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lthough most schools try toremain faithful to their under-standing of Dr. Montessori’s

insights and research, they have allbeen influenced by the evolution ofour culture and technology. Remem-ber, despite the impression many par-ents hold, the name Montessori refersto a method and philosophy, and it isneither a name protected by copy-right nor a central licensing or fran-chising program.

In many parts of the world, anyonecould, in theory, open a school andcall it Montessori with no knowledgeof how an authentic program is organ-ized or run. When this happens, it isboth disturbing and embarrassing forthose of us who know the difference.Many of these schools fail but oftennot before they harm the public’s per-ception of the integrity and effective-ness of Montessori as a whole.

Often one sign of a school’s com-mitment to professional excellence is their membership in one of the professional Montessori societies,such as the Association MontessoriInternationale or the American Mon-tessori Society. They, along with sev-eral other Montessori organizations,such as the International MontessoriCouncil, also offer schools the op-portunity to become accredited aswell.

There are many other smaller Mon-tessori organizations as well, but thekey is to remember that there is norequirement that a Montessori schoolbe affiliated or accredited by any out-side organization. Quite a fewMontessori schools choose to remainindependent.

What should we look for whenwe visit Montessori schools?

The Montessori Learning Environment

▲ Montessori classrooms should bebright, warm, and inviting, filledwith plants, animals, art, music,and books. Interest centers will befilled with intriguing learningmaterials, mathematical models,maps, charts, international andhistorical artifacts, a class library,an art area, a small natural-sciencemuseum, and animals that thechildren are raising. In an elemen-tary class, you will also normallyfind computers and scientificapparatus.

▲ You should not find rows of desksin a Montessori classroom, nor will there be a teacher’s desk andchalk board in the front of theroom. The environment will be set up to facilitate student discus-sion and stimulate collaborativelearning.

▲ Montessori classrooms will beorganized into several curriculumareas, usually including: languagearts (reading, literature, grammar,creative writing, spelling, andhandwriting); mathematics andgeometry; everyday living skills;sensory-awareness exercises andpuzzles; geography, history, sci-ence, art, music, and movement.Most rooms will include a class-room library. Each area will bemade up of one or more shelfunits, cabinets, and display tableswith a wide variety of materials onopen display, ready for use as thechildren select them.

▲ Students will typically be foundscattered around the classroom,working alone or with one or twoothers.

▲ Teachers will normally be foundworking with one or two childrenat a time, advising, presenting anew lesson, or quietly observingthe class at work.

Finding the Right School

“Why is there so much varia-tion from one Montessori

school to another? How can Iknow if I’ve found a ‘real’

Montessori school?”

AA

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nine to eleven); Middle School(age twelve to fourteen); andHigh School (age fourteen toeighteen).

■ Ideally a Montessori class is bal-anced in terms of boys and girls,as well as in the number of chil-dren in each age group.

■ Classes should be made up oftwenty-five to thirty students, led by either two Montessoriteachers or a Montessori teacherand one or two assistants. Thesenumbers will naturally to belower at the infant and toddlerlevels.

■ Montessori schools consciouslywork to attract a diverse studentbody and follow a clear non-dis-crimination policy.

The Teachers

▲ Each class should be led by atleast one ‘Montessori’ certifiedteacher who holds a recognizedMontessori credential for the agelevel taught.

▲ In addition to the lead Montes-sori teacher, each class will normally include either a secondcertified Montessori teacher or a para-professional teacher’sassistant.

▲ Montessori teachers should berespectfully engaged with theirstudents.

▲ Generally students will be ob-served working individually or insmall, self-selected groups. Therewill be very few whole group les-sons.

▲ Typically, we should see Montes-sori teachers inspiring, mentor-

▲ Each class should contain the fullcomplement of Montessori materi-als considered appropriate for thislevel.

▲ The furniture in the classroom willbe the right size for the students.

▲ There will be few, if any, toys in aMontessori preschool classroom.Instead there should be a lovelyand extensive collection of learn-ing materials that match the devel-opmental capabilities, interests,and needs of the children enrolledin each class. These educationalmaterials allow for multiple modal-ities of learning and discovery,offering a wide range of intellectu-al challenges.

▲ The learning activities observed ina Montessori environment shouldinvolve inquiry, discovery, and provide continuous feedback onthe students’ progress. With olderstudents, there should be evi-dence that in discussions and les-sons, multiple perspectives anddiffering viewpoints are treatedwith respect.

▲ The children should clearly feelcomfortable and safe.

The Composition of a Class

■ A Montessori program is com-posed of mixed-age groups of chil-dren within each classroom, tradi-tionally covering a three-year spanfrom the early childhood levelonward. The levels usually foundin a Montessori school corre-spond to the developmentalstages of childhood: Infants (birththrough eighteen months); Tod-dlers (eighteen months to agethree); Early Childhood (age threeto six); Lower Elementary (age sixto eight); Upper Elementary (age

ing, and facilitating the learningprocess more often thandirectly giving children lessons.The real work of learning be-longs to the individual child.

The Children at Work

■ Students should clearly seemto feel at ease as they selectand pursue activities.

■ Generally students will workindividually or in small, self-selected groups. There will bevery few whole group lessons.

■ Children and adults should beobserved interacting respect-fully. If there is some conflict,the teachers will normally facil-itate a resolution by guidingchildren to express their con-cern and work together to finda solution.

■ The focus of the class shouldbe on children’s learning, noton teachers’ teaching.

¶ ¶ ¶

Talk openly with school administra-tors, observe children working in a classroom, and ask the right questions. Keep questions likethese in mind as you speak with the administration, teachers, and perhaps some present parents atthe Montessori schools while you are observing in Montessoriclasses.

▲ In what ways do you see Mon-tessori as being different fromother school programs?

▲ In what ways, if any, might yourschool be distinguished fromother Montessori schools inthe community?


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▲ What do you consider to be thestrengths of the school?

▲ Are there any areas of the schoolthat you see as needing addi-tional resources or attention?How are these areas being ad-dressed?

▲ How would you describe a “suc-cessful” learner at this school?

▲ What sort of children might notbe as successful in this school?

▲ What do most parents who arepleased with this school findmost appealing?

▲ What might characterize thoseparents’ values or expectationswho would not find this schoolto be a good fit for them as afamily?

▲ If we apply to this school and areaccepted, what advice would wereceive regarding how to makethis a wonderful experience forour child?

▲ What opportunities does thisschool allow for parents tobecome involved in their chil-dren’s education? What expecta-tions would the school have forus as parents?

Observing in the Classroom Environments

As tempting as it is to enroll withoutvisiting a classroom, put this visit atthe top of your to-do list. You willlearn a great deal by spending thirtyminutes to an hour watching thechildren at work. Ask permission towatch a “work period” first. If youhave time, stay for a group meetingor come back later to watch this partof the children’s day.

How can I determine if Montessoriis right for my child?

The most important question in select-ing a Montessori school is to considerhow well it matches your sense of what kind of education you want foryour children. No one educational ap-proach will be right for all children.Ideally, parents should seek out thebest fit, not only between their childand a particular school, but also be-tween their family’s values and goalsfor their children’s education and whatgiven schools realistically offer. Findingthe right school for mom and dad is asimportant as finding the right schoolfor a child.

The decision to enroll a child in aparticular school, should be based onthe parents’ and school’s mutual beliefthat this will be a good fit for thechild’s personality and learning style,as well as with the family’s values andgoals. There must be a partnership

based on the mutual sense that each is agood match for the other.

In determining which school is thebest match, you will need to trust youreyes, ears, and gut instincts. Nothingbeats your own observation and experi-ence. The school that one parent ravesabout, may be completely wrong foranother, while it might be a perfectmatch for your family. Try to trust yourown experience far more than the opin-ions of other parents.

It is very important to get all partiesinvolved in the school selection process.Sometimes one partner prefers to dele-gate preschool decisions to the other,which can lead to conflict later when oneof the partners concludes that the timehas come for their child to move on to a“real” school, or if one objects to contin-uing to spend money for private-schooltuition once their child is old enough toenter free public kindergarten. Ideally,partners should share decisions abouttheir children’s education.

