Public Montessori Preschool's Impact on Achievement Gaps in Kindergarten

An achievement gap has consistently been found among racially and ethnically minoritized youth, whereby as early as age three, children from these groups score lower on academic and nonacademic outcomes compared to White children, regardless of socioeconomic status. Preschool enrollment has been an effective intervention to reduce these gaps, but systemic inequities persist. Montessori education is a culturally responsive model growing in the U.S. public sector that serves economically and racially diverse students. While Montessori generally has been shown to produce better academic and nonacademic outcomes across grade levels, how well Montessori closes gaps between White and minoritized students in preschool is understudied. Using data from a nationwide randomized controlled trial of U.S. public Montessori, this study examines the impact of enrollment in a Montessori preschool on early academic, executive function, and social outcomes in kindergarten, disaggregated by racial and ethnic groups. Using complier average causal effects models, we find that an initial Black-White achievement gap at age three was reduced, with no statistically significant differences in outcomes for students identified as White, Black, and Hispanic in either the Montessori or control groups. White students enrolled in Montessori scored significantly higher on three of five outcomes as compared to their peers in “business-as-usual” control schools. Though inconclusive, patterns of negative coefficients for Black and Hispanic suggest gaps may persist, particularly in the control group. The small sample size and large percentage of missing data are limitations. Further investigation of how effectively public Montessori serves minoritized students is warranted.