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COVINGTON - District administrators and board of education members for Covington Independent Public Schools want to know what community members think of starting a Montessori school here.
The idea will be discussed at a meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Ninth District Elementary School cafeteria at 28th and Indiana streets.
Gina Lofquist, director of the Montessori Teacher Education Program and Lab School at Xavier University, will be there to explain the Montessori method.
Board member Jim Vogt asked that the idea be explored.
“I think it’s good for us to look at educational options that might work for some students and not for others,” Vogt said. “I think the more we get away from this one-size-fits-all mentality, the better we’ll be.”
The Montessori method was developed by Maria Montessori in the early 1900s. The philosophy is that teachers act more as observers of children who work independently using a hands-on approach.
For example, at Prince of Peace Montessori School in Covington, students are given their assignments at the beginning of the week with a goal of completing a certain amount of work each day at their own pace. They use beads to do math and flash cards for spelling and geography. They can work where they’re most comfortable - at tables or on the floor.
There are a few Montessori preschool and kindergarten programs in Northern Kentucky. Cornerstone Montessori in Highland Heights offers the method for preschool through sixth grade. Prince of Peace offers it for grades 1-8.
Lynda Jackson, executive director of learning support for Covington schools, has visited Sands Montessori Elementary in Cincinnati Public Schools and John F. Kennedy Montessori Elementary in Louisville.
She concluded from her observations that strong parental involvement would be necessary for any child in a Montessori program. She said criteria would also have to be developed to determine for which children this approach would work. Those who need more structure would likely struggle. Those who are more self-sufficient could flourish in this type of environment.

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