Center for Montessori Research director is lead editor on first-of-its-kind Montessori education publication

LAWRENCE — Angela Murray, director of University of Kansas Achievement & Assessment Institute’s Center for Montessori Research (CMR), is an anthology editor of the upcoming Bloomsbury Handbook of Montessori Education, a comprehensive guide to Montessori education that serves as an authoritative and accessible resource tracing Montessori education from its historical roots to contemporary scholarship and issues.

Set to be published April 6, the handbook will be one of the largest published by Bloomsbury with 64 chapters by almost 100 scholars and practitioners from over 20 different countries. Murray began developing the handbook in 2019 with co-editors Eva-Maria Tebano Ahlquist from Stockholm University, Maria McKenna from the University of Notre Dame and Mira Debs from Yale University.

The handbook encompasses a broad range of topics related to Maria Montessori and Montessori education, including foundations and evolution of the field, global reach, key writings, pedagogy across the lifespan, scholarly research and contemporary considerations such as gender, inclusive education, race and multilingualism.

“This is a first-of-its-kind publication. There's not anything out there on Montessori education quite like this,” Murray said. “This is a unique contribution to the field in how comprehensive it is.”

Montessori education has been around for over a century but has largely remained separate from mainstream education scholarship. This handbook, consistent with CMR’s mission, helps bridge the gap and provides a solid foundation for future rigorous research.

Although Montessori practitioners are expected to be among the key readership, Murray said she hoped that the handbook could also serve as a starting point for anyone interested in learning about Montessori education.

“This book takes what's historically been information that’s spread out across many different sources, and it puts it all in one place,” Murray said. “It serves as a valuable reference and makes Montessori education more accessible.”

Yong Zhao, Foundation Distinguished Professor in the KU School of Education & Human Sciences, wrote in the book’s foreword, “This book is thus much more than a promotion of Montessori education. It is a reconnection with education’s past with the future of educational transformation.”

The scholarly perspective of the handbook also is intended to offer a more balanced and nuanced approach to Montessori education than is found in other popular Montessori texts. Zhao commended the contributors, writing, “While they faithfully present Montessori education, they are critical examiners.”

For more information, please contact Angela Murray at akmurray@ku.edu.