The Effects of Montessori on Children and Teenagers

Children who attend Montessori schools at a young age are thought to increase their IQ and test scores into their teenage years and adolescence. But very few talk about the transition between Montessori schools and public schools. One of my favorite articles titled, "Montessori Middle School and the Transition to Highschool: Student Narratives", talks about how the sole focus in middle schools are grades and tests scores, such as the STS. However, this creates a problem for kids transitioning to high school because the focus is not to learn but to rely solely on a letter grade. It states in the article that, "Executive functioning skills are the self-management tools that students need to manage their time, organize and plan their workload, focus their attention, follow directions, and develop mental skills such as working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control" (Lapon 2020). Therefore, Montessori middle schools take out the focus on grades and demonstrate the importance of building self-confidence, building exercises, teamwork, and more before transitioning to a traditional high school which sets them up better to succeed.