The History of AMS

By AMSSilverstone

  • Nancy Rambush Meets Mario Montessori

    Mario urged Rambusch to take coursework in Montessori education and to bring the Montessori Method to the U.S.

  • Whitby School is founded

    Whitby School --the first Montessori school to open in the U.S. since the initial flurry of interest in Montessori in the early 20th century.

  • Nancy Rambush named AMI Representative

    Mario Montessori appointed Nancy Rambusch to serve as the U.S. representative of the AMI.

  • AMS is founded

    The American Montessori Society is founded by Nancy Rambush and others.

  • TIME magazine featured Rambusch, Whitby School, and the American Montessori revival in its May 12 issue.

    The article galvanized the American public, and parents turned to AMS in large numbers for advice on starting schools and study groups. Additional publicity in the popular media, including Newsweek, the New York Times, and the Saturday Evening Post, as well as the publication in 1962 of Rambusch’s book, Learning How to Learn, led to dramatic growth in the number of American Montessori schools and students.

  • AMS moves to NYC

    The national office of AMS moved from Greenwich to New York City, where it has since remained.

  • AMS International Symposium

    Frst International Symposium, held in Athens in 1979, which featured as speakers several internationally renowned educators and scholars.

  • 1970s-to today

    The Comite Hispano Montessori, enabled the Montessori method to thrive in Spanish-speaking communities in the Americas and the Caribbean. along with other organizations, including the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Child Development Associate Consortium.