About Us
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.
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.
As an organization, we
- 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
NCMPS grows and sustains Montessori in the public sector with a focus on equity and access. More and better public Montessori schools will give children hit hardest by racism, poverty, and structural inequality access to this transformational model.
Nationally, NCMPS builds a public Montessori network—an inclusive community of teachers, coaches, leaders, policy-makers, and researchers committed to child-centered developmental education and the life-changing transformations that result.
Locally, NCMPS partners with communities and schools to build equity, quality, and sustainability through direct school support including start-up, training, assessment, and coaching. We work directly with dozens of schools, supporting hundreds of teachers, and impacting the lives of tens of thousands of children in public Montessori programs throughout the U.S.
NCMPS was launched by the American Montessori Society (AMS) in 2012, and incorporated independently in 2015.
NCMPS co-founder and visionary inspiration Jackie Cossentino passed away in December, 2019. You can read more about her and access her published work here: Remembering Jackie Cossentino
146
Public Schools Supported
1,294
Teachers, Coaches, and Leaders Supported
45
Tools Published
Total Reach
5,000+ adults
500+ schools and organizations
50,000+ children
Montessori Teacher Residency Specialist
Sandra supports online learning and the Montessori Teacher Residency.
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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
Katie oversees professional learning offerings and manages select research projects.
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Student Support Specialist • Montessori Coach
Maria supports schools, organizations, and the Montessori Teacher Residency.
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Program Manager and Coach, Mid-Atlantic Region
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 Assets and Tools • Curriculum Standards Specialist
Katy coordinates the creation, dissemination and editing of NCMPS tools, and supports DERS training and implementation.
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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 SpecialistMontessori Teacher Residency Instructor and Coach
Jasmine supports the Montessori Teacher Residency and serves as an NCMPS Coach.
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Program Manager and Coach, Rocky Mountain Region
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.
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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
NCMPS is governed by a Board of Directors which includes leaders from both the Association Montessori International and the American Montessori Society, as well as funders and strategy experts with experience in the education reform world.
Ebony Bridwell-Mitchell
Associate Professor of Education at Harvard University, school organizations expert, and former Montessori student
Jennifer Davidson
Secretary
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
Chair
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
Treasurer
Founding Partner, Trust for Learning, Montessori parent and expert, philanthropist
Richard Ungerer
Vice Chair
Executive Director Emeritus of the American Montessori Society, independent Montessori consultant
