The MONTESSORI GUIDE to the ECERS-R Grassroots Advocacy in Action

The Montessori Guide to the ECERS-R was created for use by State Montessori organizations as an advocacy tool in support of fair and accurate ratings of Montessori early childhood classrooms.

Advocating with this tool, gives us the opportunity to both demonstrate the high quality of Montessori education and educates those in the larger world of early childhood education about its benefits for children and families.

Montessori education can, and should, be able to participate in accountability systems, like QRIS. It is our responsibility, though, to explain how the research-based, developmentally appropriate Montessori curriculum and practices meet the goals of quality even while specifics may look different from a Head Start, or play-based, program.

RB Fast, Colorado Montessori Association, recently shared her advocacy action using The Montessori Guide to the ECERS-R (www.montessoriforward.org Resources Tools). RB contacted the office that manages program rating to express concerns of the CO Montessori community regarding QRIS.  A meeting was scheduled and she was able to share The Guide, and give specific examples of how goals of "best practice" are met in a high quality Montessori classroom. She suggested that raters "see a classroom and learn about the reasoning and purpose behind the materials and layout." Speaking with the "right" person resulted in a workshop for raters across the state.

Read more about the opportunity and fantastic workshop she presented for these raters and the benefits it will have for Montessori schools in CO. at Montessori Forward- Resources- Tools.

Congratulations RB! Great work!

2015! The Year for Montessori Education

2015! Time for resolutions, right? With conversation, initiatives, and proposed policy changes at the local, state and federal level, it's time for us to TAKE ACTION !

The Opportunities~

• $1 billion in private and public funding for early childhood education
• Pre-school Development Grants in 18 states
• Re-authorization of the Child Care Development Block Grant with scholarships parents can use for the early childhood program of their choice.
• Program continuity to serve children birth to age 8, mixed delivery systems creating community partnerships between public and private programs.
• Changes in QRIS (Quality Rating and Improvement System) with greater financial and marketing benefits for private programs.
• Changes to student assessments for PK-12 and teacher evaluations.
• Regulation changes for teacher preparation programs which include free standing as well as university based programs.
• Increased pathways for recognition of "alternative" programs leading to state teacher licensure.
• Professional Registries to recognize professionalism of early childhood educators with financial incentives for professional development, scholarships, student loan forgiveness.
• Likely re authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) also known as No Child Left Behind, with potential for vouchers, increase in charter schools, and changes to the Common Core standards and assessments.

Recent Research~

• Based on a study that concludes that Kindergarten is the new First Grade, NAEYC (National Association of Education for Young Children) suggests that young children need programs which provide for choice of activity.
• A review of Head Start research concludes that the benefits of Head Start disappear by third grade and that there is no benefit to smaller class size.
• A recent study concludes that EC programs which provide for positive social-emotional experiences and conflict resolution skills results in a decrease in anti-social behavior in adults.

Resolutions for Action~

• Join or start a state Montessori organization. Grassroots advocacy action has power in numbers.
• Advocate for recognition of the Montessori teacher credential for state licensure and within the Professional Registry.
• Partner with community and state agencies to provide high quality Montessori education for all children in public and private Montessori schools.
• Make Montessori Meaningful with the Montessori Forward state Validation Project.
• Educate parents, state and local agency folks, influence policy makers.

Engage in Montessori grassroots advocacy action. Look for how-to, tools, templates, and support at Montessori Forward.org. Contact montforward@gmail.com

Happy New Year! Let's make it the Year of Montessori!

Policy Update: Federal State and Local

Information for the Montessori community. Montessori Forward is interested in your comments and questions about how your school might be impacted and how we can support your advocacy work

Federal:

The White House Summit on Early Education is scheduled for Dec. 10. President Obama will be announcing the recipients of the Preschool Development Grants and Early Head Start Child Care Partnership. We'll provide links to listen to the live streaming of this event closer to the date.

The Excellent Educators for All Initiative will be unveiled soon but  three components include: comprehensive educator equity plans to assure experienced teachers in all schools; an educator equity support network offering technical assistance to develop model plans, and promising practices for high need schools; and educator equity profiles- state profiles that will identify gaps in access to quality teaching.

State:

OR: Governor Kitzhaber's educational initiatives include:

• higher education scholarships
• services to ELL students in 9th grade to support their graduation rates
• Quality Early Child Care- $85 million in additional funds for expansion and accountability
• State funded all day kindergarten- $220 million

SC: A decision by the state Supreme Court will provide increased funding for poor and rural regions of the state for expansion of early childhood education programs. Several organizations are working together to bring a plan before the legislature soon. Money will be made available for child care programs, home visits, and increased supervision and accountability.

MT: As one of nine states with no public preschool program, the state Board of Education recently voted to approve funds to offer a state wide program. The Early Childhood Advisory Board has been formed and will be creating Early Learning Standards.

