1. Montessori Research Initiative
Webinar
August 16, 2017
Elizabeth Pungello Bruno, Barbara Crockett, Iheoma Iruka

2. Outline BEF Why a Montessori Research Initiative
Primary and secondary aims
Submission process and time-line
LOI
Review criteria and funding policies
Q&A
Liz

3. Brady Education Foundation
Founded in 1954 / Shift in focus to education in 2009
Mission:
To help close the opportunity and resulting achievement gap between children living in under-represented and/or under-resourced communities and other children
Primary activity:
Support evaluation research that has the potential to inform public and private funding decisions
Focus on evaluation of programs that are consistent with a strength-based approach and show promise of being effective, feasible and sustainable
Liz

4. Brady Education Foundation
Montessori Research Initiative
Goal:
Create a network of researchers (4 to 5 research sites and one coordinating site) focused on investigating the impact of high-fidelity Montessori education in public schools from age 3 through 3rd grade
Initial investment:
$3 million over 5 years
Liz

5. Why a Montessori Research Initiative
Historical context:
Montessori approach has existed for over 100 years, initially developed by Maria Montessori working with children from low-income homes
In US, has been popular among well-resourced families for decades, while its availability to children in under-resourced communities has been limited
Barbara

6. Why a Montessori Research Initiative
Increasing numbers of public schools (e.g., magnet schools) and charter schools have adopted this approach (
Important characteristics of Montessori practice
Teaching credentials from a Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE) accredited teacher education program
Full array of Montessori learning materials
3-year mixed age groups balanced by age and gender (e.g., 3-6 and 6-9 years)
Extended uninterrupted work cycle(s) (e.g., 3 hours) five days a week
Adherence to Montessori philosophy and instructional approach
Barbara

7. Why a Montessori Research Initiative
Recent evidence concerning high-fidelity Montessori suggests:
May be particularly effective for achievement and executive function outcomes (e.g., Lillard, 2017)
May also moderate the effects of family income on these outcomes (i.e., create equitable educational opportunities for children) (e.g., Lillard, 2017)
However, rigorous research is limited; only very few studies of high quality
Barbara

8. Primary and Secondary Aims
Primary aims:
Conduct a rigorous evaluation of the impact of high-fidelity Montessori education (executive functioning, achievement, mastery orientation, school engagement)
Investigate whether high-fidelity Montessori education moderates the associations typically found between family income (and other factors such as low parental education and occupation) and achievement outcomes
Barbara

9. Primary and Secondary Aims
Mediators: Investigations concerning factors that may account for the effectiveness of the Montessori approach
Access: Questions that inform access to high quality Montessori educational opportunities for families in low-resourced and/or under-represented communities
Barbara

10. Submission Process and Time-Line
3-stage process:
Letter of intent (LOI)
Stage 1 full proposal
Stage 2 proposal
Barbara

11. Submission Process and Time-Line
8/16/17: Webinar (participation optional); 1:00pm Eastern time 9/6/17: Letter of Intent (LOI) due 10/11/17: Notification of invitation to submit full Stage 1 proposals (week later than stated in RFP) 12/15/17: Stage 1 full proposals due 2/8/18: Notification of invitation to submit Stage 2 proposals 2/15/18: Webinar; 1:00pm Eastern time 4/1/18: Stage 2 proposals due 6/1/18: Notification of funding decisions 7/1/18: Earliest funding starting date
Barbara

12. LOI 5 pages maximum: Identify application type
Brief proposal concerning (as applicable):
Primary aim research methods
Secondary aim(s) goals and methods
Coordinating site proposal
Key Personnel and Affiliations
Timeline
Initial budget estimate
Iheoma

13. LOI
Application type: 3 types of activities will be supported via this initiative (can propose to address only 1, any combination of 2, or all 3)
Research that focuses on the primary goals of this initiative (i.e., effectiveness of Montessori education and whether Montessori education moderates the associations between family income and student outcomes)
Research that investigates a secondary aim that might help to inform the effectiveness of and/or access to high quality Montessori educational opportunities for families in low-resources and/or under-represented communities
To be the coordinating site for the initiative
Iheoma

