What many parents at George Washington said they felt was far more important was the education their children are receiving in the Montessori program.
“Time and again, when assessed later in life, these students will outperform their peers in objective, quantifiable ways,” said Stackhouse. “Controlled studies show higher ACT scores, higher high school GPAs, and better performance in state testing for high school students who were Montessori-educated until fifth grade. These children demonstrate improved problem-solving skills, more rapid assimilation of new information, and more positive social interaction than their peers.”
But in a world where quantifiable and relatively immediate results are often given the most credence, some Montessori parents are wary that people who aren’t familiar with the program at George Washington might not understand how successful it’s been, and how successful they believe it will continue to be in the future.
”The curriculum and the values of a Montessori education do not align to the standardized tests that our country, state and local leadership have established as key performance indicators,” Airhart said. “However, teaching to standardized tests has not proved to be an effective approach to successfully educating our children.”
Yanoff said the focus on standardized testing obscures people from seeing the bigger picture.
“The important thing is that we’re setting these kids up for success in life,” he said. “We’re setting these kids up to learn how to learn and for a solid foundation to build their education as they move forward.”
