Montessori Research on…classroom walls

Cluttered kindergarten walls, your time is up. The research is in. Thank you, New York Times.

"[W]hen kindergartners were taught in a highly decorated classroom, they were more distracted, their gazes more likely to wander off task, and their test scores lower than when they were taught in a room that was comparatively spartan."

Even better, Ms. Hoffman gives a mention to a certain pedagogy that (again) is ahead of the research...

"Montessori schools have long emphasized a calmer, understated look." 

...and includes a link to AMI/USA's Montessori Guide website.

Where might you use this new tidbit of research at your school?

• Print the article on a single page and drop it into the fall parent orientation folder.
• Add a link to your website's 'Research' tab (WHAT? You don't have one?!)
• Share it with your faculty and explain how to use it. It's okay to coach on communication, right? (YES, IT IS! Personally, I like the diminutive one-liner, "Oh, Mr. Jackson, the research on that is in; cluttered walls result in lower test scores. Moving on....")