College of St. Catherine

Montessori Life, Winter 2004 by Dorer, Michael

Founded in 1905 as a women's college by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, the College of St. Catherine is the largest Catholic college for women in the country. Through a diversity of programs, the college offers the opportunity to complete baccalaureate, associate, and master's degrees in a variety of programs. With beautiful campuses in St. Paul and Minneapolis, the college has a total enrollment of 4,704.

In 1984, the College of St. Catherine made a historic decision to add a Montessori component to its palette of offerings in education. The Twin Cities Montessori Center, founded by Mary Bernard Pabst, had been an AMS affiliate since 1972. Its growth and the need for collegiate credentials led to its joining the College of St. Catherine at that time.

Today, the Montessori program at the College of Saint Catherine has been renamed The Center for Contemporary Montessori Programs (CCMP). Located at 1919 University Ave. in St. Paul, MN, the coeducational Center is a CSC education program and an integral part of the college. Under the direction of Michael Dorer, the Center offers AMS credentials in early childhood and elementary Montessori. The program is accredited by both the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE) and the Higher Learning Commission of North Central.

The early childhood course of study is available to both men and women as a graduate/undergraduate program of 21 credits. At the graduate level, the early childhood program leads to a master's degree in Education (MAED). Graduate students may also earn Minnesota state teaching licensure in early childhood.

The elementary program at CCMP is unique. It is a 31-credit, 2-year program for the complete elementary, also available to both women and men. CCMP does not offer a separate Elementary I (for ages 6-9) credential program, although people who already possess an Elementary I credential may complete the Elementary II component at CCMP. The practicum is done in the second year of the elementary program. As with the early childhood, elementary students may complete an MAED degree. They also may earn Minnesota state teaching licensure in elementary-with-preprimary or elementary-with-middle-school.

An exciting part of the CCMP master's program is its research component. Emphasizing collaborative action research, the required work does not include a traditional thesis. Instead, it focuses on real world issues in the actual practicum site and generates a research based action plan for addressing the issue or issues. Students do research side by side with other students in educational fields other than Montessori.

Most of the faculty members who participate in the CCMP are also teaching in public and private Montessori programs. Students have contact with professionals in the field who can offer current perspectives and suggestions for the challenges of implementation of Montessori education in the 21st century. The CCMP faculty members are also highly qualified professionals, all of whom have at least a master's degree in addition to their Montessori credentials. Their Montessori credentials are from AMS, AMI, and NCME.

In addition to the programs on the home campus, CCMP also offers its early childhood and elementary teacher education and school transformation programs off campus, at school sites. Usually working with public schools, CCMP educates the prospective Montessorians, helps with ordering materials and furniture, works with specialists, offers parent workshops and assists administrators. In order to present authentic Montessori programs, CCMP insists that the public school programs it services offer a full range Montessori early childhood class or classes.

CCMP's off-campus programs are fully accredited and authorized by the Higher Learning Commission to offer graduate credits and degrees entirely at the host school or site. Woodberry Hills Montessori School in Danville, VA, and Northglade Elementary School in Kalamazoo, MI, are serving as present sites of CCMP's off-campus teacher education. Previous off-campus sites were in the school districts of Portsmouth, VA; San Jose, CA; Kansas City, MO; and Springfield, MA. The College of Saint Catherine MAED was offered as a part of the Montessori programs at all of these sites.

Although the Center's programs both on and off campus are essential parts of the College of St. Catherine, there is a degree of independence, as well. Because of the uniqueness of Montessori education and its special requirements, the College has provided spacious practice and model classroom facilities beyond what many other programs require. As CCMP director, I work closely with the College's dean for Education to assure continued program quality as well as achievement of College goals. As a result, the Montessori program at CCMP maintains the highest of AMS standards while having a distinct St. Catherine's stamp.

To contact CCMP, please write :

Center for Contemporary

Montessori Programs

College of St. Catherine