NY: New teacher certification exams have resulted in a 20% drop in candidates who have passed the test. State officials cite the needs for increased quality in teacher education programs. The Teacher Performance Assessment requires a portfolio which includes a video of the candidate teaching.

Teacher preparation programs must demonstrate that 80% of their graduates are able to pass to maintain their accreditation.

Local:

Chicago- Social impact bonds have been approved by the City Council Finance Committee allowing for private funding for public preschool programs.

Denver- has extended a sales tax increase to provide funding for the city's preschool program. Families can receive vouchers to enroll their child in one of 250 programs that meet accountability criteria.

San Antonio- has passed an increase in sales tax with the money being used to fund public pre-school.

Seattle- a new tax measure will fund a 4 year pilot public preschool program.

San Francisco- Preschool For All program, run through the public schools, has been renewed.

NYC- has doubled the number of children in full day kindergarten

The Impact of CCDBG on Montessori Education

The president has signed the Child Care Development Block Grant Act of 2014 into law. This bill, which had strong bipartisan support, is the first re authorization of this bill since 1996.

It assures statutory changes that will promote economic self-sufficiency for families by making child care more affordable and will improve the overall quality of early childhood education.

Serving an even larger population of children and families will be accomplished through a public- private partnership of providers in a mixed delivery system. (Yes, this means Montessori schools)

The bill includes revised health and safety standards, measures of environmental quality, requirements for teacher education and professional development, and has a consumer education/protection piece that will give parents the information they need to make child care choices that work best for their family.

How does all of this impact high quality Montessori education? As with state Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) and Professional Registries for tracking teacher requirements, the definitions of quality do not always accurately measure Montessori programs. This bill is about, in part, parent choice but only for those choices which match the definitions of quality as established by state agencies.

Our schools can provide an amazing, high quality early education program for all kinds of children and families. To offer this choice, however, we must educate those who make and implement the rules and regulations. This is what grassroots advocacy action is all about.

This bill is one more reason for us to act at the local level. Join your state Montessori group today. Start a group where one does not exist. (See Resources for both at Montessori Forward). With your colleagues, develop an action plan and move Montessori forward.

Montessori Forward is a volunteer grassroots group of Montessori educators whose goal is to support advocacy and action at the local level. www.montessoriforward.og

Ratios and Group Size? What Do We Think?

There has been an ongoing discussion about ratios and group sizes on the Montessori Forward List Serve. This topic has also been explored on other Montessori Blogs and recently on the Montessori Teachers Facebook group. Recent articles, policy implementation, licensing rules and regulations, and a survey of the wide variance in ratios across the US have all brought attention to this issue. It is, clearly, a concern to the Montessori community.

Certainly there are settings and models and maybe a given population of children in which a small group size would be beneficial. There is some research that demonstrates this to be the case. But many of these studies have looked specifically at Head Start programs, and there is no research that we are aware of that specifically looks at ratios and group sizes in Montessori classrooms with credentialed teachers.

As we've seen, the ratios and group size licensing requirements differ from state to state. A look at the reasoning behind these differences would be really interesting.

The real point, though, is the tendency of state agencies and policy makers to work within a "one size fits all" implementation model. It makes sense from a logistics point of view. But this is exactly why Montessori grassroots advocacy activism should engage with the agency community. If we as a community, even at a state level, can agree on a threshold or baseline (leaving plenty of room for respectful diversity within our own implementation of Montessori quality), we can share and educate those who are responsible for implementing state and federal policy.

Many of you who have reached out as a community have found great reception from state agency people. They want to hear from the Montessori community. Our work is to present ourselves as unified, thoughtful, professionals who share the goals of high quality, safe and healthy, educational experiences for all children. Those of you working to bring an inclusive group of Montessori educators together is the starting point. Finding our common ground through respectful "internal" conversations will, hopefully, lead to the unified message we need to participate in the "external" advocacy discussions that will allow high quality Montessori education to thrive for all children.

Responses? Comments? 

One School's Story?

This was sent to us from a Montessori Head of school. It 's a story so similar to the one we hear from many of you, the impact of licensing rules and regulations on Montessori philosophy and practice. The specific "issue" may vary but the story is basically the same.

How do we as Montessori educators respond? Do we just "accept that it is a rule and there is nothing we can do about it" or do we support, educate, and act to support high quality Montessori education?

This is exactly at the heart of grassroots advocacy in action. We can demonstrate accountability while preserving what Montessori has to offer for children and parents. We can compromise with integrity.