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Find a school that you love, and onceyou do, remember the old adage: “It isnot a good idea to try fix something thatis already working.” Some parents trydifferent schools out for a year or two,and then move on to another. They doit with the best intentions, but it shouldbe common sense that children whoare educated in one consistent ap-proach, and who grow up within oneschool community, tend to be moregrounded and tend to get more long-term value from their school experi-ence than children who have had toadjust to several different schools.

In the end, the selection of aMontessori school comes down to amatter of personal preference. If youvisit a school and find yourself in lovewith the look and feel of the school’satmosphere, if you can clearly see yourchild happy and successful in thisatmosphere, than that school is morelikely to be a good fit than one thatleaves you confused and uncertain.

Parents Who Are Comfortable with Montessori Tend to Agree with the Following Basic Ideas about Children’s Learning

1. Intelligence is not rare amonghuman beings. It is found in chil-dren at birth. With the right stimu-lation, it is possible to nurture thedevelopment of reasoning andproblem solving skills in young children.

2. The most important years of achild’s education are not highschool and college, but the first sixyears of life. As a result, Montessorischools regard infant and earlychildhood education as the veryfoundation of everything that follows.

3. It is critically important to allowchildren to develop a high degreeof independence and autonomy.

4. Academic competition and ac-countability are not effective waysto motivate students to becomewell educated. Students learnmore effectively when school isseen as a safe, exciting, and joyfulexperience.

5. A competitive classroom environ-ment stifles creativity.

6. There is a direct link between chil-dren’s sense of self-worth, em-powerment, self-mastery, andtheir ability to learn and retainnew skills and information.

7. Education should be a transitionfrom one level of independence,competency, and self-reliance tothe next rather than a process ofpassing exams and completingassignments.

8. Children are born curious, cre-ative, and motivated to observeand learn things.

9. Children learn in different waysand at different paces. The ideathat those who learn quickly are more talented misses a basictruth about how children reallylearn.

10. Children learn best throughhands-on experience, real-worldapplication, and problem solving.

11. Teachers should serve as chil-dren’s mentors, friends, andguides, rather than as task-masters and disciplinarians. Students should be treated withprofound respect, in partnershiprather than with condescension,external control, and domination.

12. Children are capable of makingchoices to guide their own learning.

13. It is helpful for children to worktogether on school projects.

14. School should be a joyful experi-ence for children.

15. The family assumes that theirchildren will do well, and are fairly relaxed about academicissues. They want school to beexciting and fun, not demandingand stressful in the name of high standards!

16. Parents want a school that willstimulate and encourage theirchild’s curiosity, creativity, andimagination.

17. The family would like to stay inMontessori at least for the ele-mentary program, and perhapsbeyond.

18. The family would like to beinvolved with their children’sschool. They look forward to thisand want to participate in asmany school activities and eventsas possible.

Parents Who Are Comfortable withMontessori Tend to Disagree with Statements Such As…:

1. Academic competition preparesstudents for the real world.

2. Children learn more when theyare pushed.

3. Testing helps to insure accounta-bility for children, teachers, andschools.

4. Teachers must maintain strict dis-cipline in the classroom.

5. School is basically like army bootcamp, a place to earn a degree. Itis not supposed to be fun.


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6. Our family places very high priori-ty on achievement. We have highexpectations for our children, andare looking for a school that willprovide them with a high level ofchallenge.

7. We want to ensure that our childgets into the best schools and colleges.

8. Our family is able to attend somefunctions, but we have other com-mitments. It will depend on theevent or function. (Montessorischools normally look for a highlevel of parent involvement.)

9. Our family plans to stay in Mon-tessori for a year or so to give ourchildren a good start, and then weplan to transfer them to the localpublic schools (or another privateor religious school).

Is Montessori right for your child?

Montessori is “right” for a wide rangeof personalities, temperaments andlearning styles. Children who are con-sistently waiting for adult direction andthose who have difficulty choosing andstaying engaged in activities may havesome initial difficulty transitioning intoa Montessori class, but usually theylearn to trust themselves and graduallystrengthen their concentration as theymeet with successful learning experi-ences and develop independence andconcentration.

Children who are loud learn to usetheir “indoor voices,” and those whoare messy learn to put away their workneatly. In most cases, parents andteachers work together between homeand school to help them develop thesenew habits. One of the strengths ofMontessori is the atmosphere of coop-eration and respect, as children with avariety of personalities and learningstyles find joy in learning.

Parents who are particularly con-cerned about high standards andachievement may find Montessori diffi-cult to understand and support. Whilewe all want the best for our children,Montessori really represents anotherway from the more conventional think-ing found in most schools.

Montessori schools believe that chil-dren are normally born intelligent,curious, and creative, and that all toooften, parents and schools make theprocess of learning stressful ratherthan natural. We do not believe thatmost children need external or artifi-cial structure and pressure to makethem learn. We also believe that thecurrent emphasis on testing and astate-established curriculum ignorescommon sense and the true nature ofhow children learn. The result is all toooften students who are more stressedand apathetic about their educationsthan ever. Montessori children neverseem to lose the joy oflearning!

Montessori is “right” for families with a range of communication stylesand learning expecta-tions; however, familieswho are generally disor-ganized (arrive late in the morning, pick up children at varying times,and have difficulty read-ing and responding toschool correspondencewith consistency), mayexperience frustration ina Montessori setting.

The program is careful-ly structured to provideoptimal learning opportu-nities for children. Thereis a place for everything,and everything is general-ly in its place! Childrenfrom somewhat chaoticfamilies often cling to thisstructure and find it very

reassuring. But the transition fromhome to school and back home againcan be difficult.

Montessori schools have various expectations regarding parentalinvolvement. Research consistentlydemonstrates a strong connectionbetween parental involvement andoverall student achievement. Be awareof your school’s expectations andstrive to be as involved as possible.

If, based on the evidence of yourtime spent visiting Montessori schools,you believe these basic fundamentalprinciples are true, then Montessori isprobably going to be a wonderful fit.

On the other hand if you find your-self concerned, then you may be morecomfortable selecting a more conven-tional school for your child.

We hope that these guidelines willassist in your decision to enroll or notto enroll your child in a Montessoriprogram!

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CHARACTERISTICS OF AN AUTHENTIC MONTESSORI SCHOOL

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Dr. Nancy McCormick-Rambush, founder of the AmericanMontessori Society and co-founder of the Montessori Foundation,attempted to identify the central characteristics of an “authentic”Montessori school. The following list of characteristics are adapted,in part, from The Authentic American Montessori School: AGuide to the Self-Study, Evaluation, and Accreditation ofAmerican Schools Committed to Montessori Education, by Dr.Nancy McCormick Rambush and Dr. John Stoops, published in1992 by the Commission on Elementary Schools of the MiddleStates Association of Colleges and Schools and the AmericanMontessori Society. Reprinted with permission.

Montessori’s Communities of Learners

Mixed-Age groups: Montessori classrooms gather togetherchildren of two, three, or more age levels into a family group.Children of mixed age levels and of different abilities work sideby side, remaining together for several years, with only theolder students who are developmentally ready moving on tothe next class. The usual age groupings that one would find arestudents ranging from age 2 1/2 to age 6; students ranging fromage 6 to age 9; students ranging from age 9 to age 12; and stu-dents ranging from age 12 to 15.

A Warm and Relaxed Atmosphere: Montessori classes arewarm, relaxed, and incredibly safe and secure. These are com-munities in which children have learned how to live and workin partnership with their adult mentors. There are Infant-Toddler classes; Children’s Houses; Elementary classrooms;and Middle and High School level programs. They are run to avery large degree by the children, with only that degree ofadult guidance necessary to ensure order and safety. In suchemotionally safe and secure settings, children can relax, beauthentic individuals instead of trying to be ‘cool’, and allowtheir intelligence, curiosity, creativity and imagination to blos-som. Here children learn how to do things for themselves,solve problems together, learn how they can best master newskills and knowledge, and discover themselves as individualhuman beings.

A Flexible Schedule for the Day: The schedule of the day isexceedingly flexible, enabling children to select their ownwork and to progress at their own pace. These are child-cen-tered classrooms, rather than classes that follow an adult driv-en lesson plan.

A Family Setting: Montessori classrooms are communities ofchildren and adults. As children grow older and more capable,

they assume a great role in helping to care for the environ-ment and meet the needs of younger children in the class. Thefocus is less on the teachers and more on the entire commu-nity of children and adults, much like one finds in a real family.

