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Montessori educators talk extensively about the “prepared environment.” This is Montessori’s word for the classroom: the physical space, but also the intangible elements- the culture, the routines, the schedule, the norms. But it is also so much more.

Mastery-based learning is a teaching and assessment method that is based on students’ ability to show their knowledge and skills. In a traditional educational model, students move from unit to unit, grade to grade, based mostly on having spent the right amount of time in the classroom. At ATI, we believe that assessment is and should be primarily for the purpose of helping students learn.

An inspired understanding of history—not exclusively as a list of facts and dates to memorize, but as a living tapestry that is relevant, practical, and tangible all around us—is the foundation of an engagement with the messy, interdependent, and otherwise unfathomable network that is humanity.

Here at ATI, we love reading, and we love readers, and most of all, we love sharing that love of reading with new students!

In early childhood Montessori education, we talk a lot about the value of work. Beginning almost at birth, there’s an emphasis on supporting and enabling a child to do the work of self-creation. So what changes in adolescence?

We sat down with Savannah F., a 15-year-old freshman at the Academy of Thought and Industry (ATI). She tells us in her own words why she loves ATI Virtual School.

When the pandemic pushed Iris and Sarah Beerman into a virtual school program, they assumed it’d be a temporary solution. But they loved it so much, they decided to stay.

During a recent visit to ATI San Francisco, we spent time painting and learning with students in the school's own makers' space

The San Francisco teen on rekindling his confidence and an appreciation for photography at ATI: "Coming here, I was able to regain that intellectual confidence and be more confident in my thoughts and critical thinking skills.”

Coming to understand personally-meaningful answers to core questions of identity can take years of seeking, honest conversations, and understanding relevant facts about the world in which we live.

"The Academy of Thought and Industry supports fundamental skills as well as a fundamental approach to knowledge, critical thinking, and creativity."

ATI parents are inspired by the student-led discussions, respect for the students and compassionate educators

Student Ty Childs is encouraged and motivated by ATI's intimate discussions around Socratic learning

How the Austin Guide found her ideal learning community and camaraderie among staff and students at ATI

In his first year at ATI, Alex Gilman invests in his students with empathy and trust. "I get to watch these students grow and transform and be excited about something, and that feels really important to me.”

"What makes ATI special is that we treat teens like human beings, with respect and responsibility."

In collaboration with writer and artist Chloe Valdary, the five-course series explores the complexity of the human condition through pop culture, psychology, and ancient philosophy