At the start of this school year, Leah and Kirsti, Teacher Leaders at Spicebush Montessori, a teacher-led Wildflower school in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, were facing a decision no educator wants to make. Tommy, a neurodivergent four-year-old, was pushing, scratching, biting, hitting, and throwing things at students and teachers every single day. Staff took turns helping him regulate, one exhausted teacher handing off to the other, all day long. An expulsion conversation was on

As we step into 2026, we’re returning to a core question: what becomes possible when teachers are trusted to lead—and children are known deeply?

A new national study offers strong evidence that public Montessori preschool supports lasting gains for children—while costing less to deliver than traditional programs.