Cooperation and Collaboration, Rather Than Competition:Montessori children are encouraged to treat one another withkindness and respect. Insults and shunning behavior tends tobe much more rare. Instead we normally find children whohave a great fondness for one another, and who are free fromthe one-ups-manship and needless interpersonal competitionfor attention and prestige. Because children learn at their ownpace, and teachers refrain from comparing students againstone another.

The Montessori Classroom

A Montessori classroom should immediately strike the eye as acarefully prepared and well organized environment that hasbeen designed to allow children to become increasingly inde-pendent of adults, to freely choose their own work, and tolearn at their own pace. The furniture in the classroom is theright size for the students. The learning materials match thedevelopmental capabilities, interests, and needs of the chil-dren enrolled in each class. The materials allow children tolearn in different ways (multiple modalities of learning and dis-covery) and at their own pace.The learning materials in theclassroom offer a wide range of intellectual challenges.

The learning activities in the Montessori environmentinvolve inquiry, discovery, multiple perspectives, and differingviewpoints. They provide both the student and teacher con-tinuous feedback on progress. The focus of the educationalprogram is on children’s learning, not on teachers’ lessonplans.

Working Independently: Especially at the early childhoodlevel, Montessori students will work individually or in small,self-selected groups. There will be very few whole-group les-sons. Older students will tend to enjoy working together, andsmall group seminar discussions tend to become more com-

Standards for Montessori Schools

Auhors’ Note: These two excerpts have been included as modelsof standards that have been articulated by Dr. Nancy McCormick-Rambusch and Dr. John Stoops(Characteristics of an Authentic Montessori School) and theInternational Montessori Council’s proposed Standards for theAccreditation of Montessori Schools. These are just two of many different models that attempt to capture the principles of theMontessori teaching methodology and are not intended to repre-sent the only criteria by which to evaluate a Montessori school.

Authentic Montessori Schools

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mon, although independent work or short lessons presented to asmall group of students will tend to be found much more oftenthan longer lessons taught to an entire class.

The Montessori Classroom is a Responsive Prepared Environ-ment: The classroom environment should be designed to meetthe needs, interests, abilities, and development of the children inthe class. The teachers should design and adapt the environmentwith this community of children in mind, rapidly modifying theselection of educational materials available, the physical layout,and the tone of the class to fit the ever-changing needs of the children.

The Program is Focused on Individual Progress and Develop-ment: Within a Montessori program, children progress at theirown pace, moving on to the next step in each area of learning asthey are ready. While the child lives within a larger community ofchildren, each student is viewed as a distinct individual.

The Characteristics of Montessori Learning Activities

Hands-On Learning: In Montessori, students rarely learn fromtexts or workbooks. In all cases, direct, personal hands-on contactwith either real things under study or with concrete models thatbring abstract concepts to life allow children to learn with muchdeeper understanding.

Spontaneous Activity: It is natural for children to wiggle, touchthings, and explore the world around them. Any true Montessorienvironment encourages children to move about freely, within rea-sonable limits of appropriate behavior. Much of the time, studentsselect work that captures their interest and attention, althoughteachers also strive to draw their attention and capture their inter-est in new challenges and areas of inquiry. Even within this atmos-phere of spontaneous activity, students do eventually have to mas-ter the basic skills of their culture, even if they would prefer toavoid them.

Active Learning: In Montessori classrooms, children not onlyselect their own work most of the time, but also continue to workwith tasks, returning to continue their work over many weeks ormonths, until finally the work is “so easy for them” that they canteach it to younger children. This is one of many ways thatMontessori educators use to confirm that students have reachedmastery of each skill.

Self-Directed Activity: One of Montessori’s key concepts is theidea that children are driven by their desire to become independ-ent and competent beings in the world to learn new things andmaster new skills. For this reason, outside rewards to create exter-nal motivation are both unnecessary and potentially can lead topassive adults who are dependent on others for everything from

their self-image to permission to follow their dreams. Inthe process of making independent choices and exploringconcepts largely on their own, Montessori children con-struct their own sense of individual identity and right andwrong.

Activities that are Self-Correcting: To facilitate children’sindependence and ability to learn at their own pace, Mon-tessori learning activities (the Montessori materials’) aredesigned with a built-in control of error, which allowsthem to detect errors without a teacher’s feedback, and iskey to developing a habit of working toward mastery andprecision.

Clear and Precise Instruction and Guidance: Montessoriteachers minimize student confusion and uncertainty bybreaking tasks down into logical segments and by givingclear and precise directions and clear demonstration ofthe specific tasks involved in each activity. In most cases,tasks are carefully sequenced and programmed so thateach new step is built on what the child has already mas-tered. Lessons and learning activities are specificallydesigned to increase children’s self-confidence.

Freedom within Limits: Montessori children enjoy con-siderable freedom of movement and choice; however,their freedom always exists within carefully defined limitson the range of their behavior. They are free to do any-thing appropriate to the ground rules of the communitybut redirected promptly and firmly if they cross over theline.

Intrinsic Motivation to Learn: In Montessori programs,children do not work for grades or external rewards, nordo they simply complete assignments given them by theirteachers. Children learn because they are interested inthings, and because all children share a desire to becomecompetent and independent human beings.

Montessori Programs are Designed toAwaken and Nurture the Human Spirit

Montessori saw children as far more than simply scholars.In her view, each child is a full and complete human being,the mother or father of the adult man or woman she willbecome. Even when very young, the child shares with therest of humanity hopes, dreams, and fears, emotions, andlonging. From her perspective, this goes beyond mentalhealth to the very core of one’s inner spiritual life.

The Child as a Spiritual Being: Montessori consciouslydesigns social communities and educational experiencesthat cultivate the child’s sense of independence, self-

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respect, love of peace, passion for self-chosen work done well,and ability to respect and celebrate the individual spirit withinpeople of all ages and the value of all life.

Stewardship for the Earth: Montessori seeks to instill in stu-dents not only a reverence for the Earth, its waters, and all liv-ing things, but also a sense of stewardship for the environmentbased on a conviction of our individual responsibility for thebeauty of the land and the health of our ecosystems.

Universal Values: Montessori deliberately teaches children notonly appropriate patterns of polite behavior but seeks to instillbasic universal values within the core of the child’s personali-ty. These values include self-respect, acceptance of the unique-ness and dignity of each person we meet, kindness, peaceful-ness, compassion, empathy, honor, individual responsibility,and courage to speak from our hearts.

Social Development: Particular attention is given to the chil-dren’s social development. The spontaneously formed learn-ing groups so often found in a Montessori class, as well as thespontaneous groups that form to solve problems and help oneanother, are clear evidence of this aspect of their develop-ment. Non-violence, non-aggressive behavior, and respect foranother’s belongings and work are the norm both when adultsare watching and when children believe they are not beingobserved.

Global Understanding: All Montessori schools are to a largedegree international schools. They not only tend to attract adiverse student body representing many ethnic backgrounds,religions, and international backgrounds, but they actively cel-ebrate their diversity. The curriculum is international in its her-itage and focus, and consciously seeks to promote a globalperspective.

Social Responsibility: Montessori’s spiritual perspective leadsMontessori schools to organize consciously programs of com-munity service ranging from daily contributions to others with-in the class or school setting to community outreach programsthat allow children and adults to make a difference in the livesof others. The fundamental idea is one of stewardship.

The Montessori Teacher

Is Authoritative: The teacher is firm at the edges and empa-thetic at the center — the kind of adult who responds empa-thetically to children’s feelings, while setting clear and consis-tent limits.

Is an Observer: The Montessori teacher is a trained observerof children’s learning and behavior. These careful observationare recorded and used to infer where each student is in terms

of his or her development and leads the teacher to know whento intervene in the child’s learning with a new lesson, a freshchallenge, or a reinforcement of basic ground rules.

Is an Educational Resource: Montessori teachers facilitatethe learning process by serving as a resource to whom the chil-dren can turn as they pull together information, impressions,and experiences.

Serves as a Role Model: Like all great teachers, the Montessorieducator deliberately models the behaviors and attitudes thatshe is working to instill in her students. Because ofMontessori’s emphasis on character development, theMontessori teacher normally is exceptionally calm, kind, warm,and polite to each child.

