The Research

Over the past fifty years, Montessori education has become increasingly popular and better understood in the United States. With this new attention and the current issues in public education, more and more researchers have begun to study the outcomes and impact of a Montessori education.

Currently, research regarding the success of Montessori education has concentrated in six areas:

  • History of Montessori education
  • The role of teacher beliefs in Montessori classrooms
  • Montessori’s impact on at-risk children
  • Montessori’s impact on exceptional learners
  • Traditional schooling versus the Montessori method
  • The relationship of Montessori principles and practices to optimal experience theory

To read research articles written by Montessori supporters, visit the Publications and Forms page.

Additional Perspectives

Montessori is supported today more than ever by research in psychology, biology, neurology, and additional disciplines. Every year, AMI/USA invites key researchers and speakers from outside the Montessori community to participate in our annual conference. In recent years, these guests have included:

  • Dr. Angeline Lillard, psychology professor, University of Virginia; author of The Science Behind the Genius, has presented her findings and continued research at several AMI conferences and events. Reseach from Dr. Angeline Lillard is currently available for download.
  • Daniel Pink, best-selling author of A Whole New Mind and expert on innovation, competition, and the changing world of work.
  • Dr. Steven Hughes, pediatric neuropsychologist and assistant professor of pediatrics and neurology at the University of Minnesota Medical School; author of the forthcoming book, Good At Doing Things. In 2008, Dr. Hughes described key aspects of brain function, and how Montessori education fits with the way the brain learn and grow.
  • Dr. Bruce Perry, co-author of The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog and internationally renown authority on children in crisis.
  • Dr. Andrew Meltzoff, co-author of The Scientist in the Crib and child development researcher.
  • Dr. Noah Sobe, assistant professor in cultural and educational policy studies in the School of Education at Loyola University, Chicago. He is the author of Challenging the Gaze.
  • Jane Healy, Ph.D., teacher, educational psychologist, and award-winning author of Failure To Connect.
  • Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D., an award-winning author and speaker; author of over a dozen books, including The Best Schools: How Human Development Research Should Inform Educational Practice.

“In the first half of the 20th century, Dr. Maria Montessori, a highly intelligent, scientifically minded woman who herself had been bored in school, decided to address the problem of education with a fresh outlook. In effect, she redesigned education from the ground up.”
-Dr. Angeline Lillard