2026 Public Montessori Conference
2026 Public Montessori Conference
2026 Public Montessori Conference
2026 Public Montessori Conference and Retreat

BY PUBLIC MONTESSORIANS, FOR PUBLIC MONTESSORIANS​

Thank you, Milwaukee!

We had such a powerful, moving, and inspiring weekend on our 2026 Conference and Retreat, visiting Milwaukee’s 51-year old public Montessori program and diving into sessions.
Attendees can access the slide decks and handouts by clicking the button below:

Photos and videos from the Conference

Public Montessori Voices

Keynote Speakers

Saturday Keynote

Peace Literacy: A skill set for uplifting humanity

Paul K. Chappell, Executive Director, Peace Literacy Institute

Paul K. Chappell

Executive Director
Peace Literacy Institute

Jacqui Miller, Educational Architect & Consultant

Jacqui Miller

Educational Architect & Consultant

What if…

  • people were as well trained in waging peace as soldiers are in waging war? 
  • people were trained to address root causes of problems rather than symptoms?
  • we taught peace as a skill set, as life-saving literacy, with as much rigor as we teach reading and writing?

A West Point graduate and Iraq war veteran, now an author and international peace literacy educator, Paul K. Chappell founded the Peace Literacy Institute to “help students navigate the most difficult parts of being human.”

Longtime public Montessori educator and leader Jacqui Miller has infused peace literacy capacities and skills into staff development and student support systems.

Sunday Plenary Session

Integration, Intention, and the Prepared Adult

Dr. Nicole Evans, Senior Director of Leadership, Embracing Equity

Dr. Nicole Evans

Senior Director of Leadership
Embracing Equity

Regina Dyson, Board Chair, Montessori for Social Justice

Regina Dyson

Board Chair
Montessori for Social Justice

The Closing Plenary is a moment of gathering and grace—an intentional pause to integrate our learning, honor our shared journey, and return to the work ahead as more fully prepared adults.

Together, we will revisit the insights, questions, and truths that surfaced throughout the conference, holding them with care and curiosity. Through guided reflection and communal witnessing, participants are invited to name what has shifted within—what has been affirmed, unsettled, or newly imagined—and how this growth prepares us to serve children, communities, and one another with greater clarity and compassion.

As we depart, we do so not in closure, but in continuation—carrying forward renewed commitment, collective wisdom, and the quiet confidence that we are not alone in this work. The circle remains, even as we step back into our lives, classrooms, and communities.

Conference Sessions

Choose four sessions among four themes.

Presented by public Montessori educators, NCMPS staff, and special guests.

Preparing Montessori Schools for Children With Learning Difficulties

Amy Cushner

Amy Cushner

Pickerin_Joyce_S-22
Joyce Pickering

The Cosmic Task of Montessori Leadership

Peter McClure

Peter McClure

Needs of Humanity: 

Social and Environmental Justice

Sovandara-Chhin
Sovandara Chhin

Montessori
Literacy Pathways:

Practical Steps towards
State Approval

Annie-Frazer
Annie Frazer
Laure Fleming
Laure Fleming
Linda Zankowsky
Linda Zankowsky

Differentiation

Looking for Entrances
and Exits in Lessons

Cheryl Allen
Cheryl Allen

Coaching Systems
that Work:

Building a Sustainable Framework

Katie Mosquera
Katie Mosquera
Melissa Sugzdinis
Melissa Sugzdinis

The Apartment:

Montessori Life Skills for Adolescents with Intellectual Disabilities

Rachel Barker
Rachel Barker

Innovative District Partnerships

Matt Matera, Partner, Empower Schools

Matt Matera

Julia Webb

Culturally Responsive Montessori:

Inspiring, Affirming, and Empowering

Jazmin Corbell

Jazmin Corbell

Grow Your Own
Teacher Pipeline: 

University and Community Partnerships

Kathryn Picanco, Director of Montessori Programs, Whitworth University
Kathryn Picanco
Rhonda-Turnipseed

Rhonda Turnipseed

Designing Choice: 

Universal Design for Learning in the Montessori Environment

Katey Dodd
Katey Dodd
Melanie Brown

Melanie Brown

Implementation Science, Montessori Style:

A Case Study and Template for System Change

Emily Madison

Emily Madison

The Science Behind the Prepared Environment

Classroom Design for Attention, Regulation, and Learning

Laura Foster, Affiliate Faculty, Loyola university of Maryland

Laura Foster

Building the Bridge

Supporting Adolescents in the Leap to High School

Ravin-Michelle

Michelle Ravin

From Montesorta to Montessori in San Mateo

Data, Strategic Planning,
and Action

Nima Tahai, Principal, Parkside Montessori

Nima Tahai

Montessori Report Cards

Milwaukee’s Montessori
Grading System

Abigail Rausch

Abigail Rausch