Image: montessori-namta.org
Since 1999, Kathy Minardi has served as the head of the Aidan Montessori School in Washington, DC. She is a member of the North American Montessori Teachers’ Association (NAMTA), which held its latest Montessori Whole-School Management course in October 2015. Kathy Minardi was one of the faculty presenters.
The multi-day course is focused on teaching educators to become effective Montessori administrators, and all of the concepts presented are based on NAMTA’s extensive research into school management. The first tier of the course is spent discussing Montessori principles. Participants come prepared with information about their school’s history, enrollment, and yearly budgets. They use this data to build a plan for improving upon their school’s weaknesses.
Since Montessori schools have grown in capacity and complexity during recent years, the second part of the course is centered on strategic planning. It is an advanced section for experienced administrators. There is a focus on developing long-term goals, effective collaboration with colleagues, and creating a system for tracking school progress.
Kathy Minardi 