Montessori is the oldest and most widespread alternative educational system available today. In the United States alone, Montessori is implemented in thousands of schools, including over 600 public ones. Its main claim is that the pedagogy is closely aligned with developmental science and that given the appropriate environment, infants and children develop themselves. Yet studies of the outcomes of this form of education have thus far been scattered, with no intensive qualitative review to inform parents, teachers, administrators, researchers, and school districts of what we know about Montessori's outcomes. The Montessori Difference examines and synthesizes the existing body of research on the outcomes of Montessori education to consider the efficacy of a Montessori education. It introduces the main tenets of Montessori education; reviews academic outcomes in literacy, math, and social-emotional outcomes like executive function and wellbeing; and offers a primer on how to interpret research, including meta-analyses, the pros and cons of different research designs to study school outcomes, and effect sizes. In doing so, it dispels some of the myths of Montessori and considers the challenges and opportunities inherent in the broader implementation of Montessori schooling. Pointing out both weaknesses and strengths in the existing literature, Angeline Stoll Lillard weaves together evidence from the highest quality studies to conclude when and how the research suggests this century-old way of educating makes a difference in the outcomes of children.

"The Montessori Difference is THE definitive book written by the definitive expert on Montessori education. If we want to help kids thrive in an AI world, we must re-imagine education as active playful learning where children are the agents of their own discoveries. Authentic Montessori education rises to this challenge. This superbly written, well documented and evidence-based book is a tome, an inspiration, and a tribute to the insights that Maria Montessori used to help children flourish." - Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Temple University, Brookings Institution

"At a time when many education systems are struggling to deliver on their promise, The Montessori Difference offers a compelling, evidence-informed case for its growing global appeal. This is essential reading for anyone seeking credible alternatives that give all children a better chance to flourish in an uncertain world." - Pasi Sahlberg, Professor in Educational Leadership at the University of Melbourne

"This book is exceedingly well-written and should be easily understandable to educators and the general public. It is also extremely well-researched, and so should be a rich resource for the scientific community and those trying to make educational policy decisions. Importantly, this book is exceedingly balanced; it is the opposite of a polemical piece. The author is fair and measured in her conclusions, and commendably addresses head-on reservations about Maria Montessori (admitting she was not always correct) and about Montessori education (such as, Is the amount of choice that children have in Montessori classrooms really a good thing?) I found this book a joy to read." - Adele Diamond, Canada Research Chair Professor of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of British Columbia

"This book is both an excellent introduction to the various features of a Montessori education and a model of how to synthesize often disparate studies of the efficacy of that approach." - Howard Gardner, Hobbs Research Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education

"More than a hundred years ago, Maria Montessori anticipated many of the core findings in modern cognitive and developmental science. In this comprehensive review, Montessori expert Angeline Lillard explores the expanding research that has attempted to evaluate the impact of this pedagogy. Dispelling common misconceptions, Lillard convincingly demonstrates that the Montessori approach consistently yields positive outcomes on several domains of language development, mathematics, executive functions, and child well-being." - Stanislas Dehaene, Professor at Collège de France, Chair of Experimental Cognitive Psychology