ERIC Number: ED614076
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Mar
Pages: 42
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Understanding Equitable Access to Public Montessori Pre-K: A Case Study of Montessori Recruitment and Enrollment Practices
Hilty, Rowan; Boddicker-Young, Porsche; Hegseth, Danielle; Thompson, Joy; Bultinck, Erin; Fojut, Jackson; Early, Diane
Child Trends
Ensuring equitable access to high-quality early education for families from all racial, ethnic, and income backgrounds is a critical component for addressing systemic racism and inequality within the public education system. This study examined one piece of this issue by investigating access to public Montessori pre-K, as well as barriers that may hinder equitable access. To begin to understand whether and how public Montessori pre-K enrollment policies might create barriers to access for underrepresented families--particularly Black and Latine families and families experiencing poverty--this study started with a landscape scan of all public Montessori pre-K programs. This scan allowed the researchers to learn more about the characteristics of who these programs serve, where they are located, and their recruitment and enrollment practices. They located the public Montessori pre-K programs identified in the landscape scan in national administrative data sets to learn more about the communities that include these programs. Then, they fielded a survey of public Montessori pre-K programs identified from the landscape scan to delve deeper into the programs' policies. Finally, the researchers conducted interviews with families from the communities served by the surveyed pre-K programs to learn about their perceptions of public Montessori pre-K, experiences enrolling in these programs, and experiences enrolling in other ECE options (if applicable). This data collection provided a snapshot, or case study, of the different recruitment and enrollment practices of public Montessori pre-K programs and how they affect families' access to these early education options. The case study's research questions and activities, methodology, findings, limitations, and implications are discussed in this report. [This policy case study was conducted in collaboration with Dr. Delia Allen.]
Descriptors: Equal Education, Access to Education, Montessori Schools, Montessori Method, Preschools, Enrollment, Barriers, Disproportionate Representation, Preschool Children, African American Students, Hispanic American Students, Educational Policy, Student Recruitment, Tuition, Educational Finance, Institutional Characteristics, Admission (School)
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Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Brady Education Foundation
Authoring Institution: Child Trends
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A