OUR MISSION
NCMPS transforms lives by cultivating equitable, accessible, sustainable, and humanizing public education through Montessori.
Our Vision
NCMPS envisions a world where every community has equitable access to sustainable, just, and humanizing public education that empowers families, students, and teachers to flourish.
We join others working towards this vision by leveraging our particular expertise in building, promoting, and supporting public Montessori.
Guiding Principles
We believe equitable, accessible, sustainable public Montessori programs have the power to disrupt racism, poverty, and structural inequality and transform lives and societies for peace and justice.
- Center equity, access, and sustainability in building strong schools
- Honor agency and empowerment in children and adults
- Work for Montessori to be a lever of change for a just
society - Ground our work in academic, community, and field-based
research - Meet partners where they are and work side-by-side with
them to build capacity - Approach our work with optimism and hope for the future
- Honor and celebrate the strength and joy in each individual’s full humanity
Strategy
We achieve our mission and bring our vision to life using three principal strategic levers:
- Build, promote, and support a robust national ecosystem of public Montessori
- Promote and support the development of new public Montessori schools and programs.
- Deliver tools, training, and technical assistance to support strong, equitable, and sustainable public Montessori schools and programs
Equity
The National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector recognizes structural racism, inequality, and violence inherent in American social and political life, and stands in solidarity with all those who are working for change.
We hold the vision of an education system committed to human flourishing for all children. We focus on equitable access to just and sustainable Montessori education because schools are powerful levers of change, and Montessori schools can be powerful levers of change for a just society.
How We Do It
We put equity commitments into action in each of our three strategic levers:
Build, promote, and support a robust national ecosystem of public Montessori
The Montessori Census is a free resource increasing access to public Montessori schools.
Teach Montessori highlights and promotes public Montessori jobs, bringing more teachers into more equitable schools.
MontessoriPublic convenes community and raises and amplifies unheard voices.
Promote and support the development of new public Montessori schools and programs.
Montessori education, with its emphasis on agency and interdependency, can be a powerful tool for dismantling inequity. Every new public Montessori school has the potential to extend this approach beyond families able to pay tuition.
Deliver tools, training, and technical assistance to support strong, equitable, and sustainable public Montessori schools and programs
Tools: We continuously review and revise our tools for implicit bias and cultural responsiveness, based on feedback from the field.
Training: The Montessori Teacher Residency supports equity and access by design, in terms of cost, location, content, and academic approach.
Professional learning: We offer professional development designed specifically to support equitable classroom practice.
School support: We include equity, access, and sustainability in every school review and support plan.
Equity Resources
Below, we have collected links to articles, books, websites, and other resources we are finding helpful in our continuous learning and growth.
- My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Mending of Our Bodies and Hearts
- The Racial Healing Handbook: Practical Activities to Help You Challenge Privilege, Confront
- Systemic Racism, and Engage in Collective Healing
- Ghosts in the Schoolyard: Racism and School Closings on Chicago’s South Side
- Education of Blacks in the South, 1860-1935
- Inventing Latinos
- We Want to do More Than Survive
- Critical Race Theory
- Understanding Anti-Bias Education: Bringing the Four Core Goals to Every Facet of Your Curriculum<
- Tools for Social Change: How to Develop a Liberatory Consciousness
- Anti-Racism Resources—Sarah Sophie Flicker and Alyssa Klein
- How to Talk to Kids about Race and Racism—Parent Toolkit
- Becoming Upended: Teaching and Learning about Race and Racism with Young Children and Their Families—National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
- Talking to children after racial incidents—University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education
- 100 Race-Conscious Things You Can Say to Your Child to Advance Racial— Raising Race Conscious Children
- Talking Race & Kids Webinars—embrace race
Books
Video
Podcasts
Montessori Teacher Residency Specialist • Instructor
Sandra supports online learning and the Montessori Teacher Residency.
Full Bio →
Communications Director
David oversees communications and network development, including MontessoriPublic, the Montessori Census, and Teach Montessori.
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Director of Research and Professional Learning • Instructor
Katie oversees professional learning offerings and manages select research projects.
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Student Support Specialist • Instructor • Coach
Maria supports schools, organizations, and the Montessori Teacher Residency.
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Candace Fletcher
MTR Practicum Coordinator • Instructor • Coach
Director of Montessori Teacher Residencies • Instructor • Coach
Laure manages NCMPS’s Montessori Teacher Residency program and supports public Montessori schools in the Mid-Atlantic Region and beyond.
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Director of Tools and Assets • Curriculum Standards Specialist • Instructor
Katy coordinates the creation, dissemination and editing of NCMPS tools, and supports DERS training and implementation.
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Katie Mosquera
MTR Elementary Coordinator • Montessori Instructor • Coach
Bilingual Montessori Specialist • Instructor
Karen supports Spanish-speaking teachers and leaders in public Montessori schools and in the Montessori Teacher Residency.
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Executive Director
Sara leads NCMPS in cultivating equitable, accessible, sustainable, and developmentally appropriate public education through Montessori.
Race and Equity Specialist • Instructor • Coach
Jasmine supports the Montessori Teacher Residency and serves as an NCMPS Coach.
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Director of School Services • Instructor • Coach
Seth supports schools and organizations in the Rocky Mountain region through program development and coaching.
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Director of Entrepreneurial Initiatives
Keith brings internally developed tools to scale with partners and schools within and beyond Montessori.
Full Bio →Partners and Associates
Projects
Teach Montessori is an invitation to learn more about Montessori teacher jobs, Montessori training, Why choose Montessori and more…
MontessoriPublic is a digital and print communications & advocacy platform bringing Montessori into the public conversation.
The Montessori Census collects data about Montessori schools (public and private) in the U.S. and around the world. The Census currently has information for 500+ public programs and 2,000+ private schools in the U.S.
Breakthrough Montessori offers free, high quality Montessori education to families in Washington, DC.
The University of Delaware Montessori Teacher Residency is a MACTE applicant in good standing Montessori teacher training program including an embedded teacher residency, launching in July 2020.
Our Funders & Supporters
We are grateful to key funders who have supported NCMPS’s growth and impact over the years.
Our Board
Ebony Bridwell-Mitchell
Associate Professor of Education at Harvard University, school organizations expert, and former Montessori student
Jennifer Davidson
Trustee for AMI Global, former Executive Director of Montessori Northwest, Head of School of Montessori in the Redlands
Jared Joiner
Director, Educational Practice, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and former Montessori student
Jeff Kutash
Founder and Managing Partner of Boldly Go Philanthropy. Former Executive Director of Peter Kiewit Foundation, former head of FSG’s National Education and Youth Practice, Montessori parent.
Marianna McCall
Founding Partner, Trust for Learning, Montessori parent and expert, philanthropist
Richard Ungerer
Executive Director Emeritus of the American Montessori Society, independent Montessori consultant
