Montessori Teacher Licensure Initiative

Advancing state-level reforms to expand the reach of public Montessori programs and create more equitable teacher pathways.

Context and Need

Currently, few states provide an easy or consistent pathway for Montessori educators to obtain state licensure. Each state has different requirements to become a licensed teacher, but rarely is Montessori teacher preparation recognized as a direct pathway. As a result, many public Montessori classrooms do not have a Montessori-trained teacher or schools need to spend valuable resources to train licensed individuals after they’ve already been hired. This grant supports the Montessori Public Policy Institute’s efforts in working with state partners to advance reforms that will address these barriers.

Goals and Impact

The goal of the initiative is to strengthen teacher licensure pathways for Montessori-trained educators to increase access to and quality of Montessori education in public schools. The grant will support collaborative partnerships in five or more states to develop action plans that will advance licensure reform measures and promote greater awareness of this issue. The project will also gather evidence from public Montessori programs across the US to ascertain the impact that licensure pathways have on a school’s ability to have Montessori trained teachers in every early childhood education (ECE) classroom.