Montessori Makers Residency · Partner Schools
Where MMR residents become practitioners.
Partner schools host MMR residents during their practicum year and provide the real-classroom conditions that make formation possible.
What a Partner School Is
A mutual relationship, not a favor.
MMR partner schools host residents during the practicum year of the program. The practicum is where formation becomes practice. It cannot happen in a simulation, a model classroom, or a training site that does not behave like a real school.
The relationship is peer-level. The school receives a committed, formation-year practitioner who has been trained in authentic Montessori pedagogy and equity-centered practice, and who arrives ready to do real work in your classroom under qualified supervision. MMR receives a site where its residents can develop in genuine Montessori conditions, with a mentor who knows what good practice looks like.
We design every part of the partnership to honor the school’s time, the mentor’s expertise, and the children’s right to a coherent learning environment. The expectations are clear before anyone signs anything.
Site Eligibility
Six criteria. All grounded in classroom practice.
We review every potential site against these. They exist to protect the resident’s formation and the children’s experience — not as gatekeeping.
01
Mixed-age groupings
Classroom composition follows Montessori practice — three-year age spans within each plane of development, with the social dynamics those groupings make possible.
02
Uninterrupted morning work cycle
At least two-and-a-half hours of protected work time each morning, free of pull-outs, interruptions, and scheduling fragmentation.
03
Substantially complete materials
A working set of Montessori materials across the curriculum areas, presented on accessible open shelving where children can choose freely and return their work independently.
04
Credentialed lead guide
A lead guide who holds a MACTE-accredited credential at the level being hosted, with at least three years of post-credential classroom experience.
05
Observable Montessori practice
Authentic Montessori pedagogy visible in the daily life of the classroom — observation-led teaching, freedom within limits, grace and courtesy, and respect for the child as the active agent of their own development.
06
Dignity as the baseline
A school culture that treats every child and every family with dignity regardless of race, language, ability, family structure, immigration status, religion, or income.
Non-Standard Pathway
Schools that meet all criteria except the credentialed lead guide requirement may still be eligible through MMR’s non-standard placement pathway. This pathway designates a School Liaison and adjusts the supervision structure accordingly. If your school serves a community where credentialed Montessori guides have historically been hard to recruit or retain, please reach out before assuming this is not for you.
What Partner Schools Agree To
The actual commitments, in plain language.
Everything below appears in the Partner School Agreement, written without legalese. No surprises later.
Designate a Site Mentor
The school designates a lead guide to serve as Site Mentor for the resident, selected collaboratively with MMR. The Site Mentor is the resident’s on-site supervisor across the practicum year.
Site Mentor commitments
Four formal in-person observations across the year, daily informal support and feedback in the prepared environment, and monthly check-ins with the resident’s MMR Cohort Guide.
Stipend paid directly by MMR
MMR pays the Site Mentor stipend directly to the mentor. It does not flow through school payroll and creates no financial obligation for the school.
Protect the resident’s classroom time
The resident is in the classroom to develop their practice under supervision. They are not assigned as a substitute teacher, used to cover a staffing gap, or pulled to fill an aide role outside the practicum scope.
Continuity if the Site Mentor leaves
If the Site Mentor departs mid-year, the school and MMR identify a qualified replacement together. The resident’s formation does not pause while that happens.
Family consent for recordings
The school obtains family consent for any classroom recordings used in virtual supervision, and notifies MMR if consent cannot be secured so we can adjust the supervision plan.
Who This Is For
Public, charter, independent, and embedded Montessori programs.
MMR partner schools include public Montessori programs, charter Montessori schools, independent schools, and schools running Montessori classrooms within a larger institution. Equity-centered schools and schools serving communities historically underserved by traditional Montessori training pipelines are strongly encouraged to reach out — even if you are uncertain whether your site meets every criterion. We would rather have the conversation than have you self-select out.
How to Apply
A short conversation, then a written agreement.
- 01
A school director sends an inquiry to MMR.
- 02
MMR reviews your site against the eligibility criteria and follows up with questions.
- 03
If your site is a fit, both parties sign the Partner School Agreement before any placement is confirmed.
Inquiries are read by Hannah Richardson directly. Expect a real response, not a form auto-reply.