AMS and Public Policy

AMS and the United Nations

AMS Public Policy Commitee

Resources

Related Links

Position and Issue Papers

In 2001, the American Montessori Society Board of Directors established a Strategic Plan and determined five major goals.  One of the goals was for AMS to venture into the public policy arena and to be a “public advocate for the Montessori education community and the constituents it serves.” 
 
To date, our efforts have centered on providing public policy discussion groups at AMS events, establishing a Public Policy Task Force, and enlisting high profile public policy advocates, such as Senator Christopher J. Dodd (Senior member, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee; Founder, Senate Children’s Caucus), Dr. Pedro Noguera (Professor, Steinhardt School of Education at New York University; Executive Director, Metropolitan Center for Urban Education), Joe McTighe (Executive Director, Council for American Private Education), and Jonathan Kozol (author, Death at an Early Age, The Shame of the Nation) to speak at our conferences. Achievements include representation at the United Nations and at the Council for American Private Education (CAPE), membership in the Children's Defense Fund, and formation of a Public Policy Committee.

AMS and the United Nations

The American Montessori Society is recognized as a non-governmental organization (NGO) by the United Nations. 
 
AMS’s NGO representatives attend UN briefings and report back to AMS in support of the work of the UN, thereby building knowledge of and support for the organization at the grassroots level. 
 
 AMS’s NGO representatives are:

AMS Public Policy Committee

Mission
The Public Policy Committee will actively support AMS and its Strategic Goal to be a growing public policy advocate for the Montessori education community and the constituents it serves by being active in the influence of public policy related to education of children and youth, state educational standards, licensing issues, concerns relating to Montessori philosophy, and policies relating to children and families. 
 
Members
Rebecca D’Neil Duffy, Cochair
Michelle Hammons, Cochair
Judith Bauerlein, Outgoing Chair
Christina Allen
Fred Catlin
Krista Ericson
Michelle Hammons
Tom Jankowski
Valerie McAvey
Karen Westman
 
Ex Officio Members
Catherine Maresca
Anna Perry
Richard A. Ungerer

One of the strategies of the Public Policy Committee, in conjunction with the AMS Board of Directors and staff, is to maintain a dynamic Website with information about current issues in education, and related resources. The presence of this information on the Website does not suggest that the Committee is speaking for the entire AMS community but rather that  the Committee has determined that the information is of interest or importance from a Montessori philosophical perspective, or because it relates to education in general. If you have topics or resources that you would like to bring to the Committee’s attention, please contact either of the chairpersons, above. 

Resources

Pre-K Now meeting minutes
Minutes from the March 2007 “Pre-K Now” meeting held at the Annual AMS Conference in NYC.

Winning Beginning NY
Winning Beginning NY is a statewide coalition working to inform policy-makers and the public in New York about the many benefits of early care and learning to children, families and society. The coalition aims to build a broad-based constituency to make investment in quality early care and education a top public priority in New York State.

Children’s Defense Fund Newsletter
The Children's Defense Fund has an informative, action-centered, monthly newsletter. To subscribe, go to www.ChildrensDefense.org. Through the newsletter, you will be kept abreast of legislation impacting children, particularly those who are from low income families and/or minority groups, or disabled, and ideas about specific actions you may choose to participate in. 
 
Peace Alliance Website
The Peace Alliance website is a resource for information about peace education and conflict resolution. Under the sidebar “Act Now!” you can sign up to register for newsletters for both the national and state levels. Those who are interested in lobbying to establish a U.S. Department of Peace might be interested in some of the related action items outlined on the website.
 
Jonathan Kozol’s Education Action Network
At the AMS 2007 Annual Conference in New York City, Jonathan Kozol, author of The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America, described the situation faced by many students in some of the largest cities in our nation, where segregation, shabby environments, and the lowest funding are current realities. Mr. Kozol invited Montessorians to contact him to learn about strategies for action. He can be reached at EducationActionInfo@gmail.com or c/o Education Action!, 16 Lowell Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (postal mail) or 617.945.5562 (fax).
 
Petition to Dismantle NCLB
The Education Roundtable is circulating a petition to Congress to dismantle the No Child Left Behind Act. For more information, visit www.educatorroundtable.org
 
The Nation
“The Care Crisis,” in the March 12, 2007 issue of The Nation, addresses the issues of the working mother and encourages action. You can read the article at http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070312/rosen. The Nation website http://capwiz.com/thenation/home also has a mechanism for writing to your elected officials.

Related Links

Position and Issue Papers

The most recent issue paper adopted by the AMS Board of Directors was on “Montessori and State Funded Pre-Kindergarten.” The paper was adopted on August 16, 2008.

For a complete listing of AMS Position and Issue Papers, click here.