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Miss Anne George started a Montessori classroom in New York after training in Italy.
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Dr. Montessori provided three weeks of lectures, including Carnegie Hall.
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Dr. Montessori demonstrated her method at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco with the "Glass Classroom". 100 schools were operating the following year but the movement fizzed out by the 1920s.
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Nancy Rambusch attends the Tenth International Montessori Congress in Paris and meets Mario (who invites her to enroll in the London training).
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In her article, "The American Montessori Experience", Nancy shares that Mario said, "Madame, there is no such thing as a Montessori type school; there is only a Montessori school." -
After completing her training, Nancy Rambusch sets up a Montessori environment in her New York apartment. -
The Rambusch family relocate to Greenwich, Connecticut. -
Nancy Rambusch founded Whitby School with a group of parents
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Nancy Rambusch was appointed at the U.S. representative for AMI by Mario Montessori. -
After serving as the U.S. representative to AMI in 1959, Nancy Rambusch founded the American Montessori Society with support of parent advocates.
Dr. Nancy McCormick Rambusch, described herself as a “sassy, critical, articulate parent” who wanted something better than traditional education for her children. Her desire led to her life’s work, setting into motion the social movement that brought Montessori to the United States on a large scale. -
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In 1961-1962, American media's coverage of the Whitby School and AMS as well as the publication of Rambusch's book, Learning How to Learn, encouraged growth of more Montessori schools.
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The first AMI-AMS Montessori training course was held in Greenwich, CT in 1962-1963
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Nancy Rambusch publishes her book which generates even more demand for Montessori education. -
Nancy resigned, AMI withdrew recognition, and AMS moves the headquarters to New York (Flat Iron Building) with James Ruffing as leader. Between 1963 and 1970 school membership grew from 29 to 400.
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Consultation services offered to AMS affiliated schools. -
In 1967, AMS sued AMI over the right to exclusively use
"Montessori" as a descriptor of their schools in the U.S. they lost—the U.S. Patent Office ruled that the name was a generic descriptor of a type of schooling (which means that other, non-accredited schools are allowed to use it, too). -
AMS collaborate with Comité Hispano Montessori to provide a communication network for Spanish-speaking communities in the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. In addition they partner with the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Child Development Associate Consortium. -
AMI/USA was founded in 1972 and directed for its first ten years by Karin Salzmann.
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Cleo Monson becomes new national director
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Sands Montessori was the first public Montessori school in the United States. The original site opened in 1975 and was located in Mt. Adams. It was called Children's House and opened with an enrollment of 200 students. The program was designed by Nancy Rambusch, who introduced Montessori to the United States in the early 1960's. -
Held in Athens
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Montessori Life is the official quarterly magazine of the American Montessori Society.
Articles on Montessori practice and pedagogy, along with articles offering practical ideas for the classroom and reflections from organization stakeholders, serve to provoke thought, promote professional development, and provide a forum for discussion of issues and ideas in the field. In addition, news of our members bring Montessori educators together as a collegial global community. -
Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education is founded (recognized by the U.S. Dept. of Education)
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AMS arranged for a keynote speaker, Dr. Maya Angelou- acclaimed poet, author, actress, and activist. Her speech was entitled “Courage, the Most Important Virtue.” Dr. Angelou paid great attribute to Montessori educators across the globe as being likened to “rainbows of hope in dark cloudy moments”.
She continued, "It takes courage to speak honestly. It takes courage to advocate for peace. It takes courage to rear open-minded, curious children in uncertain times." -
The National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector was cofounded by Jackie Cossentino to advance Montessori in the public sector. It was independently incorporated in 2015.
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Montessori Public Policy Initiative began as a join project of AMS and AMI/USA to be a unified voice in advocacy and a platform for coordination of public policy efforts.
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Munir Shivji provides leadership as AMS serves 16,000 members worldwide. Forums provide support and creative strategies for online teaching during the world quarantine for Covid,
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Montessori is growing at a rate that would have gladdened the heart of its founder, Dr. Maria Montessori—a woman who dared to reimagine how we learn, and recognized the dignity and capacity of all human beings.
Her legacy continues in the great work of AMS’s Montessori-credentialed educators and affiliated teacher education programs. We are united with a common purpose: to make the world a better place through grace and courtesy instilled in our children, who will serve as our future leaders.