What Montessori Teachers Do

They are Respectfully Engaged with the Learner: The Mon-tessori teacher recognizes that her role is not so much to teachas to inspire, mentor, and facilitate the learning process. Thereal work of learning belongs to the individual child. Becauseof this, the Montessori educator remains conscious of her rolein helping each child to fulfill his potential as a human beingand of creating an environment for learning within which chil-dren will feel safe, cherished, and empowered.

They Facilitate the “Match” between the Learner and Know-ledge: Montessori teachers are trained to identify the bestresponse to the changing interests and needs of each child asa unique individual. Because they truly accept that childrenlearn in many different ways and at their own pace, Montessorieducators understand that they must “follow the child,” adjust-ing their strategies and timetable to fit the development ofeach of their pupils.

They are Environ-mental Engineers:Montessori teachersorganize appropri-ate social settingsand academic pro-grams for children attheir own level ofdevelopment. Theydo this, to a largedegree, through thedesign of their classroom, selectionand organization oflearning activities,and structure of theday.

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Educational Program

The School provides an educational program that is effectiveand consistent with the characteristics of authentic Montessoripractice at each age level offered.

■ Class group size and the ratio of students to adults ineach classroom complies with local governing regulationand is appropriate to support the school’s educational program.

The International Montessori Council recommends the fol-lowing maximum ratios of students to adults (includingboth teachers and classroom assistants):

Infants (birth to 1 1/2 years) 1 adult to 4 childrenToddlers (1 1/2 to 2 1/2 years) 1 adult to 6 children Early Childhood (2 1/2 to 6 years) 1 adult to 15 children Elementary (6 to 12 years) 1 adult to 20 childrenSecondary (12 to 18 years) 1 adult to 20 adolescents

The International Montessori Council also recommendsthe following maximum ratios of trained Montessori teach-ers/ guides to students enrolled in any one class group:

Infants (birth to 1 1/2 years) 1 teacher to 8 childrenToddlers (1 1/2 to 2 1/2 years) 1 teacher to 12 children Early Childhood (2 1/2 to 6 years) 1 teacher to 30 children Elementary (6 to 12 years) 1 teacher to 30 childrenSecondary (12 to 18 years) 1 teacher to 30 children

■ Mixed-Age Groups: The school groups children inclassrooms with mixed-age groups, traditionallycovering a three-year span from the early child-hood level onward. Children remain together formore than one school year, with normally only theolder students who are developmentally readymoving on to the next class.

The levels usually found in a Montessori schoolcorrespond to the developmental stages of child-hood: Infants (birth through 18 months); Toddlers(18 months to age 3); Early Childhood (age 3 to 6);Lower Elementary (age 6 to 8); Upper Elementary(age 9 to 11); Middle School (age 12 to 14); andSecondary (age 15 to 18). At each level, the pro-gram and curriculum are logical and highly consis-tent extensions of what has come before.

■ Diversity and Non-Discrimination: The Schoolconsciously works to attract a diverse student bodyand has established a clear non-discrimination policy.

■ Uninterrupted Work Period: The schedule of theday provides for an extended, uninterrupted workperiod. (Ideally this should be a three-hour unin-terrupted morning work period.)

■ Student Observation: Individualized education inthe School’s Montessori program is designed andbased on the teachers’ ongoing and systematicobservation.

■ Curriculum Guide: The school has establishedand follows a written curriculum guide, organizedas a scope and sequence of the skills and knowl-edge it anticipates students normally will attain bygiven age levels.

International Montessori CouncilStandards for the Accreditation of Montessori Schools

The International Montessori Council (IMC) is one of several Mon-tessori organizations that offer a program of School Accreditation.School Accreditation is a voluntary process through which a schoolcommunity conducts a thorough self-study and develops a long-range plan for its continuing improvement. The process includes anonsite visit by a team of experienced Montessori educators who con-firm the validity of the school’s self study. At the time this is written,most Montessori schools are not yet accredited. Readers shouldkeep in mind that, while accreditation is an essential standard formost high schools and colleges, it is at this time not required, oreven expected, of schools which do not extend through the twelfthgrade. We have included the following list of standards of best prac-tice as a point of reference that may be of interest to educators, par-ents, and others who are interested in understanding Montessorieducation.

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■ Basic Educational Expectations: The school hasestablished basic expectations regarding the desiredskills and knowledge that it anticipates children nor-mally will achieve by key points in their educationaldevelopment.

■ Orientation of New Children: The school follows awritten plan for the orientation of new children.

■ Evaluation of the Adjustment of New Students tothe Montessori Program: The school follows a writ-ten plan for initial evaluation of the adjustment ofnew students to the program during the orientationperiod.

■ Guidelines for Assisting Normalization: Theschool follows written guidelines for assisting andsustaining the development of normalization in chil-dren at each age level.

■ Assessment of Student Development andAcademic Progress: The school’s Montessori teach-ers use a variety of assessment processes to evaluateand record student development and progress.

■ Ground Rules: The school follows written criteriadefining its fundamental ground rules for studentbehavior at every age level offered.

■ Independence and Self-Discipline: The school’seducational program facilitates the development ofindependence and self-discipline.

■ Responding to Disruptive Behavior: The school fol-lows written guidelines defining acceptable strate-gies for responding to disruptive behavior.

■ Corporal Punishment: The school has a clear policyprohibiting corporal punishment.

The Schools Classrooms Are Set Up to Support an Authentic Montessori Program

■ Classrooms Are Fully Equipped: The school’s class-rooms are equipped with the educational materialsand furnishings needed to support an authenticMontessori program at each level offered. Schoolpolicy establishes a procedure for repairing orreplacing worn, damaged, or incomplete materialsthat ensures that each classroom will remain fullyequipped.

■ Classroom Learning Activities Are Consistent withthe Characteristics of Authentic Montessori Pro-grams:

▲ Hands-On Learning: The school ensures, when-ever possible, that children have the opportunityto learn through educational materials and/ormodels of instruction that are hands-on and pro-mote investigation, exploration, and discovery.

▲ Library-Based Curriculum: Textbooks and work-books are seldom used as a primary means ofinstruction. Students normally use referencebooks and supporting resources to gather infor-mation, explore a topic of inquiry, or learn basicfacts and skills.

▲ Library Collection: Students at each age levelhave ready access to an organized and compre-hensive library collection of age-appropriate litera-ture, reference materials, and instructional mediathat supports the needs of the Montessori educa-tional program and teaches the students libraryskills.

▲ Freedom of Movement within the Classroom:Students are encouraged to move about freely,within reasonable limits of appropriate behavior.

▲ Spontaneous Activity: For much of the time dur-ing the school day, students are encouraged toselect work that captures their interest and atten-tion. Teachers strive to draw their attention andcapture their interest in new challenges and areasof inquiry.

▲ Active Learning: Students are encouraged toselect their own work and to continue their workover a span of days, weeks, or months, until theycan finally demonstrate mastery and teach the skillor concept to younger children.

▲ Self-Directed Activity: Students are encouraged towork independently, with minimal teacher-direc-tion once they have been introduced to a new con-cept or skill.

▲ Freedom within Limits: Students enjoy consider-able freedom of movement and choice withincarefully defined limits.

▲ Intrinsic Motivation to Learn: In the school’sMontessori programs, children learn because theyare interested, not to earn grades or for externalrewards.

▲ Cooperation and Collaboration, Rather thanCompetition: Children and adults treat oneanother with kindness and respect. Students aretaught and encouraged to cooperate. Because

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children are encouraged to learn at their own pace,teachers refrain from comparing students againstone another.

▲ The Prepared Montessori Environment: Class-rooms offer a variety of learning spaces and facilitieswhich are organized to support an authenticMontessori program.

▲ A Child-Centered Environment: Learning materialsand activities are child-centered rather than depend-ent on instruction by an adult. In effective Montes-sori programs, teachers are rarely the focus of atten-tion. Generally students work individually or insmall, self-selected groups. Relatively little time isspent in group lessons.

▲ Learning Environments Are Adaptive, Dynamic,and Responsive: The classroom environment isdesigned to meet the needs, interests, abilities, anddevelopmental needs of the children in the class.The teachers design and adapt the environment with this community of children in mind, rapidlymodifying the selection of educational materialsavailable, the physical layout, and the tone of theclass to meet the ever-changing needs of the children.

▲ The Educational Program is Focused on IndividualProgress and Development: Children progress attheir own pace, moving on to the next step in eacharea of the curriculum as they are ready. Each student is viewed as a distinct individual for the pur-pose of assessment and educational program plan-ning.

