A Multi-State Analysis of Public Montessori Programs

• In Event: AERA Poster Session 13
  In Poster Session: Montessori Education SIG Structured Poster Session: Advances in Research, Practice, and Equity (San Diego)

Abstract

This paper describes preliminary findings from a multi-state analysis of public Montessori programs. Researchers utilized state databases to examine who participates in Montessori programs and employed a unique matching procedure to estimate how Montessori participation is associated with student achievement, attendance, and behavior and how these relationships may differ by subgroup. Preliminary results suggest that White and higher-income students are overrepresented in public Montessori programs and that there are few differences in test score growth between Montessori and non-Montessori students. However, Montessori students exhibit lower levels of chronic absenteeism and have fewer discipline incidents.

Authors

• Brooke Culclasure, Furman University

• David J. Fleming, Furman University