[lotsofpulp]

As far as I can tell, “Montessori” is just a mechanism for price discrimination, like “organic”.

We’ve gone out with multiple sets of parents who send their kids to Montessori labeled schools, and they whip out iPhones and iPads to placate at the first sign of trouble.

Not to mention that I can’t figure out what a Montessori school does differently anyway, other than charge a higher tuition, thereby selecting for a group of kids with higher socioeconomic status parents.

[cycrutchfield]

That’s because Montessori is something that any school or daycare can call themselves, regardless of whether they adhere to the teaching philosophy or not. You need to look at just the set of schools that are AMS or AMI accredited.

[krn1p4n1c]

This needs to be higher in the thread. The AMS/AMI accreditation makes a big difference in the quality of teaching.

Prior Montessori HN thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33622295

[ericd]

Yep, exactly this. There's been a boom in Montessori-labeled schools, but there are comparatively few real ones. Partly, it's very hard to find real Montessori teachers, so the ones that aren't accredited don't have many, if any, real Montessori-trained teachers, and it's not something you can just wing.

I ran the hiring processes for a Montessori school my wife and I helped run, and the difference in even Montessori-trained and very experienced teachers was stunning. If you want the real experience, you really have to find one that lives and breathes the principles.

[peferron]

My kid goes to a public Montessori school, so the tuition isn't much. It's also pretty clear what they do differently if you tour the classrooms.