Date of Award

Fall 12-12-2013

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Executive Ed.D. in Education Leadership Management and Policy

Department

Education Leadership, Management and Policy

Advisor

Christopher Tienken, Ed.D.

Committee Member

Barbara Strobert, Ed.D.

Committee Member

Vincent Culotta, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Marta P. Flaum, Ph.D.

Committee Member

James Caldwell, Ed.D.

Keywords

Reading, Special Education, Montessori, Educational Leadership, Curriculum and Instruction, Learning Disabilities

Abstract


Abstract

This study examines the influence of Montessori-based literacy curriculum and instruction on student achievement in Grades 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. I studied 71 matched pairs of urban charter school students (n=142) to determine if there was a statistically significant difference in reading achievement, as measured by the Maryland School Assessment (MSA), between students who were instructed by their teachers in Montessori literacy methods and curriculum and students from a nearby charter school who were instructed by their teachers using a basal reading method. T-tests were used to compare the mean scores of the combined grade levels from each cohort on the 2011-2012 Maryland School Assessment (Reading section). The results of this study suggest that there was no significant difference in reading achievement between the two groups of students. There is very limited empirical research available examining reading achievement in Montessori public charter schools. Further research is recommended with similar groups of students from public Montessori school settings, or in this same setting with a different comparison group or a different evaluation tool.

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