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Nancy McCormick, University of Toronto, Canada
Nancy McCormick, a young, aspiring teacher from New York City, happens upon Dr. Montessori's writings. Her psychology professor, J. Dore, had piqued her interest when he drew parallels between the Thomas Aquinas' (influential Medieval scholastic and Italian Dominican theologian) dictum, "there is nothing in the intellect that is not first in the senses," and Dr. Montessori's similar beliefs. -
Death of Dr. Montessori
Dr. Montessori dies on May 6, 1952, in Noordwijk aan Zee, the Netherlands. Her gravestone reads: "I beg the dear all-powerful children to unite with me for the building of peace in man and in the world." -
Tenth Annual International Montessori Congress
In 1952, Nancy Rambusch, motivated to further pursue the ideas of Dr. Montessori, travels to Paris to attend the Tenth Annual International Montessori Congress sponsored by the French government at the Musee Pedagogique. She meets Mario Montessori who encourages Nancy's desire to revive Montessori education in the United States. -
Nancy's Montessori Training
In the fall of 1954, inspired by talks with Mario Montessori, Nancy travels to Europe to complete her Montessori Elementary Course. -
Montessori Play Group
Upon her return to the United States, Nancy (now married and a parent), sets up a "Montessori play group" in her home in Greenwich Village for a group of five to six children (including her own).This play group continues to meet for about two years. -
Whitby School
In 1958, Nancy focuses on the revival of the Montessori approach by recruiting the help of like-minded parents who are dissatisfied with the local parochial schools and want to start a Montessori school. With the help of affluent local families, on September 29, 1958, Whitby school (originally called the American Montessori Center) is founded in a stable-carriage house as the first Montessori school (since Montessori's second revival). Nancy serves as the Headmistress of the school. -
AMS founded by Nancy Rambusch
In February,1960, Nancy founds the American Montessori Society with its headquarters at Whitby School. As the President of AMS, she requests admission as a national society to The Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) (which is ultimately granted). Whitby school becomes the first certified Montessori teacher training program in the U.S. -
Publication of Learning How to Learn: An American Approach to Montessori
Nancy publishes the book, Learning How to Learn: An American Approach to Montessori, in the spring of 1962. Letters of support and appeals for help in starting Montessori schools and teacher training programs stream in from across the U.S. -
Nancy resigns as the President of the American Montessori Society
Nancy Rambusch resigns as the Headmistress of Whitby to give more time to the day to day functioning of AMS.
Nancy Rambusch maintains that Montessori needs to be reinterpreted in the context of the American culture. She asserts that Montessori needs to be "transmuted rather than transplanted". This belief leads to a rift between AMS and AMI and Nancy Rambusch sends her letter of resignation as the President of the American Montessori Society (effective July 1963) to Mario Montessori. -
Cleo Monson: Executive Secretary to first National Director of AMS
As AMS grows as an organization, Cleo Monson insists that the office be moved to New York City. She undertakes the building of a Montessori library, working with Montessori teacher activities, coordinating visitation programs and teacher training courses, and disseminating information to the public on Montessori. After ten years at AMS, she is named its first National Director. -
Douglas & Maria Gravel's contributions
Douglas and Maria Gravel give up their jobs as bookstore owner and teacher to create a publication center for AMS. A publication called The Constructive Triangle debuts and later becomes Montessori Life (magazine that AMS members enjoy four times a year). -
John McDermott: Montessori in the public sector
John McDermott, a Queens College professor, counsels Nancy Rambusch on the need to move Montessori into the public sector so as to make it accessible to all children; not just the wealthy. Thanks to his counsel and Nancy's efforts, Hilltop School in Reading, Ohio, becomes the first public Montessori school in the U.S. -
Inaugural Living Legacy Award: Sister Carolina Gomez del Valle
Sister Carolina Gomez del Valle, an educator from Puebla, Mexico, receives the Inaugural Living Legacy Award in 1993 for her tireless work and influence on Montessori education that is felt worldwide. Among other accomplishments, she helps establish a Montessori school for an indigenous community in her native country (in the village of Tzinacapan). -
Dr. Rambusch's Death
Dr. Rambusch, a charismatic founder of the American Montessori movement, early childhood professional, and innovative educator, dies of pancreatic cancer on October 27, 1994. -
Montessori Accreditation Council of Teacher Education (MACTE)
Montessori Accreditation Council of Teacher Education is founded in 1995 to oversee the accreditation of teacher training programs to promote high quality preparation of teachers for the ultimate purpose of advancing Montessori student learning. -
National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector (NCMPS)
NCMPS is launched in 2012 by the American Montessori Society (AMS) to support public Montessori schools with a focus on equity and access. -
Montessori Public Policy Initiative (MPPI)
MPPI is the joint policy arm of the American Montessori Society (AMS) and the Association Montessori International/USA (AMI/USA). This collaborative work is a unified voice for Montessori advocacy work. In addition, both organizations work together to set standards for Montessori classrooms, support teacher preparation, offer professional development opportunities, provide resources for parents and the public about high fidelity Montessori education and more. -
AMS 60th Anniversary
AMS was founded over 60 years ago, and celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2020. The organization is now not only the world's leading advocate for Montessori Research and Policy, ongoing teacher education and high fidelity Montessori education, but also works to promote robust professional growth, collaboration and member engagement. AMS has over 15,000 members in 60 countries and in all continents (except Antarctica) and continues to grow.