Over the past 5 years, the author has visited scores of Montessori classrooms, most of them in the United States and Canada, and has observed many commonalities among them. For example, in almost every classroom, children freely chose their activities and engaged hands-on with material objects. They took care of the environment, wiping up their…

Ukraine had been under Soviet domination for 75 years. Its institutions, including its educational system, were guided by rules established in Moscow. When the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, the country had opportunities to reinvent itself. In this article, the author discusses the Ukrainian Montessori Project, a successful partnership between…

This article presents an interview with Montessorians, namely Chandra Fernando, Ellen Selvidge, Sonnie McFarland, and Donna Kaiser. In an interview, these Montessorians discuss how they become involved with Montessori education and describe their involvement in Montessori over the years. They also discuss the impact of their Montessori training on…

The role of the Skalel family and their founding of Whitby School in 1958 were the spark that started the Montessori movement in the United States. Ann Skalel was impressed with the Montessori method, having seen it in practice in Ireland, that she wanted to start such a school in Greenwich, CT for her grandchildren. Tragically, Skalel and her…

Though Montessorians have existed in the United States for nearly a century, a distinctly American version of the system did not begin to take hold until the late 1950s. What was referred to at the time as the "second spring" was actually a remarkable moment not just for Montessori education, but also for American culture at large. For…