Montessori Expert Angeline Lillard Shares Research Findings in Campus Visit

Angeline Lillard is pictured during her recent visit to the University of Hartford.

L-R: Tim Nee, Managing Director, Montessori Training Center of New England; guest speaker Angeline Lillard; and Paige Bray, Coordinator of the Graduate Program in Early Childhood Education, ENHP.

Connecticut Montessori teachers and school leaders joined University faculty, administrators, and graduate students in the Shaw Center last month to network and listen to Angeline Lillard, professor of psychology at the University of Virginia. Lillard is an internationally recognized and well-regarded expert in Montessori education, and the  author of Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius.

The College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions (ENHP) and its collaborative partner, the Montessori Training Center of New England (MTCNE), hosted Lillard's visit.

At the University of Virginia, Lillard directs the Early Development Lab, where she studies how different forms of early childhood education – especially comparing different implementations of Montessori versus conventional schooling – impact children's theory of mind, executive function, and early academic skills.

The study of Montessori education has been a passion of Lillard's for more than two decades. During her visit to the University of Hartford, she shared with her audience of more than 80 her current thinking on the century old pedagogy and its continued relevance today.

This event marked the third year that the Montessori Studies Initiative in ENHP’s Center for Learning and Professional Education has been a supporting partner of Lillard's current Hartford area research, a funded study replicating her landmark Milwaukee study. This work looks at children in the public Montessori schools in Hartford, comparing those who were admitted by random lottery with those who “lost” the lottery and attended other schools instead of the CREC Montessori Magnet School or the Hartford Public Magnet Schools' Annie Fisher Montessori and Moyland Montessori.

This research collaboration, the collaboration around preparing the next generation of teachers of AMI (Association Montessori International) through the Montessori Training Center of New England, and the unique MEd with Montessori Concentration all contribute to the Montessori Studies Initiative. The graduate offering facilitates completion of a Masters of Education in the College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions for current MTCNE students and alumni.

To discuss the current Hartford research or the unique graduate study collaboration, contact Assistant Professor Paige Bray at bray@hartford.edu.

You can read more about Lillard's visit on the ENHP website.