Montessori in Action

Join the Revolution! Build a resilient Montessori school

Montessori in Action: Building Resilient Montessori Schools delivers a practical and actionable method to provide a strong Montessori experience for all children, families and educators. The first of its kind, this book offers readers a collection of modern and concrete ways to build an equitable and resilient Montessori program, by discussing topics like:

• Working within the unique, complex ecosystem of Montessori to build a unified community empowered to serve the mission of the school
• Sharing ways to create a culture of honest conversation based on the values of growth and clarity
• Offering ways to build strong and resilient systems that will engage the whole community and yield results

Perfect for Montessori educators and administrators of all kinds, Montessori in Action will support educators in taking action! This book provides structures, tools and timetables to strengthen and improve schools. It will also earn a place in the libraries of the parents of Montessori children who desire to create and maintain an equitable environment that benefits all students, regardless of their background.

Acknowledgments ix

Land Acknowledgment xi

About the Author xiii

Preface xv

Part I: Introduction 1

Chapter 1: Why Build a Resilient School? 9

Chapter 2: Constructivist Thinking 17

Chapter 3: Equity 27

Chapter 4: Coaching 37

Part II: One School 51

Chapter 5: Calibrate 59

Chapter 6: Organize 81

Part III: Honest Talk 107

Chapter 7: Nourish 113

Chapter 8: Validate 141

PART IV: Strong Systems 165

Chapter 9: Engage 169

Chapter 10: Yield 213

Part V: Take Action 245

Chapter 11: Steps to Building a Resilient Montessori School 251

Chapter 12: Resources to Support 259

References 265

Index 267

ELIZABETH G. SLADE is an author and educator with thirty-five years of experience working in Montessori education. She has worked in both independent and public Montessori schools in New England and spent six years at the National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector working with public Montessori schools across the country. She now serves as co-executive director of Public Montessori in Action, an organization created to ensure fully implemented Montessori education for children, families and educators of the global majority.

Join the Montessori revolution!

Montessori in Action offers a cohesive and ambitious vision of school culture and the actionable guidance you’ll need to make that vision a reality. You’ll discover what it means to be a resilient Montessori school, how to operate as a unified community, and how to set measurable and clear goals that move you toward your ultimate objective.

Perfect for Montessori teachers and administrators, this book is an indispensable resource for anyone hoping to have a dramatic and positive impact on children, families, and schools. It also offers parents of Montessori children insights about the creation of an equitable environment that benefits all students.

“Slade applies her considerable experience in public Montessori to a structured plan for helping this unique and evidence-based pedagogy succeed in its mission to create equitable learning spaces where every child can flourish.”
—Angeline S. Lillard, Professor of Psychology, University of Virginia; author of Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius

“Montessori in Action: Building Resilient Montessori Schools is the book I wish I’d had when I was a school leader! It offers a framework to (re)organize and operate our Montessori schools in ways that work for adults—enabling experiences of genuine collaboration, interdependence and equity—so they can work for children.”
—Jacqui Miller, Director of Montessori Programming and Operations, Cleveland Metro School District