Our Mission, Vision, and Values Goodwater Montessori Public Charter School was created by WilCo Montessori Partners, a group of Montessori educators and parents in Williamson County, Texas. Our Mission To provide an exceptional Montessori education to all children and their families, encouraging a life-long love of learning and active participation in their communities and the world. Our Vision To develop conscientious citizens who approach their world with confidence, creativity, and collaboration. Our Values Diversity, Independence, Joy, Passion, and Respect. Our Goals - To offer the child-centered Montessori methodology, with mixed-age classrooms and a low teacher-to-student ratio. - To employ inviting, manipulative materials, helping teachers to guide children to cultivate concentration, motivation, self-discipline, creativity, and a life-long love of learning. Why Public Montessori? The time is right for Montessori education — for ALL families. Goodwater is part of the growing public Montessori movement. The National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector http://www.public-montessori.org/public-montessori describes its expansion across the United States: A Better Way to Educate After more than a decade of efforts to improve schools by focusing exclusively on a narrow definition of student achievement, Montessori education is capturing the attention of a growing segment of parents, leaders, and educational reformers seeking a better way to educate our nation’s children. Serving Our Most Vulnerable Families Since 1907, when the first school opened as part of an urban renewal project in the tenements of Rome, Montessori has played a role in serving our most vulnerable families. Today, there are more than 22,000 Montessori schools worldwide on six continents and more than 5,000 Montessori programs in the United States. Approximately 500 of these schools operate in the public sector, serving families.