No Hidden Figures: Black Montessori History
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Dosmann: Milwaukee Donahoe: Cincinnati Mattis: Denver .org BRINGING MONTESSORI INTO THE PUBLIC CONVERSATION IN PRINT AND ONLINE • MONTESSORIPUBLIC.ORG • FALL 2019 • VOL 4 NUMBER 1 No hidden figures: Black Montessori history The MSJ panel was “2.0” because Montessorians of the first “Hidden Figures” panel nar- African descent radiate ratives were presented at the 2019 #BlackExcellence American Montessori Society confer- ence. Dr. Ayize Sabater, who during the first panel told his story of helping to co-found Shining Stars Montessori Academy Public Charter School in D.C. with his wife Rhonda Lucas-Sabater Wila Golden and Juanita Marsh, now served as the facilitator for the 2.0 panel. BY DR. AYIZE SABATER The featured Black Montessori luminar- ies for this panel included Jacqui Miller, #BlackExcellence, indeed! A packed au- founder of Stonebrook Montessori in dience was mesmerized by the brilliance Cleveland; Meryl Thompson, daughter of #BlackExcellence that radiated this of pioneering Black Montessori educator June at the Montessori for Social Justice Lenore G. Briggs; Carolyn Grimstead, a (MSJ) 2019 conference, during a panel ti- former teacher trainer at the Central tled Hidden Figures 2.0: Pioneering Black Harlem Association of Montessori Sabater, Miller, Thompson, Grimstead, and Townshend Montessori Educators Past and Present. Parents (CHAMP) Teacher Education The panel was co-organized by Yale Program (TEP); and Sylvia Townsend, Education Studies Executive Director former Director of CHAMP TEP. being established during the 1920s, just Montessori worked tirelessly for her Dr. Mira Debs, who was inspired by the Audience members appeared capti- a few years after Dr. Maria Montessori “children’s crusade” which saw educa- many pioneering Montessori educators vated during this panel. Many may mis- first visited the U.S.—history hidden in tion as a tool of great “promise for chil- of color she discovered while research- takenly think that Black folk are new- plain sight. dren” and an instrument for reforming ing her book Diverse Families, Desirable comers to the Montessori movement. For more evidence that Black educa- the world. Grimstead also asserted that Schools: Public Montessori in the Era of However, Grimstead, a professor at tors had realized the value of Montessori many Black Montessori schools closed School Choice. She and co-organizers Long Island University Post, presented education early on, she distributed which could “partly [be] attributed to hoped to celebrate some of the many on the trailblazing work of Roslyn D. a Chicago Defender article from the racial segregation of the period,” Black Montessori educators “hidden in Williams. Grimstead described research November 13, 1954 by Mary McLeod plain sight”. pointing to Black Montessori preschools Bethune which discussed how Maria continues on page 13 > Surviving the storm: Reform in Puerto Rico A community rallied to During the recent controversies sur- Puerto Rico has accomplished remark- save the schools rounding the Rosselló administration’s able, community-based school trans- austerity measures, corruption scan- formations within the highly central- and support dals, and post-María crises, the public ized and impoverished Puerto Rican democracy Montessori movement has been on the Department of Education (PRDE). The front lines, mobilizing school commu- public Montessori movement, helmed nities to demand government trans- by the non-profit organization Instituto parency, citizen participation, and ed- Nueva Escuela (INE), which trains ucational equity. In the midst of events Montessori guides and supports schools BY KATHERINE MIRANDA that led to widespread unrest and forced in transforming to Montessori method- the governor’s resignation, Montessori ology, is based on pillars of collective You may have recently heard about weeks school communities have been fighting, governance and active community and of massive protests in Puerto Rico that and winning, to keep their schools open family participation. Ideologically, the ousted governor Rosselló from his post. and intact. Their most recent achieve- movement is rooted in the belief that ed- You may not have heard about how the ments offer inspiration to guide our ucation must serve as a critical vehicle public Montessori movement fits into paths forward in the public implemen- for social justice. As Ana María García this picture. The grass-roots, communi- tation of Montessori pedagogy. Blanco, INE’s Executive Director and ty-based movement has been advocating As reported in the winter 2018 issue veteran leader of the movement explains, for social justice through transformative of MontessoriPublic, a network of more education reform for almost thirty years. than 40 