American Montessori Society

Overview

The American Montessori Society (AMS) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and supporting Montessori education within the United States and globally. Founded in 1960 by Nancy McCormick Rambusch, AMS aims to ensure the quality, integrity, and authenticity of Montessori educational methods.

History

In the early 1950s, Nancy McCormick Rambusch attended the Tenth International Montessori Congress in Paris, where she met Mario Montessori, the son of Maria Montessori. Inspired by her experiences, Rambusch began teaching Montessori education in the United States. She founded Whitby School in Greenwich, Connecticut, in 1958, which became the first Montessori school in the U.S. since the early 20th century. Rambusch was appointed as the American representative for the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), and she founded the American Montessori Society shortly after. This marked the beginning of the revival of Montessori education in the U.S.

In its early years, AMS gained significant public attention through media coverage, including features in Time, Newsweek, and the New York Times. Rambusch's book, Learning How to Learn, published in 1962, further contributed to the organization's growth and the expansion of Montessori schools across the country.

Mission and Activities

The American Montessori Society's mission is to empower humanity to build a better world through Montessori education. AMS supports research, public policy advocacy, teacher education programs, and accredited schools. It emphasizes a Montessori approach that fosters holistic child development—physical, social, emotional, and cognitive. Key aspects of Montessori education include multi-age classrooms, individualized learning paths, specially designed materials, and student-directed work periods.

Membership and Reach

AMS has over 23,000 members worldwide, with affiliates in about 70 countries. It accredits schools and recognizes them as authentic Montessori institutions based on strict criteria. The organization operates over 245 teacher education programs and has approximately 215 accredited schools.

Governance and Leadership

AMS is led by a board of directors that includes educators and professionals from various Montessori schools and institutions. The executive director is responsible for overseeing the organization's operations and initiatives.

Educational Philosophy

Montessori education, as promoted by AMS, honors the child's natural eagerness for knowledge and emphasizes equity, inclusion, and social justice. The method encourages children to explore and learn at their own pace in mixed-age classrooms, fostering critical thinking and self-directed learning. AMS recognizes five core components as essential to authentic Montessori programs: properly trained teachers, multi-age classrooms, specially designed materials, student-directed work, and uninterrupted work periods.