▲ Integrated Montessori Curriculum: The Montessoricurriculum is designed as a spiral of integrated studies.

▲ Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum: Thecurriculum is developmentally appropriate for themixed-age group of children within the class.

▲ Applied Learning: Learning experiences develop thestudent’s abilities to apply knowledge, skills, andthinking processes.

▲ Curriculum Promotes Global and Multi-CulturalUnderstanding: The Montessori curriculum pro-motes a global understanding and a multi-culturalperspective.

▲ Technology: As is age appropriate, technology isavailable and used as a learning tool.

▲ Field Trips and Off-Site Experiences: Off-site fieldtrips and experiential learning enrich the curriculum.

■ A Comprehensive Core Curriculum: The school’score curriculum at each age level includes thoseelements common to effective Montessori pro-grams.

■ Moral and Spiritual Education: The curriculumencourages the child’s spiritual development andseeks to instill a strong set of values and globalunderstanding.

▲ The school consciously cultivates children’sindependence, self-respect, love of peace, passion for self-chosen work done well, andability to respect and celebrate the individualspirit within people of all ages and to cherishall living things.

▲ The school consciously teaches childrenappropriate patterns of polite behavior andseeks to instill basic universal values within thecore of the child’s personality.

▲ Community Service: The school consciouslyorganizes programs of community service.

■ Guidelines Define the School’s Ability to Accom-modate Children with Special Needs BeforeAdmission: The school has developed and followswritten guidelines for determining its ability toadapt the educational program to accommodatestudents with special needs (cognitive, physical,emotional) before they are accepted. School policyalso delineates how information about the school’sability to accommodate students with specialneeds will be communicated to parents.

■ Teachers and Staff Are Informed of Any StudentsWho Have Special Needs or Health Concerns:School policy defines the procedure for informingthe teachers and staff members of any specifichealth concerns or special needs of students forwhom they are responsible.

■ Accommodation for Children with SpecialNeeds: The school follows a formal plan to sup-port the teachers in identifying children with spe-cial needs, understanding those needs, adaptingthe educational program to meet those needs, andworking with the family in partnership to supportthe child.


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Faculty and Staff

The school has developed and implemented a plandesigned to ensure that its faculty and staff have the skills,knowledge, experience, and inter-personal skills necessaryto translate the school’s mission into reality.

■ Qualifications of Faculty and Staff: The school hasdefined in writing the educational background, profes-sional preparation, certification, professional skills,previous experience, and other factors, such as educa-tional philosophy and teaching style, that it regards asessential qualifications for members of its faculty andstaff at each level of the school. In the case of class-room teachers, these qualifications are consistent withthe essential characteristics of a Montessori educator.

■ Non-Discrimination in Both Employment andAdvancement: The school has published and follows apolicy of non-discrimination and fair and equal employ-ment practices in hiring, assigning, promoting, andcompensating teaching and non-teaching staff mem-bers.

■ Evaluation of Prospective Teaching Candidates: Theschool evaluates prospective teaching candidates toensure that its Montessori faculty will follow anapproach consistent with its expectations.

■ Staff Hiring Policies: The school follows written hiringpolicies that identify appropriate application andscreening processes for each job category. Staff screen-ing is required for all school staff with responsibility foror access to students. Written hiring proceduresrequire: criminal background checks or voluntary dis-closure statements; reference checks and verificationof previous work (including volunteer) history; andpersonal interviews by the school director or a desig-nated representative.

■ Personnel Policies: The school provides all faculty andstaff members with written personnel policies thataddress the following: equal employment opportunitypolicies; benefits; time off, absence, and leaves ofabsence; performance evaluation processes; and workrules and personal conduct, including sexual harass-ment policies.

■ Employment Agreements: Each staff member is pro-vided with an employment agreement specifying salary

or wages (if applicable), length of employment, benefits,and reference to job description and personnel policies.Legal counsel has reviewed the school’s employmentagreements.

■ Staff Handbook: The school maintains a current staffhandbook, which is given to each employee at the timeof making the initial formal offer of employment. Whenrevised, current copies are distributed to all staff mem-bers. The Staff Handbook includes: all applicable schoolpersonnel policies, all applicable educational programpolicies, all applicable policies regarding how the schoolsupervises and evaluates its teachers and staff, healthand safety, information about any employee benefitsoffered, a copy of the school’s mission and educationalphilosophy or blueprint of core values, an overview ofthe school’s administration, information about theschool’s ownership or governance, an organizationchart, a job description for at least the position for whichthe offer of employment is being made, either a full orsummary job description explaining the roles of eachposition on the faculty, administration, and staff, and theschool’s expectations regarding communication withparents and additional responsibilities before and afterthe normal school day.

■ Organizational Chart: The school maintains a currentchart of its organizational structure which clearly articu-lates lines of authority and which is communicated tothe school community.

■ Job Descriptions: The school maintains written jobdescriptions for all administrative, teaching, and non-teaching staff members. Each staff member has receiveda copy of the job description for his or her position. Jobdescriptions are reviewed periodically.

■ Pre-Service Training for Classroom Assistants andNon-Teaching Staff: The school implements a system toprovide each classroom assistant and non-teaching staffmember, prior to assuming job responsibilities, trainingthat is specific to his/her individual job functions, includ-ing clear expectations for acceptable job performance.

▲ Staff Training in Health and Safety: The schoolensures that all faculty and staff members have theknowledge and skills necessary to implement itshealth and safety policies.

▲ Orientation and Training of Staff Hired after theSchool Year Has Begun: The school implements a

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system to provide orientation and training for teach-ers and non-teaching staff members hired after theschool year has begun who were not present for allor part of the start of the school year orientationtraining.

■ Student Supervision Ratios: The school has establishedand follows written policies for student supervision thatidentify the required adult/child ratios of faculty or staffmembers who must be present and on duty with stu-dents under various circumstances outside the class-room. These policies also identify activities, locations, orsituations where a minimum of two staff members isrequired to be present. The school’s policies for studentsupervision comply with local governing regulations andare appropriate to support the school’s educational pro-gram at each age level to ensure that students are safelysupervised in such activities as: when children are on theplayground, during athletic activities, during lunch, onfield trips during the school day, on overnight trips, andduring before- and after-school supervision programs.

■ Age Requirements for Auxiliary Staff: The school hasestablished written student supervision policies whichspecify that staff used to meet staff-to-student supervi-sion ratios, whether in or out of the classroom, are 18years of age or older.

■ Substitute Teachers: The school has a system thatensures that teachers and staff members who are absenton leave are temporarily replaced by substitutes who areable to maintain the integrity of the educational program.

■ Program of In-Service Professional Development: Theschool implements a system for in-service professionaldevelopment of all teaching and non-teaching staff mem-bers who work with students.

■ System for Supervision and Evaluation: The school hasdeveloped and implements a plan for the evaluation andprofessional supervision of each individual teacher,which includes such professional techniques as self-assessment, mentoring and coaching.

■ Communication within the Professional Community:The school uses a variety of techniques, including, butnot limited to, regularly scheduled faculty meetings, con-ferences, and written communication to keep the facultyand staff informed and to invite faculty and staff inputinto the planning and decision-making process.

■ Professional Code of Ethics and AppropriateBehavior: The school has established, with faculty,staff, and administrative input and review, a code ofethical and appropriate behavior for the school’sprofessional community.

■ Policy on Sensitive Issues: The school has estab-lished policies and trained staff to respond appro-priately to socially sensitive issues.

■ Faculty And Staff Lunch and Planning Time: Theschool has established a clear policy regarding stafflunch and planning time.

Facilities

The school’s facilities support its mission and educa-tional program.

■ Square Footage: Classrooms provide enough floorspace to accommodate comfortably the total num-ber of children enrolled, along with the completecollection of Montessori educational apparatus,tables and shelving, and related activity areas, suchas art.

■ Aesthetics: Classrooms are aesthetically pleasingwith adequate light and ventilation.

■ Facilities Comply with Local Regulations: Theschool’s facilities meet local and state standardsand hold the formal approval of all governing localand state agencies.

■ Facilities Needs Assessment: The school has com-pleted a facilities needs assessment.

■ Master Plan for Buildings and Grounds: If theschool owns its own facilities, it has a master planfor the development of its buildings and grounds.

