We, the undersigned parents, educators, alumni, and community members of Decatur, Illinois urge Decatur Public Schools District 61 Board of Education to keep Montessori Academy for Peace a Preschool through 8th grade magnet program for the many reasons listed herein. 

For years, the potential for a Montessori magnet option has been helping retain students within our district. Through the scientifically proven Montessori method, a love for learning is fostered that establishes independent, self-motivated, emotionally resilient, critically thinking children. Leadership of both previous and current administrators alongside the hard work of dozens specially trained educators has built a cornerstone institution within Decatur Public Schools. 

The decision to reduce Montessori to a 1st through 5th grade school will cause disruption to children, waste the district's investment in specialized training for preschool as well as middle school, and will further contribute to a decline in enrollment for the district. 

We hereby petition the Decatur Public Schools District 61 Board of Education to 
1.) immediately halt any plans to eliminate preschool, kindergarten, and middle school from Montessori Academy for Peace. 
2.) remove this from the potential configurations among plans for ROADMAP 2030 before it can cause any further damage to our district.
3.) recognize both the investment and value of our preschool through kindergarten as well as middle school Montessori Academy for Peace Faculty and Staff.
4.) consider financial, educational, as well as social ramifications of splitting up the deaf and hard-of-hearing student population currently served in a single building.

Montessori education begins in preschool, where students develop foundational skills, habits, and dispositions supportive of lifelong learning. The practical life activities that are central to the early childhood environment serve a purpose far beyond learning everyday tasks; they foster confidence, independence, responsibility, concentration, and self-discipline. These skills are particularly important for students who benefit from consistent routines, explicit instruction in work habits, and opportunities to experience success through independent effort. In the Montessori model, these foundational competencies are intentionally developed during the earliest years of schooling and reinforced as students progress through elementary and secondary education. Eliminating preschool would disrupt this developmental continuum and remove a critical opportunity to establish the habits that support future academic achievement.

Furthermore, Montessori education is intentionally cumulative; materials and concepts are designed to build upon prior learning across developmental stages. Materials introduced in preschool are not isolated activities; they establish concrete understandings that students revisit and extend throughout their academic careers. For example, the binomial and trinomial cubes, commonly introduced in early childhood classrooms, provide a tangible, hands-on foundation for understanding algebraic relationships and polynomial expressions in later grades. By manipulating concrete materials before encountering abstract mathematical concepts, students develop a deeper conceptual understanding that supports increasingly complex learning. This progression from concrete experience to abstract reasoning is a defining strength of the Montessori method.

Retaining preschool as well as middle school is therefore essential to preserving the integrity, continuity, and long-term effectiveness of District 61's Montessori program. The early childhood years are not merely preparation for the Montessori experience; they are an integral part of it, establishing the academic foundations, executive functioning skills, independence, and confidence upon which subsequent learning depends. Removing this foundational stage risks fragmenting the carefully sequenced Montessori curriculum and diminishing students’ opportunities to develop the skills necessary for success in later grades. Maintaining the current structure is an investment not only in our youngest learners, but also in the strength and sustainability of the entire Montessori program.

The investment already made in middle school teachers trained in Montessori remains essential to the long-term impact of the program. Further, middle school students being in the same building as their younger siblings and peers is an additional benefit. Maintaining a preschool through 8th grade Montessori program provides students with a developmentally rich, interconnected learning environment that supports not only academic growth but also social-emotional development, leadership, and positive behavior. 

Research on mixed-age classrooms suggests that learning environments that bring together children of different ages can promote prosocial behaviors and reduce aggression. McClellan and Kinsey (1999), in a study of 649 elementary students across 29 classrooms, found that children in mixed-age classrooms demonstrated more prosocial behavior and less aggressive behavior than their peers in same-age classrooms. These findings support the value of preserving a school structure in which students have opportunities to develop positive relationships across age groups, rather than separating learners into increasingly isolated grade-level communities. For Montessori students, whose educational experience emphasizes independence, responsibility, and community, these relationships can reinforce the values and habits developed throughout their years at the school.

Cross-age relationships also provide older students with meaningful opportunities to practice leadership, empathy, patience, and responsibility. Coyne-Foresi and Nowicki (2021), in their research on seventh- and eighth-grade students mentoring younger peers, identified benefits related to relationship-building, communication, and connections within the school community. Although this study does not establish that the mere presence of younger children reduces behavioral problems, it highlights the developmental value of intentional relationships between older and younger students. 

Similarly, Blyth, Hill, and Smyth (1981) examined how grade-level arrangements influenced adolescents’ school experiences, demonstrating the importance of considering school structure when evaluating students’ social and developmental needs. Retaining preschool through eighth grade within one Montessori community preserves the opportunity for meaningful cross-age interaction and continuity of educational culture. Rather than viewing early childhood education as a separate or expendable program, the board should recognize the potential contribution to a cohesive learning community in which younger children benefit from older role models and older students continue developing the interpersonal and leadership skills that are essential to their growth.

REFERENCES
Blyth, D. A., Hill, J. P., & Smyth, C. K. (1981). The influence of older adolescents on younger adolescents: Do grade-level arrangements make a difference in behaviors, attitudes, and experiences? Journal of Early Adolescence. https://doi.org/10.1177/027243168100100109

Coyne-Foresi, M., & Nowicki, E. A. (2021). Building connections and relationships at school: Youth reflect on mentoring their younger peers. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431620912472

McClellan, D. E., & Kinsey, S. (1999). Children’s social behavior in relation to participation in mixed-age or same-age classrooms. Early Childhood Research & Practice, 1(1). https://ecrp.illinois.edu/v1n1/mcclellan.html

By signing below, we remain united in our commitment to preserving both preschool and middle school at Montessori Academy for Peace in Decatur, Illinois.