Fall Issue is Now Available
November 2025
From the Editor
This issue of the Journal of Montessori Research includes two powerful articles that address important issues in the field: reading achievement and cognitive development. Also in this issue is a review of six practitioner studies which reflect these professionals’ efforts to address very real challenges they face in their classrooms and schools.
In the first article, Katie E. Brown, Leslie Woodford, and Kelly Powell share the results from their study of reading achievement in public Montessori schools in Arizona. The study was a collaborative effort to comply with legislation in the state requiring use of evidence-based reading curricula in public schools. In the study, the authors compare standardized state reading test scores of public Montessori students with those of students in traditional public schools across the state. They found Montessori students do at least as well as if not better than the comparison group, with students who have more Montessori experience showing even stronger outcomes.
The second article is a critical literature review by Laura K. Foster, examining the impact of classroom design on attention, regulation, and learning in early childhood education. In examining how intentionally prepared environments support cognitive development, Foster draws on neuroeducational concepts in combination with Montessori pedagogy to outline implications for educational policy, teacher preparation, and future empirical studies.
This issue concludes with the most recent installment of the JMR annual feature, “Rediscovering the Child,” which is a review of practitioner research submitted to graduate teacher preparation programs. This year the review looks at six studies that address practitioners designing interventions to enhance life skills such as focus and engagement, to improve academic skills in reading and math, and to increase teacher retention.
I wish all of our readers a safe and happy Thanksgiving, and hope this issue provides some important insights for your own professional development and research.
Sincerely,
Angela K. Murray, PhD
Editor, Journal of Montessori Research
Chair, AERA Montessori Education SIG
