Good Things To Know

Parent Handbook
(View in PDF format.)
1. Welcome - Virgin Islands Montessori School
2. Programs, Activities & Special Events
3. Procedures
4. Forms
5. Personal Belongings
6. Policies
7. Health Care

Standing Committees
Our school needs our parent’s input in order to ensure that we offer the best education for our students, whether it is in the subject of development, grounds and maintenance, strategic planning or restructuring. All areas contribute to the overall success of our school. Our parents are our best resource to help guide and shape our school as we move forward.
More information (PDF): Description • Questionnaire

Montessori Facts
Compiled by Association Montessori Internationale (AMI)
Montessori education in the US has nearly doubled in prevalence over the past ten years. In 1993-94, there were 732 accredited schools educating 42,796 students.* In 2000-01, there were 1,377 accredited schools educating 84,525 students.** This represents an 88% rise in the number of schools and a 98% growth in the number of students.

*“Private Schools in the United States: A Statistical Profile, 1993-1994”, National Center for Education Statistics.
**”Characteristics of Private Schools in the United States: Results from the 2001-2002 Private School Universal Survey”, National Center for Education Statistics.

Montessori education as a philosophy began in 1907 with Dr. Maria Montessori’s founding of the Casa de Bambini in Rome. It is now offered in both private and public schools. Of the 1,377 accredited US Montessori schools, approximately 250 of them are established in a public school setting. This represents 18% of the Montessori school composition.

Positive Research Results!

“Evaluating Montessori Education”
This study, by Angeline S. Lillard and Nicole Else-Quest compares the outcomes of children at a public inner city Montessori school with children who attended traditional schools. It indicates that Montessori education leads to children with better social and academic skills.

The study appeared in the Sept, 29, 2006 issue of the journal Science. Download PDF format of article.

Reviews of this study from media sources around the world may be found at www.montessori-science.org.

“Outcomes for Students in a Montessori Program”
A Longitudinal Study of the Experience in the Milwaukee Public Schools

“Montessori programs have grown considerably over the past decades. There have been two major facts to this growth: expansion form private to public settings and extension from preschool into elementary, junior high school, and beyond. Growth has brought concerns about outcomes, especially academic ones. In particular, there have been questions about the performance of Montessori students when they move on to more conventional academic settings. This research addresses these questions.”

See complete study in PDF format.

“This study supports the hypothesis that Montessori education has a positive long-term impact. Additionally, it provides an affirmative answer to questions about whether Montessori students will be successful in traditional schools.”