Abstract

This study used covariate adjusted regression techniques to compare the third-grade outcomes of low-income Latinx children who attended Montessori pre-K programs (n = 161) with those who graduated from more conventional programs (n = 4975) in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Children who experienced one year of Montessori education demonstrated stronger pre-academic skills at the end of pre-K and, in turn, performed better on standardized assessments of math and reading in third grade than those who did not. No differences emerged in students’ identification as gifted and talented nor in third-grade GPA. Taken together, these findings suggest that the benefits of one year of Montessori at age 4 may carry forward over time and to the extent that they do, these benefits are attributed to the fact that Montessori graduates entered kindergarten more ready academically. At the same time, however, the persisting benefits of Montessori were 60–70% smaller four years after program exit and were less robust than the end of pre-K outcomes.

摘要

本研究使用协变量调整回归技术来比较参加蒙台梭利学前班 ( n  = 161) 的低收入拉丁裔儿童与那些从更传统的课程毕业的儿童 ( n = 4975）在佛罗里达州迈阿密戴德县。经历过一年蒙台梭利教育的孩子在学前班结束时表现出更强的学前技能，反过来，在三年级的数学和阅读标准化评估中表现也比没有接受过的孩子更好。在学生的天赋和才华以及三年级 GPA 方面没有出现差异。总之，这些研究结果表明，4 岁时蒙台梭利一年的好处可能会随着时间的推移而延续，并且在一定程度上，这些好处归因于蒙台梭利毕业生进入幼儿园时在学业上的准备更加充分。然而，与此同时，蒙台梭利的持续效益在项目退出四年后减少了 60-70%，并且不如学前教育成果结束时那么稳健。