The Montessori approach to human development, grounded in scientific observation of children, takes as its starting point the observation that children are driven from within to learn and grow. First developed in Italy in 1907, Montessori education is now used in over 15,000 schools in 154 countries around the world; roughly 9% of these are government funded. Recent research shows the power of Montessori to elevate outcomes for children from under-resourced communities. Montessori is rare in Head Start-funded programs, but is in use in Head Start in at least 5 states. (author abstract)