■ Safety Program: The school has a formal programthat ensures the safety and good repair of its build-ings and grounds.

■ Preventive Maintenance Schedule: The schoolhas a calendar of routine and seasonal mainte-nance projects.


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■ Janitorial Service: The school arranges for adequatejanitorial services to ensure the cleanliness of its facilities.

■ Administrative Offices: The school’s facilities pro-vide adequate space for its administrative functions,including offices and/or work areas, secure storage ofconfidential records, and private meeting room(s).

■ Storage: The school’s facilities provide adequatespace for the storage of unused classroom materialsand supplies.

■ Hazardous Materials Under Lock and Key: Medica-tions, tools, chemicals, cleaning supplies, and all haz-ardous materials present at school are kept secureunder lock and key.

■ Site Hazards: The school has a written site-hazardidentification and risk-reduction plan.

■ Emergency Response Plan: The school has a writtenplan setting forth the procedures to be followed inthe event of fire, bad weather, natural disaster, oremergency.

■ Inventory: The school maintains an up-to-dateinventory of all of its equipment with a projected lifespan of a year or longer.

■ Space for Indoor Play: The school provides, or hasmade arrangement for, space for vigorous indoorand outside physical activity.

■ Emergency Exits: All buildings used by studentsprovide the following safety features: at least oneemergency exit in addition to the main door orentrance; and a direct means of emergency exit tothe outside from each floor used by students that isnot at ground level.

■ Flammable and Hazardous Materials: The schoolrequires that gas and liquid flammables, explosives,and hazardous or poisonous materials are:

▲ handled only by persons trained or experiencedin their safe use and disposal;

▲ stored appropriately;▲ with access limited to trained persons;

▲ in closed, safe containers that are plainly labeled asto contents; and

▲ and in locations separate from food.

■ Contact with Officials: The school contacts local fireand law enforcement officials annually to reconfirm thehours and nature of the school’s operation.

■ Fire Equipment Examination: The school ensures thatqualified personnel annually conduct a safety examina-tion of fire equipment and applicable areas, including:

▲ Smoke detectors and other detection devices;▲ Fire extinguishers (i.e., type, location, and readi-

ness);▲ Fireplaces, chimneys, and any open fire areas;▲ Storage and use areas for flammable materials and

fuel; and▲ Cooking areas.

■ Water Testing: The school has written confirmationthat all water sources used for drinking or food prepa-ration purposes currently meet state or federal drink-ing water standards.

■ Utility Systems: The school keeps on-site the blue-prints, charts, or written physical descriptions of loca-tions of all electrical lines and cutoff points, gas linesand valves, and water cutoff points, or for a non-ownedsite, the written or posted telephone number of theindividual or agency to contact in case of problems.

■ Annual Electrical Evaluation: The school requires thatan electrical evaluation be conducted annually by qual-ified personnel.

■ Maintenance Program: The school has written evi-dence of a system for regular safety inspections andmaintenance procedures for its buildings, structures,and grounds.

■ Facilities Are in Good Repair: Inspections and mainte-nance procedures result in buildings, structures, andactivity areas that are in good repair.

■ Clean Campus: The school’s maintenance proceduresresult in a clean campus.

■ Toilet Ratios: The school provide toilets that meet thefollowing minimum ratios:

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▲ For resident programs use:One seat for every 10 females, andOne seat for every 10 males;

▲ For day programs use:One seat for every 30 females, andOne seat for every 50 males.

■ Hand-Washing Facilities: Hand-washing facilities are pro-vided adjacent to toilets and meet the following ratios:

▲ Day schools, one wash basin or equivalent per 30students, with a minimum of two basins for each toi-let facility that is designed to serve more than fivestudents at the same time; and

▲ Boarding/residential schools use one wash basin orequivalent per 10 persons with a minimum of twobasins for each toilet facility designed to serve morethan five persons at the same time.

■ Toilet Privacy: In the main school and living areas, toiletfacilities with more than one seat have at least one toiletwith a door or curtain for privacy available to all.

■ Hot Water Controls: To prevent scalding, the school reg-ulates the hot water temperature by means other thanindividual adjustment at the taps of bathing, showering,and hand washing facilities.

■ Shower Facilities (boarding schools only): The schoolprovides a minimum of one showerhead or bathtub foreach 15 students living on campus.

■ Garbage Cans: Garbage and rubbish containers inkitchen and dining areas are leak proof and securely cov-ered or tied when not in use.

■ Dumpster Area: Garbage storage areas are clean and freeof trash beyond the capacity of the closed containers.

■ Power Tools: The school requires power tools to:

▲ be equipped with necessary safety devices;▲ be in good repair;▲ be operated only by persons trained and experi-

enced in their use; and▲ be operated only when students are not in the

vicinity.

■ Campus Accessibility: Classroom, dining, toilet, andother educational facilities included on the site are acces-

sible to persons with disabilities. In the case ofboarding schools, this includes sleeping andbathing facilities.

■ Emergency Transportation: The school requiresthat medical emergency transportation be availableat all times by either the school or communityemergency services, for which prior arrangementshave been made in writing.

■ Traffic Control: The school controls vehicular traf-fic on campus by clearly posting designated speedlimits or restrictions, traffic areas, parking, delivery,and pick-up areas.

■ Arrival and Departure: The school has proceduresfor orderly arrival and departure and for theunloading and loading of vehicles.

■ Non-passenger Vehicles: The school prohibits thetransportation of students on motorcycles or innon-passenger vehicles.

Administration:

The school is led by an administration that ensures thatits mission is translated into an authentic Montessoriprogram and that in all things the School has integrityand is worthy of trust.

■ Operating Policies are in Compliance withMontessori Code of Ethics: The school’s operat-ing policies are in compliance with the Code ofEthics established by the professional Montessoriorganization to which the school belongs. ThisCode of Ethics is prominently displayed in theschool’s front office or other public area and pub-licized to parents, faculty, and staff.

■ Administrative Roles Are Clearly Defined: Theroles of the administrator and any other membersof the administrative team are described in writing,communicated to the general school communityand staff, and periodically assessed.

■ Qualifications of the Head of School: The Headof School has appropriate professional qualifica-tions in terms of both education and experience.


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■ Qualifications of Educational Director: Anyone serv-ing in the capacity of an Educational Director/Curriculum Coordinator has appropriate professionalMontessori qualifications in terms of both educationand experience.

■ History of the School: The school maintains a recordof its history and development.

■ Access to Legal Counsel: The school has arranged forlegal counsel to be available to the administration andgoverning board for consultation as questions andissues arise.

■ The School is in Compliance with Applicable Regula-tions: The school has identified appropriate laws,codes, and regulations affecting its operation and is incompliance with them.

■ Student Records: The school maintains, by formalwritten policy, at the site where the student is in atten-dance, records that document the educationalprogress, health, safety, and school experience of eachstudent.

■ Confidentiality of Student Records: The schoolensures that student records are kept secure from un-authorized access and that the information containedtherein is maintained in complete confidentialityexcept to authorized individuals as defined in schoolpolicy. Inside each file, the school shall maintain a logof the record’s release or review by staff members, par-ents, or other school or outside agency.

■ Parents’ Right to Review Their Child’s Records: TheSchool follows a written policy regarding parent andstudent access to their child’s records upon reasonablenotice during school office hours.

■ Strategic Planning: The School has a written strategicplan, which assesses current conditions and identifiesfuture needs in the following areas:

▲ Educational Programs;▲ Faculty;▲ Facilities;▲ Finances;▲ Administration;▲ Governance;▲ Recruitment and admissions;

▲ Building community; and▲ Fundraising/Funding capital improvements.

■ Program Evaluation: The school has written evidenceof a formal and systematic program evaluation systemthat provides feedback from participants, staff, andadministration on:

▲ The effectiveness of the school’s educational program;

▲ The effectiveness of any supporting services provided by the school;

▲ The effectiveness of the administration, faculty,and staff;

▲ Parent and student satisfaction with and confi-dence in the school; and

▲ Health and safety concerns for all types of schooloperations.

■ Assessment of Compliance with MontessoriStandards: The school uses a system to verify on anannual basis that Montessori Standards are being fol-lowed in applicable aspects of the School's operation.These standards may be school defined or establishedby the Montessori School Accreditation body to whichthe school belongs, such as the InternationalMontessori Council School Accreditation Program.

