Sept. 27, 2006 — New research suggests that children who attend Montessori schools may have an edge over other children in terms of both academic and social development.
But an early education researcher who spoke to WebMD says the study was far too small to be conclusive.
Researchers tested 30 5-year-olds and 29 12-year-olds attending a public inner-city Montessori school in Milwaukee, Wis. They also tested a similar number of 5- and 12-year-olds who attended non-Montessori Milwaukee schools.
The 5-year-old Montessori students were found to have better reading and math skills than their peers who attended traditional schools and they scored higher on tests measuring social development, researchers reported.
The 12-year-old Montessori and non-Montessori students had similar reading and math scores, but the Montessori children tended to score higher on tests measuring social and behavioral development, researcher Angeline Lillard, PhD, tells WebMD.
Read the full article : Study Shows Improved Test Scores for Students in Montessori Schools
