In this historical study, the author explores the racial views of Maria Montessori as expressed in her largely forgotten 1913 book, "Pedagogical Anthropology." As a physician and physical anthropologist, Montessori espoused three racial beliefs that were in wide circulation during the late nineteenth century: biological racism, racial…

Maria Montessori's visit to California in 1915--her second visit to the United States--coincided with multiple events in the region: San Francisco's Panama-Pacific International Exposition (PPIE), San Diego's Panama-California Exposition (PCE), and the National Education Association of the United States (NEA) annual meeting in Oakland. Her visit…

The American Montessori Society (AMS) celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2020. From its beginnings under the leadership of inspirational founder Dr. Nancy McCormick Rambusch through to the present day, AMS has built a rich history. The AMS Records are open and accessible to all, and provide a unique opportunity to understand the full impact and…

In this article, the author reflects on a trip to Italy where she visited Dr. Montessori's birthplace in Chiaravalle.

Maria Montessori arrived in India in 1939 to conduct the first training course on the Asian continent. Thus began Montessori's extended stay in India. She wrote and published "The Absorbent Mind," crystallized the Elementary curriculum, and developed the theory of "Planes of Development" as the basis for the curriculum from…

This article describes the history of Ukraine's Montessori Movement and how the Russian invasion has put it in jeopardy. After Ukraine gained its independence in 1991, the Princeton Montessori School and Princeton Center for Teacher Education partnered with Ukrainian educators to set up the model Kyiv Montessori School--the first Montessori school…

In the past few decades important work has been undertaken to unsettle essentialist conceptualisations of gender/sex in the early years workforce. Through an auto/ethnographic diffractive engagement that thinks with feminist 'new' materialist and postcolonial scholarships, this paper uncovers the need to move beyond an exclusive focus on…

This article provides photographs, quotes, and a timeline that traces Maria Montessori's legacy.

Childhood adversity and trauma are pervasive and have powerful, far-reaching consequences for health and well-being. Recent years have seen increased recognition of the need for trauma-informed practice, which aims to promote understanding, healing, and the prevention of retraumatization. Historical data show that the early Montessori schools were…

Mark Woodward, a music teacher at Montessori Academy, in Brentwood, Tennessee, wrote a musical based on Dr. Montessori's early life and work with the help of his wife and students. It was performed in May 2018, and the response was wonderful. Seven local Montessori schools brought their students to see it, and several groups are looking into…

The concept of domesticity plays out in early childhood educational settings and has a long tradition. Domesticity in its pre-domestic, domestic and post-domestic phases is used here as a site for reconsidering the role of Maria Montessori. The ideas put forward here are intended as a provocation and methodologically the device of constructing an…

This annotated bibliography is the fourth in a series published in Montessori Life, with the first reviewing articles published during the 10-year time span of 1996-2006 (Bagby, 2007), the second covering 2007-2009 (Bagby & Jones, 2010), and the third 2010-2013 (Bagby, Wells, Edmondson & Thompson, 2014). As with the previous reviews, the…

This annotated bibliography is the fourth in a series published in Montessori Life, with the first reviewing articles published during the 10-year time span of 1996-2006 (Bagby, 2007), the second covering 2007-2009 (Bagby & Jones, 2010), and the third 2010-2013 (Bagby, Wells, Edmondson & Thompson, 2014). As with the previous reviews, the…

Montessori Education is over a century old. Since its inception, Montessori schools have been opened worldwide. While most are pre-schools serving three- to six-year-old children, many people are not aware that Montessori spoke and wrote about middle level education before her death in 1952. Her concept for the Erdkinder, an intentionally designed…

Dr. Margaret "Peggy" Loeffler (1921-2016) was a true Montessori pioneer, someone who had a lasting impact on the American Montessori Society (AMS), on Montessori schools, and on teacher education programs. In this article, John Chattin-McNichols shares some of his memories of her, and, in doing so, also reflects on some of his memories…