When I was first introduced to Montessori education, the most impressive aspect was the philosophy's deep and abiding respect for the child, and the dignity with which the child was treated.  In every way, the children are treated like human beings, with human rights and responsibilities. This was the environment that I wanted my children to learn and grow in.  This was the philosophy to which I then devoted my career. Even the simple fact that the 3 to 6 year old child was trusted-- not only to recognize the urge, but to use the restroom independently and with the dignity that is our right as adults--impressed me. I knew that in some child care environments, adults herd children into a public style restroom stalls without doors, based on the schedule determined by the adult, where children are expected to perform their toileting on command.  I learned in some local public schools, children must estimate and get the number of squares of toilet paper they will need out in the hall before using the toilet, and then to emerge again to get a squirt of soap and a hand towel for washing their hands. Never, I said, in a Montessori school. That would never happen in a Montessori school. Recently our school had our annual State Department of Education inspection for our Preschool Child Care Program.  Our inspector has instructed us that we must remove the doors from the Children's House bathrooms within our classrooms' footprints, and put up either a half-door or a curtain over which an adult could see a child using the restroom.   Our "single seat" residential powder room-style bathrooms which are just like the bathrooms the children use independently in their own homes--except there are no locks on the doors--are no longer acceptable, despite over 20 years of passing the DOE inspections. The inspector's rationale:  children are not to be left unsupervised, and once a child enters the bathroom and closes the door they are unsupervised.  Our highly-qualified Montessori credentialed teachers are conscious of the child's whereabouts, the amount of time in the bathroom, and sounds which could signify trouble or distress. But according to the State, supervision means "adults must be able to see and hear the child at all times".  And according to the inspector, that means watching the child use the toilet. Curtains on the bathroom door, a teacher standing there watching the child use the toilet...that is not a respectful atmosphere, and there is no dignity there. How can we show children that we trust them to make wise choices and simultaneously strip them of this opportunity to independently choose well? How can we show them that we respect them, and expect them to respect others in return, if we cannot respect this basic human dignity? This is one more way that "one sized fits all" regulations--created for care givers who aren't highly qualified, credentialed adults--are harming our Montessori learning environments.  Can we really allow our philosophy to be eroded by these regulations?  Or can we join together to stand for the Montessori philosophy that is so critical for our country's future generations?

If we don't stand up for the children and families we serve, we all risk losing the value of Montessori education. The time is now.

Policy Update: What Might the Mid-Terms Mean for Education?

By now, most of know the general outcome of the mid-term elections, but how might the results effect education? Check out your state.

CA- In the most expensive race for State Superintendent ever, Torlakson keeps his position. He had strong backing from the state's Teacher Unions, he supports Common Core, and represents a "status quo" for the state.

CO- Governor Hickenlooper (D) has been declared the winner. He has supported an overhauling for funding of public schools. The Denver Preschool Program which will mean an increase in sales tax in support of tuition credits for pre-school passed.

CT- Governor Malloy (D)- has supported expansion of charter schools and a reduction in student assessments.

FL- Rick Scott- (R) is the governor. He was strongly opposed by the state Teacher's Unions. He supports the state tax-credit scholarship program and wants to increase K-12 spending.

GA- Governor Nathan Deal (R)- supports a state-run network of charter schools.

HI- a constitutional amendment to use public funds for enrollment in private preschool programs, strongly opposed by the state Teacher's Union, failed. Hawaii is now the only the state in the US that does not have a mixed delivery- public and private providers- system for early childhood education.

IL- Governer Bruce Rauner (R)- wants to limit public sector unions. Voters approved a 3% increase on income taxes for those with an income of $1 million plus to go to education.
Goldman Sachs and Northern Trust are backing Mayor Emanuels' proposed plan for private funding to expand preschool in Chicago with a $17 million investment. This will be the largest private investment in the country if it is approved by the IL State Board of Education.

IN- If approved by the Indianapolis City Council, $350 million in private donations from PNC Foundation and the Eli Lilly Foundation will make public preschool a reality. The program would expand to include 4 counties by next Fall with the plan to serve 1,300 children.

MA- The state has a new governor, Charlie Baker (R) who wants to increase the number of charter schools.

ME- Governor Paul LePage (R)- wants competitive grants to increase early childhood education programs.

PA- Governor Tom Wolf (D)- wants to increase K-12 spending.

KS- Governor Sam Brownback (R)- is calling for an increase in K-12 funding, an easing of teacher licensure requirements, and an increase in school choice.

NH- a proposed pilot program to reduce student assessment in 4 or its 84 districts with a move to performance based exams needs approval by the State Board of Education.

The city of Seattle has approved Prop 1B using property tax to develop "available, affordable, licensed preschool options.

TN- This is the latest state to announce its "public vetting" of the Common Core standards.

TX- Governor Greg Abbott (R)- wants to increase early childhood education while making cuts to Head Start and K-12 education.

WI- Governor Scott Walker (R)- who restricted collective bargaining of labor unions, want to expand the state's voucher program and repeal Common Core.

We'll review other changes and what they might mean on the federal level soon. Stay tuned!