successes, and brought public Montessori into the public eye. The newspaper was widely distributed, read, talked about, and relied on in the Montessori world.

Denny Schapiro passed away unexpectedly in May 2014, and Public School Montessorian ceased publication with a final farewell issue in the fall of that year. The National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector arranged with Denny’s family to continue his work in a new format, and MontessoriPublic was born. MontessoriPublic takes on the goals and ideals of Public School Montessorian: to tell the stories and advance the cause of public Montessori everywhere, and to keep Montessori in the public conversation.

Digitized versions of the Public School Montessorian archive are now available at the University of Connecticut Library.

National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector

The National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector (NCMPS) is a non-profit organization founded by the American Montessori Society (AMS) in 2012, and now operating independently, to advance public Montessori programs. NCMPS launched as a comprehensive resource for information and support related to public Montessori, helping to start schools, providing workshops and coaching, giving public testimony, implementing the Montessori Census, and much more.

Between 2012 and 2015, NCMPS identified two key obstacles to the expansion of fully implemented Montessori:

• The chronic shortage of well-prepared Montessori teachers to work in public schools.
• The challenges of implementing high-fidelity Montessori in a policy environment often at odds with the core elements of the approach. Challenges include funding for three and four year-olds, regulations regarding class size and student-teacher ratios, and assessment protocols.

NCMPS now focuses on “teachers, tools, and schools”, working in three areas:

• Addressing the teacher shortage through coordinated talent development programs such as the Montessori Teacher Residency.
• Assisting new and existing schools in fostering cultures of continuous improvement through coaching and workshops.
• Developing and sharing resources such as the Developmental Environmental Rating Scale (DERS), the Essential Elements Rubric, and the Teacher Appraisal Instrument, designed to assist schools as they move toward full implementation.

Sponsors, Supporters, and Members

Sponsorship

MontessoriPublic is supported by philanthropic giving, institutional sponsors, and individual members. Sponsors have the opportunity to publicize their support of public Montessori through the displays visitors see on the front page of the website and in other MontessoriPublic publications. Contact MontessoriPublic for more information.

Sponsors

The launch and continued operation of MontessoriPublic have been made possible by a generous grant from the Harold Simmons Foundation.

MontessoriPublic also receives support from the McCall Kulak Family Foundation and the Trust for Learning.

Support

MontessoriPublic is a publication of the National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, and contributions from individual supporters are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Supporters above the $50 level are automatically members, and will enjoy (optional) recognition in MontessoriPublic publications and the undying gratitude of the public Montessori movement. Contact MontessoriPublic for more information.

Membership

MontessoriPublic is free and open to all, but individuals can support public Montessori by joining as members for a $50 annual fee (tax-deductible as allowed by law). Members will get (optional) recognition in MontessoriPublic publications, possibly a coffee mug, and the satisfaction of knowing their contributions support our work. Contact MontessoriPublic for more information.