What is an independent school?
An independent school is a private school, but there is an important distinction. A private school may be established with religious indoctrination as the primary objective and education of its children as the secondary objective. An independent school has the education of its children as the primary objective.
An independent school is free to structure its philosophy and programs unencumbered by political considerations. Its administration and staff can move quickly to respond to the needs of its clients. It has the liberty to examine and adopt the most effective educational innovations and to constantly improve its performance without the necessity of routing its decisions through a management structure remote from the day-to-day operations of the school and from the people it serves.
What does it mean to be an accredited school?
Alexander Montessori, like other independent schools, is examined periodically by its professional peers in independent education in order to become accredited. These highly-respected agencies, which have a long and distinguished history of service to private education, grant a certification of competency, authority, and credibility to independent schools. They determine that the school is doing what it represents itself to do, that it is a viable educational institution, and that it is operating in an ethical and professional manner.
To see a list of state, national, and international agencies that have granted accreditation to Alexander Montessori School, click here.
What is a Montessori School?
The Montessori Method and philosophy of education was formulated in the early 1900's by Dr. Maria Montessori, an Italian engineer, psychologist, physician, and anthropologist. She discovered that the purpose of education was not the imparting of knowledge by the teacher but the development of intellectual skills so that the children could acquire the knowledge by their own effort; thus making the knowledge truly their own.
In this unique type of school, the children work within a structured environment, filled with motivations for learning where they are free to choose their work and to learn to make decisions, and where the development of a positive attitude in the child is the fundamental objective. The Montessori school uses specially designed learning materials and the children may be observed working individually or in cooperation where they learn from each other. Alexander Montessori School is considered to be one of the premier Montessori schools in the world. To learn more about the Montessori Method, click here.
Why choose an independent school?
Aside from the negatives of the alternative, the most important reason to choose a school like Alexander Montessori is that the parent wants to give the child the best opportunity to succeed, and an independent school affords that opportunity. The community of parents, teachers, and children in an independent school are positively motivated toward education and proper social conduct. That community has a good work ethic and considers achievement important. Peer influence is positive. Everyone at the school is there because they believe in it and it is where they choose to be. For some more detailed reasons why Alexander Montessori affords the child a better foundation for academic success, click here.