Margaret H. Loeffler examines why there is a need for a new examination of Montessori ideas and practices as they relate to the children of the 21st century. She argues that it is imperative that Montessori educators and Montessori parents reexamine its basic principles as well as its methodology to assess its fit with the needs of 21st-century…

The theme of the AMS 2014 Annual Conference is "Unity in Diversity," a concept that also describes the work of conference keynote speaker Andrew Solomon. Solomon is a writer and lecturer on psychology and politics; winner of the National Book Award; and an activist for LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender] rights, mental health,…

The American Montessori Society's (AMS) 2014 Living Legacy recipient, John Chattin-McNichols, delivered the keynote address at the Annual Conference in Dallas, TX, on March 27, 2014, In his speech, he described three overall highlights of AMS: (1) AMS is now a world-leading organization; (2) It must become a learning organization; and (3)…

In this article, the author states that, for over 45 years, she has explored the issues of leadership and change, and, along the way, she has examined how diversity fits in with these ideas. She states that she found all three of these concepts embodied in the person of John McDermott, a leader in the American Montessori movement in the United…

Montessori's theories, developed more than 100 years ago, certainly resonate with current psychological research on improving education. Autonomy, interest, competence, and relatedness form the foundation for three contemporary efforts to organize the vast literature on motivation into a parsimonious theory. These four elements also comprise…