14. LOI Proposed research methods for primary aims (if applicable):
design: preference is for randomized control trials (e.g., admission via school lotteries), but will consider quasi-experimental that address potential confounds due to selection bias
partnering Montessori schools (may be traditional public schools, charter schools, or magnet schools): total number; names and locations of each
expected sample sizes: number of students in the Montessori and “business-as-usual” groups
expected demographics of the students: ages (grades), ethnicity, family income
constructs to be assessed (e.g., fidelity, quality, outcomes, covariates) (do not need to propose specific measures for LOI, but can be included if already known)
Iheoma

15. LOI Proposed secondary aims (if applicable):
brief rationale (with citations as appropriate) for each secondary aim proposed
proposed research design
partnering Montessori schools (may be traditional public schools, charter schools, or magnet schools): total number; names and locations of each
expected total sample size, and sub-groups sizes if applicable
expected demographics of the students: ages (grades), ethnicity, family income
constructs to be assessed (do not need to propose specific measures for LOI, but can be included if already known)
Iheoma

16. LOI Coordinating site proposal (if applicable): Note:
briefly describe evidence supporting the research team’s ability to effectively serve as the coordinating site for the initiative
Note:
one goal of this initiative is to create a master data set that can be shared among the members of the research network
Iheoma

17. LOI Key Personnel and Affiliations
Provide a complete listing of all the key personnel, indicating roles (e.g., PI), and affiliations
Briefly describe in what ways the team is specifically qualified to investigate these aims (primary aims, secondary aims, and/or coordinating site)
BEF is among a growing community of foundations that track the diversity of its grantees; please provide racial/ethnic background information for key personnel
Iheoma

18. LOI Time-line: Time-line with major benchmarks Maximum is 5 years
Primary aim time-line
Year 1: Setting up (e.g., IRB, training data collectors, piloting)
Years 2-4: Data collection
Year 5: Dissemination
5th year of initiative will be for coordinated dissemination
Iheoma

19. LOI Initial budget estimate Estimate for the total budget for proposal
If proposing a multi-year project, estimate for the cost for each year
Note:
BEF caps indirect costs at 10%
BEF follows the National Institutes of Health guidelines for salary caps
Iheoma

20. Review Criteria Primary aims: design and methodology
Secondary aims: rationale and methodology
Research team
Liz

21. Review Criteria Primary aims: design and methodology Rigorous designs
BEF favors randomized control trials, but will consider quasi-experimental with strong methods designed to address potential confounds due to selection bias
Sufficient power for analyses
Main effects and moderation questions
Liz

22. Review Criteria Secondary aims: Strong rationale
Strong research design and methodology
Liz

23. Review Criteria Research team Expertise concerning: BEF favors:
Research methods (primary aims, secondary aims, to be coordinating site; as applicable)
The Montessori approach
The populations represented in the study participants
BEF favors:
Projects that represent strong collaborative relationships between researchers and practitioners / partnering schools (and other community stakeholders as appropriate)
The community/population being studied is represented in the project’s leadership team
Liz

24. BEF Funding Policies
Funding must be through the Principal Investigator's home institution
Grants are awarded to non-profit organizations only (researchers at for-profit companies may collaborate with a non-profit organization and be included in the proposal as sub- contract or consultant)
BEF caps indirect costs for both primary institutions and subcontracts at 10% of the direct costs of the project (primary institution may not charge additional indirect on subcontract funds)
BEF follows National Institutes of Health guidelines for salary caps
Liz

25. Questions?
FAQs will be posted on the website
Liz, Barbara, Iheoma

26. Contact Information
Elizabeth Pungello Bruno:
Barbara Crockett:
Iheoma Iruka:
Liz, Barbara, Iheoma