Montessori schools have enjoyed varying levels of public support since their introduction to the United States in the early 1900s. After George Bush's adoption of No Child Left Behind, however, early childhood education regulations began to favor a different view of the education system. While representing an earnest attempt to improve the quality of the American education system nationwide, these regulations were based around fundamentally different philosophies from Maria Montessori's wholistic view of the child and their need for independence and self motivation. As a result, many state governments have since adopted new regulations and restrictions which are at odds with authentic Montessori practice.

QRIS:

An excellent example of this issue is Nevada's adoption of Nevada's Quality Rating Improvement System, or QRIS, which became operational in 2013. QRIS is a subset of Nevada's Silver State Stars program which provides funding to schools who meet certain "high quality" performance indicators.

QRIS works by scoring schools on a variety of quality indicators and licensing requirements: subsidies, professional development plans, group size, student to teacher ratios, Environment Rating System (ERS) scores, policies and procedures, and so on. While many of these requirements are valuable for the protection of children and the establishment of schools, the QRIS statutes inhibit certain Montessori practices by prescribing the layout and function of educational institutions.

ERS:

The Environmental Rating Scale portion of QRIS, in particular, presents unique challenges for the way a Montessori classroom is prepared. For example, ERS specifies that a childcare center must have props and materials for dramatic play. However, a fundamental concept in Montessori philosophy is that young children gain concentration through purposeful work that is grounded in reality. Examples of dramatic play in Montessori may include: dressing in a tool belt in order to saw, drill or nail wood; dressing in a chef's hat and apron to prepare and serve food; or wearing gardening gloves and sun hat to work in the garden. Another fundamental issue for Montessori schools in contrast with ERS standards is the integration of technology in the classroom. The Montessori philosophy for the developing young child encourages the construction of the social, emotional, and physical being. The child instead has responsive and interactive teachers within an enriched prepared environment, and a social cohort to practice meaningful relationships. The ERS inhibits schools from practicing Montessori authentically, and mitigates the positive effects of the materials and activities available in Montessori classrooms which foster students’ ability to develop language, motor, and critical thinking skills.

Teacher Licensure:

Montessori teacher credentials also are often at odds with the expectations of state regulatory agencies. AMS and AMI (Montessori's two primary accreditation agencies) are not institutions associated directly with the State of Nevada, like the Nevada Registry, the Nevada Association for the Education of Young Children, or the University of Nevada. This means that when teachers attempt to get their licenses renewed in accordance with their Montessori credentials, they don't always count toward state teacher licensure requirements. In addition, the professional development ladder used by QRIS to measure teacher educational achievement has no equivalent for Montessori specific training. Since the professional development ladder is specific to core competencies and knowledge areas outlined by the Nevada registry, Montessori training often falls outside the scope of what the registry approves. Early childhood credentials by the American Montessori Society (AMS), and the Association of Montessori International USA (AMI) both require a bachelor's degree (with a few exceptions), in addition to 1-2 years of Montessori specific training, and a year long practicum, whereas the highest requirements of QRIS need only an associate's degree in early childhood education (ECE), or an associates degree in any other topic with at least 30 ECE college credits. The difference between State and Montessori regulatory agencies' credentials and continuing education requirements highlight the necessity for a separate means of assessing the quality of Montessori schools. Montessori Nevada aims to establish the recognition of our pre-existing pathways to continuing education and teacher credentials, as well as the equal value of Montessori specific courses to the practice of our specific mode of education.

Results:

QRIS is advertised as an optional program for school advancement and recognition. However, the results of QRIS scoring are posted publicly as a tool for parents to understand the quality of the schools to which they send their children. This discourages the participation of Montessori schools whose focus on social-emotional development, prepared environment, and educational outcomes might be equal or superior to their traditional counterparts, but reflect badly in the specific measures of success put forward by QRIS.

Furthermore, QRIS is a grant and aid program, and awards schools different amounts based on the scoring of their institution. Because Montessori schools are at odds with the rating system they are excluded from the ability to present affordable education to Nevada students. This extends to the issue of increasing access to early childhood institutions that can practice authentic Montessori and also comply with state standards.

Ultimately, to progress the goal of high quality education, it is in the State’s best interest to allow authentic Montessori schools the freedom to continue to practice as they have done. By shifting the understanding of what constitutes high quality practices in early childhood education, Montessori Nevada is working toward our State’s common goal of a more educated future.