Montessori For All

Montessori For All

Montessori education emphasizes learning through self-directed activities in which students work individually, in pairs and in small groups at their own pace.

State: Texas Number of Students: 332
School Type: Charter Management Org   Free and Reduced Lunch: 45.8%
Grade Level: PK-3 English Language Learners: 25.9%

State of Technology

The Montessori Way: Founded in 2014, Montessori For All (MFA) opened its first public charter school in East Austinand plans to open another campus in San Antonio in fall 2017. Founder and CEO, Sara Cotner, wants MFA to be anintersection of personalized learning, innovation and social justice. Montessori education emphasizes learning throughself-directed activities in which students work individually, in pairs and in small groups at their own pace. As of fall 2016,MFA serves 300 students with a goal of expanding to serve 550 students from Pre-K through grade 8. The hope is forMFA to be a model for other public schools to foster personalized learning and innovation.

Learning for One and All: The MFA personalized learning approach integrates standards-based experiential learning,online resources and a personalized curriculum. MFA allows students to progress through customized work plans in a3-hour work cycle focusing on assignments for varying academic subjects. Eventually students create their own workcycles for learning. Students get into a rhythm of productive learning, building self efficacy and critical thinking skills.

Montessori in the Digital Age: Montessori For All blends personalized learning and technology to weave a productivelearning space for students. MFA teachers and associates work as “guides” to support students to create their ownlearning. Teachers use digital tools to “guide” students through differentiated learning of abstract concepts. Studentsspend 25% of their learning time using digital resources for math and English Language Arts such as Khan Academyand No Red Ink. Students use technology to create projects such as blogs, illustrations and videos to demonstrateconceptual understanding. Utilizing digital tools, students and teachers recieve feedback in real-time. Thus, teachers areinformed on next steps on how to guide a student’s personalized learning plan.

*Content From 2016

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