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Welcome |
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Today is September 5, 2010 |
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What is Montessori Initiative for Education all about? |
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The Montessori Initiative for Education was founded by a group of
Montessori educators and incorporated in 2001 to support and promote
Montessori education, especially in urban, public school settings.
One of the first major initiatives of MIE was to develop a plan for
implementing a school-wide public Montessori program in Philadelphia.
Currently, the School District of Philadelphia operates isolated,
modified Montessori classrooms in a few of its elementary schools.
However, no public school in the City provides a fully implemented,
school-wide Montessori program. MIE believes there is a strong need
for a school in which the entire school community understands,
implements, and supports the Montessori method. Having an entire
school model will ensure the educational integrity of the program and
enable it to be implemented at its optimum.
In March of 2004, the School Reform Commission conditionally approved
the Philadelphia Montessori Charter School. The school is scheduled to
open in September.
The primary founding group for the Philadelphia Montessori Charter
School is the Montessori Initiative for Education, Inc. (MIE). MIE is
a publicly supported non-profit charitable organization made up of
teachers, administrators, parents, professionals, and business people
whose mission is to initiate, support and promote Montessori education
in the public sector within the city of Philadelphia. Founding team
members include:
Anne Arfaa
Consultant, Montessori Education - For over 20 years, Ms. Arfaa has
taught Montessori education in both public and private schools in the
Philadelphia area. She currently serves as a consultant for Montessori
education and has presented internationally in Canada, China, and Cuba.
Patricia M. Caporale
Chestnut Hill College, Adjunct Professor of Montessori Education;
Overbrook Montessori Head Start, Montessori Head Teacher - Ms. Caporale
has more than a decade of experience as a Montessori educator in
private schools and in several Head Start Programs within the School
District of Philadelphia. Prior to her academic career, Ms. Caporale
was the Chief Administrative Officer for the Cincinnati Ballet Company
where she was responsible for fiscal oversight, contract negotiations,
and government relations.
Janet M. Colaianni, M.Ed.
Chestnut Hill College, Professor, Montessori Training Program; School
District of Philadelphia, Early Childhood Field Coordinator, Head Start
- Ms. Colaianni, a Philadelphia resident, has served as an early
childhood field coordinator for the School District of Philadelphia for
more than twenty years, supervising 32 early childhood classrooms in
twelve sites. She has also been an instructor for more than 20 years
in the Montessori Training Program at Chestnut Hill College. She is
also a certified principal.
Frances T. Connolly, ED.D
Independent Consultant - Dr. Connolly is a certified superintendent and
principal who has directed educational leadership programs in the
Philadelphia area for the past 30 years. Her credentials include
having worked as a Director for Office for Instruction for both School
District of Philadelphia and as the Director of Human Resources for the
William Penn School District.
Kathleen Miller Dzura
School District of Philadelphia, Montessori Teacher at Overbrook
Elementary School
Chestnut Hill College, Montessori Instructor - Ms. Dzura brings to the
Founding Coalition nearly 40 years experience as a Montessori teacher
(in both public and private schools), school administrator, and teacher
trainer. She was one of the first teachers to be hired by Maria
Montessori's colleague to work in the Montessori teacher-training
center and lab school in Philadelphia.
Colleen L. Mele, M.Ed.
Educator - Ms. Mele, parent to two young daughters who will soon enter
the Montessori classroom, has served as an elementary education teacher
in the School District of Philadelphia, including three years as a
Montessori primary teacher. Ms. Mele brings to the Founding Coalition
experience in grant writing having successfully procured a $150,000
Montessori expansion grant while teaching at the William C. Longstreth
Elementary School in Philadelphia and a background in Montessori
program initiation.
Elizabeth R. Monaghan
School District of Philadelphia, Montessori Teacher at the A. Wilson
Elementary School - A Philadelphia resident and a teacher with 20 years
experience, Ms. Monaghan has successfully developed curricula in the
Montessori philosophy. She has extensive background in classroom
management, parent involvement, and special education inclusion
programs.
Annmarie R. Torres, M.Ed.
Abington Friends Lower School, Assistant Director of Admissions - Ms.
Torres is an accomplished Montessori teacher, school administrator,
fundraiser, and educational consultant who brings over 40 years
experience in early childhood education to the Founding Coalition. Her
innovative programs, which began in Philadelphia, became a national
model for early childhood education reform.
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