It is especially fitting that Boston, Massachusetts—the city in which, more than two centuries ago, a revolution was sparked that irrevocably changed the path of our nation’s history—will be the venue for a conference that will celebrate the sparking of another revolutionary idea: the founding of the American Montessori Society. It was 50 years ago, in 1960, that educator Dr. Nancy McCormick Rambusch saw her dream to establish a society that would develop and expand Montessori education in schools across the United States unfold into reality.

With AMS and Montessori education now well established and continuing to grow in the United States and abroad, it is time for Montessori educators to take an in-depth look at the relationship between Montessori education and the 21st -century skills, values, and attributes required by our students, so that they may become competent, responsible, adaptive citizens who are lifelong learners, critical thinkers, and creative problem solvers. And, it is our responsibility as educators and researchers to examine, enhance, and validate our Montessori pedagogy and practice for the 21st century, just as Maria Montessori and Nancy McCormick Rambusch challenged existing educational methods and philosophies and introduced new ideas and models. In her book Learning How to Learn (1962), Dr. Rambusch challenged us to consider this question: “In an effort to find more effective solutions to learning at all levels, can Americans do less than look at Montessori again?”

For More Information
Conference Logistics: Leslie DiLeo, CMP
Conference Program: Marie Conti, MEd