public Montessori schools in continues on page 14 > Montessori Assessment Playbook ers Measuring What Matt Can we measure what we treasure? Can we build and sustain truly excellent schools focused on the ambitious goal of human ourishing? And can we hold ourselves accountable to the children and families we serve in ways that harness data to advance that goal? The National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector says “yes”! The Montessori Assessment Playbook shows us how to do it. Organized around 33 discrete tools, the Playbook provides a clear and actionable i scaold for building an assessment protocol that captures compelling student outcomes, ssor such as perseverance, compassion, and creativity, and that links those outcomes to Monte YBOOK the investments we make to classrooms and schools. Emphasizing both coherence and NT PLA precision, the Montessori Assessment Playbook shows us how to develop and implement E a comprehensive assessment framework focused on human ourishing and, just as ASSESSM important, why such a framework is urgently needed. Praise for the Montessori Assessment Playbook With these tools, the National Center This is a clear, useful, and thoughtfully The ideas and tools in this Playbook are for Montessori in the Public Sector has developed collection of tools, which central to our ability to fully implement shifted the conversation from a narrow should help organize and enhance the excellent Montessori education. The idea focus on Math and Language, typical practice of Montessorians in public and that we can measure human ourishing of standardized testing, to what it private programs across levels. It is a is crucial. It helps shift the narrow summarizes under the term “human necessary step in the movement from paradigm of traditional assessment flourishing,” which is in line with Maria assessing individual children to assessing that can so easily distract us from what Montessori’s emphasis on whole child whole system inputs, and working development. Whether focusing on exec- towards the development of agency utive functioning for primary children or and responsibility in older children and KATIE TORRES, social-emotional development for elemen- adolescents. The reective practice Executive Director, St. Vrain Montessori tary and secondary students, these tools tools in particular will be especially Community School recognize what is most important not helpful for new teachers matching only for Montessori public schools, but for elements of theory from their training to all Montessori schools and even the world manifestations of those principles in their beyond Montessori. own classrooms. MICHAEL DUFFY, ELISE HUNEKE-STONE, Co-director, Montessori Elementary Teacher Director of Elementary Training, Training Collaborative (METTC) Montessori Northwest The National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector is a research-based solution provider focused on helping public schools deliver high-quality, personalized education through Montessori. $29.95 ISBN 978-1-7338691-1-9 52995 public-montessori.org 9 781733 869119 w assessment ools for implementing a ne A strategy manual and collection of t ools, including: The Playbook contains 33 wide-scope assessment t • Essential Elements Rubric and Adolescent) • Teacher, Assistant, and Executive Appraisal (Primary, Instruments Elementary, Engagement Forms • Observing Work • • Transition Skills Checklists for Primary to Lower Elementary, Lower to Upper Elementary, and Upper Elementary to Adolescent Available now as a printed manual or an ebook for $29.95 To purchase visit: www.public-montessori.org/assessment-playbook/ PUBLIC | FALL 2019 2 MONTESSORI For up-to-the minute news and discussion The public Montessori landscape How many schools, programs as magnet schools in the 1970s In March of 2018, NCMPS launched where are they, through the 1990s, when many of those a Census refresh and outreach cam- orders were listed. paign. At that time, it listed 511 public BRINGING MONTESSORI INTO THE and who is PUBLIC CONVERSATION Charter schools, first proposed in schools. Today it lists 499. That doesn’t FALL 2019 in them? 1971 as a school reform to reduce bureau- look like growth! Does that really mean cracy and empower innovative teachers, 13 schools closed last year, or at least that VOLUME 4, NUMBER 1 came to life the 1990s and a second 13 more closed than opened? wave of public Montessori schools rolled Not exactly. Not even close, actually. 1 No hidden figures: across the country. Districts responded Here’s what really happened. Black Montessori history with choice programs of their own, un- Over the last year and a half, we’ve AYIZE SABATER BY DAVID AYER der “district charter”, “innovation”, and been digging into what is or was re- 1 Surviving the storm: other headings, and public Montessori