Questions to ask a brand new Montessori Charter

[swampangel]

Hi all,

I hoping you can help me come up with some specific questions for a new Montessori Charter school that is opening up in the fall. One concern I have is that one of the main people heading it up also owns her own private M preschool - it's pretty large as it has toddler rooms and the 3-5 kids. So one of my big questions is whether or not she is going to run both schools...seems like a lot for one person to take on.

I'm also wondering about class size. Would this be different in a public charter? Is there a reason it might be different? What is the idea class size.

Can you think of any specific questions or things to look for given that this is a public charter rather than private?

Thanks!

[BCFD]

Hi Swampangel! I replied on the other thread, but noticed you started this one. Here are some old threads you may want to read. It has a lot of good advice on what to look for and questions to ask.

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=872022

Ahh....here is the one I mentioned with Sierra's "form". I thought this was a great tool to use when observing a school (it's a sticky at the top of the forum):

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...466&highlight=

[nkm1968]

The number one question I'd ask of a brand new Montessori charter school is, "Are you more committed to Montessori or to No Child Left Behind?" I don't think a really great Montessori charter can be committed to both-- if those in charge are committed to Montessori, they know the stupid test scores will be OK...but if they are actually committed to NCLB, it won't be a true Montessori experience for any chid, likely just fill-n-drill nonsense in a classroom "sorta" decorated like a Montessori classroom, but mostly just workbooks, worksheets, etc. to guarantee good test scores. No 3 hour work cycles, no student-driven work choices, just lots and lots of worksheets and workbooks. You can get better NCLB education in the public schools frankly....but if the school is committed to Montessori, go and observe and see what they have to offer.

[swampangel]

Originally Posted by BCFD

Hi Swampangel! I replied on the other thread, but noticed you started this one. Here are some old threads you may want to read. It has a lot of good advice on what to look for and questions to ask.

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=872022

Ahh....here is the one I mentioned with Sierra's "form". I thought this was a great tool to use when observing a school (it's a sticky at the top of the forum):

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...466&highlight=

Thanks you!! I'll check those out.

Originally Posted by nkm1968

The number one question I'd ask of a brand new Montessori charter school is, "Are you more committed to Montessori or to No Child Left Behind?" I don't think a really great Montessori charter can be committed to both-- if those in charge are committed to Montessori, they know the stupid test scores will be OK...but if they are actually committed to NCLB, it won't be a true Montessori experience for any chid, likely just fill-n-drill nonsense in a classroom "sorta" decorated like a Montessori classroom, but mostly just workbooks, worksheets, etc. to guarantee good test scores. No 3 hour work cycles, no student-driven work choices, just lots and lots of worksheets and workbooks. You can get better NCLB education in the public schools frankly....but if the school is committed to Montessori, go and observe and see what they have to offer.

Great point. I did ask her about how they were going to handle the state tests and she said they aren't going to think about it. They know that the method will serve the children well and they aren't worried about the tests. So that seemed like a good sign to me. I'll ask it more specifically again when I get the chance, though. Thanks!

[Flor]

We also have a school in our area that is half charter and half private. I used to be a private M. school for all grades. Then they were able to transform the grades 1-8 into a public charter. The younger grades could not be a public charter, so they are still private. It is run as one school. We don't go there, so I don't have much info, other than it just had to do with laws on charters and seems to work as far as I know.

My question would be which parts of M. will not work with public school requirements. What will they have to change? Will the students be required to meet/be taught grade level curriculum? We had a public M. here before NCLB. It gave up M. at that point saying it just couldn't make the two work together. I would be concerned with modifications that would have to be made.