Montessori Schools

Maria Montessori (1870–1952) developed an educational approach that emphasized treating each child as an individual with an innate ability to develop her own physical, social, emotional, and cognitive potential given an appropriate environment. More than 100 years later, an estimated 20,000 Montessori schools exist worldwide with over 4,000 in the United States including more than 500 in the public sector. The majority of Montessori schools serve children aged 3–6 years, but a large number of elementary programs exist with growing availability of options for younger and older students as well. Although the fundamentals of educational research apply to Montessori schools, unique aspects require researchers to address considerations in the areas of fidelity of implementation, types of research questions, and research design.