■ Risk Management: The school has developed a writtenrisk management plan that identifies risk exposures tohumans, financial resources, and property resources,and sets downs the risk-control techniques currentlybeing implemented to reduce, control, or preventpotential loss in identified exposure areas.

■ Incident Analysis: The school has established a systemthat includes input from outside advisors to: Annuallyreview and analyze when and where incidents, acci-dents, and injuries occurred; Identify steps to reduceincidents, accidents, and injuries; and Modify proce-dures and implement changes as necessary.

■ Safety Regulations: The school has established writtensafety regulations to address general safety concerns inthe school.

■ Emergency Procedures: The school has establishedwritten emergency procedures to respond appropri-ately to reasonably foreseeable emergencies and natu-ral disasters.

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■ Safety Orientation: The school requires that both stu-dents and staff be oriented to ensure that they under-stand and can follow established safety regulations andemergency procedures.

■ Unauthorized Persons on Campus: The school hasestablished and follows written procedures that addresspossible intrusion of unauthorized persons onto theSchool campus that include:

▲ Periodic review of security concerns of the campus;and; and

▲ Training for staff and students when appropriate,about steps to take in such instances.

■ Insurance Coverage: The school has ensured that thefollowing insurance coverage is in place:

▲ General liability coverage;▲ Fire and extended risk coverage on buildings (DNA if

the school leases its space);▲ Motor vehicle insurance (does not apply if vehicles

are not used in school operation);▲ Coverage on all owned, hired, or leased vehicles;▲ Employer’s non-ownership liability insurance on all

non-owned vehicles;▲ Workers’ compensation for all eligible staff;▲ Coverage for students (carried by the school or writ-

ten evidence that each student has such coverage);▲ For students who reside on campus – health and

accident coverage; and▲ For day students — accident coverage.

■ Regulations about Personal Property: The school hasestablished and advised students, faculty, and staff in writ-ing of its regulations for the possession and use of:

▲ Motor vehicles on campus;▲ Animals on campus; ▲ Alcohol and drugs;▲ Personal sports equipment; and▲ Weapons.

■ Smoking Policies: The school prohibits smoking orallows smoking only in designated areas that are awayfrom children and non-smokers.

■ Staff Emergency Training: The school has developedand implemented a program of training and rehearsal toprepare the faculty and staff to carry out their responsi-bilities in emergency situations.

■ Accident and Incident Reporting: The schoolrequires faculty and staff members to completewritten reports describing incidents and accidents.

■ Missing Persons: The school has developed and isprepared to implement written search and rescueprocedures in the event that any student is lost,missing, or has run away. The faculty and staff aretrained in their responsibilities to implement thoseprocedures.

■ Emergency Communications: The school hasdeveloped and is prepared to implement writtenemergency plans including communication proce-dures, reviewed with staff, that specify:

▲ A system of communication from persons onor off campus when an incident occurs(including out-of-school trips) to schooladministrative and health personnel or com-munity emergency services as appropriate(e.g., health, law enforcement);

▲ Procedures for contacting parents orguardians of minors directly supervised by theschool; and

▲ The school’s procedures for dealing with themedia.

■ Students in Public Situations: For the protectionof students in public places or when in contactwith the public, the school implements writtenpolicies that specify:

▲ Guidelines for ratios, location, and responsi-bilities of staff supervising students;

▲ Safety regulations and behavior guidelines forstudents; and

▲ Emergency procedures for students and staffif a person is separated or missing from thegroup.

■ Releasing Students from School: The school hasdeveloped and follows written procedures regard-ing:

▲ The release of students who are minors to aparent or to persons other than the legal par-ent or guardian; and

▲ Verification of why students are absent fromschool.


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■ Weapons and Firearms on Campus: The Schoolprohibits all weapons and firearms on campus or, ifallowed for a specific program purpose, such as fenc-ing or marksmanship, requires that they be storedunder lock and key when not in use under the super-vision of authorized staff members.

Health and Wellness

■ First-Aid and Emergency-Care Personnel: Whenstudents are present in school or on school trips, theschool requires trained adults with the followingminimum qualifications to be on duty at all times:

▲ When access to the Emergency Medical System(EMS) is 20 minutes or less, certification by anationally-recognized provider of training infirst-aid and CPR;

▲ When access to EMS is 20-60 minutes, certifica-tion by a nationally-recognized provider of train-ing in second level first-aid and CPR;

▲ When access to emergency rescue systems orEMS is more than one hour, certification from anationally-recognized provider of training inwilderness first-aid and CPR; and

▲ For non-medical religious schools, an individualmeeting qualifications specified in writing by thereligious sponsor.

■ Health History: For each student and seasonal staffmember, the school maintains a current health his-tory that asks for:

▲ Description of any current health conditionsrequiring medication, treatment, or specialrestrictions or considerations while at school;and

▲ Except for non-medical religious schools; o Record of past medical treatment,o Record of immunizations and date of last

tetanus shot ,o Record of allergies.

■ Health-Care Policies/Procedures: The school re-views written health-care policies and procedures foreach type of school operation annually, ensuring thatthey include, at least:

▲ Overall policies specifying:o Scope and limits of school health-care serv-

ices provided, including qualifications andlocations of personnel,

o Authority and responsibilities of the schoolhealth-care administrator and provider,

o Authority and responsibilities of other schoolstaff to provide health and emergency care,and

o Additional external medical and mental healthresources available.

▲ Procedures and practices, as appropriate, for:o On-campus and off-campus health-care,o Provision of equipment and supplies for

health-care,o Obtaining emergency health-care assistance,o Health screening,o Medication management,o Monitoring sanitation in school, ando Procedures for long-term record keeping.

■ Policy/Procedure Review: The school’s health-carepolicies and procedures have been reviewed within thelast three years by a licensed physician or registerednurse, or, if a non-medical religious school, by a personwith health-care training approved in writing by thesponsoring program.

■ Contact Information: The following written informa-tion is maintained for students and staff both on cam-pus and with any groups traveling away from school:

▲ Name;▲ Birth date and age of each minor;▲ Home address and telephone number;▲ Name, address, and telephone number including

business phone(s) of adult(s) responsible for eachminor;

▲ Telephone number(s) of persons to contact incase of emergency during the individual’s stay atschool; and

▲ Name and telephone number of individual’s physi-cian or health-care facility (if available).

■ Health Exams: For each resident and trip/travel stu-dent and seasonal staff member, the school requireswritten verification from licensed medical personnelthat the individual has had a health examination withinthe past 24 months, and the records include:

▲ Any physical condition requiring restriction(s) onparticipation in the school program and a descrip-tion of that restriction;

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■ Treatment Procedures: The school utilizes treat-ment procedures for dealing with reasonably antic-ipated illnesses and injuries that are:▲ Established in writing; and are▲ Annually reviewed by a licensed physician.

■ Staff Training in Health-Care Procedures: Schoolstaff is trained in the school’s written proceduresto:

▲ Identify their role and responsibilities inschool health-care;

▲ Prepare them to use health-care supplies andequipment with which they may be furnished;

▲ Identify those situations which should beattended to only by certified health person-nel; and

▲ Use established sanitary procedures whendealing with infectious waste or body fluids;

■ Health and Safety on Field Trips and Travel Awayfrom Campus: For off-campus trips or activities orsituations where the school health provider is notpresent or nearby, the School requires that a staffmember be immediately available who has beenoriented to:

▲ Provide for routine health-care needs of thestudents; and

▲ Handle life-threatening medical emergenciesrelated to the health conditions of the stu-dents and the environmental hazards associat-ed with the area.

■ Health-Care Center: The school has an infir-mary/health-care center available to handle first-aid and emergency cases which provides:

▲ Protection from the elements;▲ Space for treatment of injury and illness;▲ A lockable medication storage system;▲ Toilet(s) immediately available;▲ Water immediately available for drinking and

cleaning;▲ Isolation, quiet, and privacy;▲ A cot to rest on; and▲ For boarding schools, one bed per 50 students

and staff.

▲ Date of the health examination;▲ Any current or ongoing treatment or medications;

and▲ Date the form was signed.

■ Permission to Secure Emergency Medical Treatment:The school has signed permission to provide routinehealth-care, administer prescribed medications, and seekemergency medical treatment, or if a non-medical reli-gious student, a signed religious waiver.

