Maria Montessori did not fully develop and implement her educational approach for twelve to eighteen year olds, so existing programs are necessarily extensions and interpretations of her work. Nonetheless, AMS offers teacher training at this level, and AMI has implemented the AMI Orientation to Adolescent Studies, a project of the North American Montessori Teacher’s Association (NAMTA) as the current pedagogical offering.
The primary source for Montessori adolescent education is her essay Erdkinder, published as an Appendices A and B to From Childhood to Adolescence. In the essay, Montessori argued for “a school of experience in the elements of social life,” continuing:
The essential reform of our plan … may be defined as follows: during the difficult time of adolescence it is helpful to leave the accustomed environment of the family in the town and go to quiet surroundings in the country, close to nature.
Full boarding entails a number of logistical and financial challenges, and currently only the Hershey Montessori School in Ohio (in the U.S.) has fully implemented a residential program. A number of other programs exist, with varying levels of land-based education. Many schools serve only 7th and 8th grade students, while some extend to 9th grade. A handful of high schools exist as well.