■ Health Information Review and Screening: (BoardingSchools Only) When students will be residing on campusduring the academic year, the School implements a healthinformation review and screening procedure for studentswithin 24 hours of first arrival at school that requires staffmember(s):

▲ Review health histories;▲ Collect any medications to be administered during

the student's enrollment;▲ Check for observable evidence of illness, injury, or

communicable disease, and▲ Verify and update health information to ensure that

health screening was conducted by a licensed physi-cian, registered nurse, or adult following specific writ-ten instructions of a licensed physician.

■ Staff Are Informed of Students with Special HealthConcerns and Needs: The school informs its faculty andstaff of any specific health concerns or needs of studentsfor whom they will be responsible.

■ Health-Care Personnel: The school has a health-careprovider on campus who is qualified as follows:

▲ For day schools — Is a licensed physician or regis-tered nurse, or has access by phone to a licensedphysician or registered nurse with whom priorarrangements have been made in writing to provideconsultation and other health-care support to theschool;

▲ For boarding schools — Is a licensed physician or reg-istered nurse, or is in consultation with a licensedphysician or registered nurse who is on the Schoolcampus daily; and

▲ For non-medical religious schools — Is an individualmeeting qualifications specified in writing by the reli-gious program.


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■ Supervision in Health-Care Center: The schoolrequires continual supervision of children who arebeing treated or are resting in the health-care center.

■ Parent Notification: The school implements a policy,which is communicated in writing to parents andguardians, that identifies the situations under whichparents will be notified of an illness or injury to theirson or daughter.

■ Medications On Campus: To prevent the unautho-rized use of drugs, the school requires all drugs to bestored under lock and key (including those needingrefrigeration), except when in the controlled posses-sion of the person responsible for administeringthem, and:

▲ For prescription drugs – dispensed only underthe specific directions of a licensed physician;and

▲ For non-prescription drugs – dispensed onlyunder the school’s written health-care proce-dures, or under the signed instruction of theparent or guardian or the individual’s physician.

■ Record Keeping: The school generates the followingrecords:

▲ A health log or other health record keeping sys-tem in which the following information isrecorded in ink:o Date, time, and name of person injured or

ill,o General description of injury or illness,o Description of treatment (if administered),

including any treatment administered awayfrom the health-care facility,

o Administration of all medications, ando Initials of person evaluating and treating.

▲ Reports of all incidents resulting in injury requir-ing professional medical treatment.

■ Record Maintenance: The school maintains, at leastfor the period of statutory limits, all health forms andrecords gathered or produced during the schoolyear.

■ Emergency-Care Personnel: The school providesadults with the following qualifications to be on dutyfor emergency care:

▲ CPR certification from a nationally recognizedprovider; and

▲ First-aid certification from a provider.

Governance

The school’s ownership or governing board provides effec-tive stewardship that ensures the fulfillment of the school’smission and both short- and long-term stability.

■ The School’s Legal Identity: The school’s legal identityand ownership is clearly defined and communicated tostaff members and parents.

■ Role of the Ownership or Governing Board: The roleof the ownership or governing board is clearly defined.

■ Board Membership: The school ensures that Boardmembers are well qualified, understand the school, andare willing to make a real commitment to ensure theschool’s short- and long-term stability.

■ Board/Head Relationship: The Board’s Role in relation-ship to the Head of School is clearly defined.

■ Opportunity to Address the Board: School policyallows concerned parents or staff members to requestthe opportunity to address their concerns to the Board.

Recruitment and Admissions

The school is honest and accurate in its public relations andadvertising programs and follows admissions policies andprocedures which ensure that prospective candidates areconsidered without discrimination on the basis of race, reli-gion, ethnic heritage, or country of origin.

■ Admissions Policies: The school publishes its admis-sions policies, including a statement of non discrimina-tion, criteria of admission, and admission procedures.

■ Marketing Plan: The school follows a formal plan formarketing and public relations.

■ Honesty in Advertising: The school’s brochures, adver-tisements, and similar public relations material accu-rately describe its core and ancillary programs, facilities,philosophy, practice, and policies.

APPENDIXES

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■ Publication of tuition, fees and financial policies: Theschool’s publishes its financial policies, schedule oftuition and fees, payment schedule(s), re-enrollmentpolicies, policies regarding absence, withdrawal, dis-missal, refunds and credits.

■ Financial Assistance: The school’s Parent Handbookand enrollment agreements describe its policies regard-ing scholarships, financial aid, discounts, and refundsand credits in the event of absence, illness, transfers, orwithdrawal.

■ Ethical Recruitment Policies and Practice: Theschool’s recruitment and admissions program followsguidelines consistent with the IMC’s Code of Ethics.

■ Communication with Present School Prior to Admis-sion: The school does not offer admission to any can-didate without formal communication with the stu-dent’s present school.

■ Non-Discrimination in Admissions: The school doesnot discriminate in the admission of students on thebasis of race, religion, or ethnic background.

Retention of Students & Building School Community

The school follows an explicit plan to ensure that lines ofcommunication within the school community remain open,to enhance the general sense of school community, and tokeep attrition within reasonable limits.

■ Operating Policies Communicated to Parents: Theschool publishes its operating policies to the parentbody. The policies cover all areas of school life thataffect families, such as financial policy, health and safe-ty, expectations that the school holds for parents andstudents, drop-off and pick-up procedures, and the cal-endar for the school year. Normally these policies willbe published in a Parent Handbook (which is updatedperiodically), enrollment agreements, and in othercommunications issued by the school.

■ Parent Involvement: The school involves parents in avariety of ways.

■ Communication with Parents about Student Pro-gress: The school communicates at regular intervalsabout the progress of their children’s academic, physi-cal, and social development.

■ Confidentiality of Student Records: The schoolensures that student records are kept secure fromunauthorized and that the information containedtherein is maintained in complete confidentiality.

■ Parents’ Right to Review Student Records: With rea-sonable notice, parents shall have the right to reviewand insert written comments about information con-tained in their child’s student records. The school fol-lows a written policy regarding parent and studentaccess.

■ Maintenance of Student Records: The school main-tains student records through the period required bygoverning law.

■ Building a School Community: The school attemptsto go beyond the fundamental working partnershipwith parents, with the goal of creating a positive schoolcommunity atmosphere.

■ Parent Right to Observe Classroom: Within reason-able guidelines established to ensure the integrity ofthe educational program, parents are welcome to visitthe school to observe their child in class.

■ Records of Student Attrition and Projections ofFuture Enrollment: The school maintains records ofstudent attrition and projects trends of future admis-sions, graduation, and withdrawal to project the levelsof student enrollment at each level within the school,and subsequent future demands for space and otherresources for several years ahead.

■ Parent Education Program: The school offers a pro-gram of parent education designed to inform new andcontinuing parents about its philosophy, programs, andcurriculum.

■ Parent Surveys: The school surveys its parents andother constituent groups on an ongoing basis.

Finances

The school manages its financial resources in a prudent andorganized manner to ensure their effective use to achievethe school’s mission while ensuring its short- and long-termfinancial stability.

■ External Accounting Firm: The school uses an externalaccounting firm to conduct an annual review, compila-


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tion, or audit according to its official poli-cies and to prepare an annual financialstatement and periodic written financialreports that set forth its assets and liabili-ties, indicating sources of income and howfunds were spent.

■ Financial Records: The school maintainsaccurate records of all funds received orowed and all expenses paid out or payable.

■ Budgets: The school prepares and followsa written budget.

■ Financial Stability: The school demon-strates that it is financially stable and able tomeet its obligations on an ongoing basis.

Fundraising

The school has developed a coherent plan foracquiring the financial re-sources needed toenhance its programs beyond what can be cov-ered in the annual budget or to gather thefunds needed for major capital improvements.

■ Institutional Advancement Plan: Theschool has developed a coherent plan foracquiring the financial resources needed toenhance its programs beyond what can becovered in the annual budget and to gatherfunds needed for major capital improve-ments.

■ Fundraising Policies: The school hasestablished and follows a clear set of poli-cies and code of ethics regarding all fund-raising efforts and the acceptance of contri-butions.

■ Accepting Donations with StringsAttached: The school follows clear guide-lines about the acceptance of donationsoffered with either explicit or implied con-ditions attached.

■ Roles of Board Members and Staff inFund Raising: The roles and expectationsfor board members, administrators, faculty,staff, and board members in fundraising areclearly defined.

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