Reading that article reminds me of the Montessori system, which did get developed using scientific methodology. They seem to differ in a few aspects: Montessor

Reading that article reminds me of the Montessori system, which did get developed using scientific methodology. They seem to differ in a few aspects: Montessori is an early education system, and it does aim to develop specific skills (fine/motor and sensorial skills, and eventually reading and writing). But the two seem similar in that they empower the children to choose their own activities. Rather than dictating specific activities following a schedule, Montessori structures learning by providing a large variety of "materials" (basically mini-puzzles that challenge a specific sensorial/motor skill with increasing levels of difficulty), and letting children choose their own activities. The teacher takes a passive observer role, merely demonstrating how activities are done (e.g. sorting sticks in order of length) The rationale is that children are naturally curious and can frequently get into the "flow" with a puzzle. Wikipedia has this to say about studies: "A 2005 study and associated review concluded that Montessori education results in comparable (but not higher) academic achievement to traditional approaches. The review also concluded that studies have found no detectable differences in personality as a result of attending Montessori schools.[25] The study of the public high school in the Milwaukee Public Schools found that Montessori students, aged 3–11, outperformed control groups on maths and science,[26] and that Montessori had some of the largest positive effects on achievement of all programs evaluated.[27] Another study that compared the academic achievement of 543 urban 4th- (n=291) and 8th- (n=252) grade students who attended Montessori or traditional education programs failed to support the hypothesis that enrollment in a Montessori school was associated with higher academic achievement.[28]" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montessori_education#Studies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montessori_education#Studies I'd be curious to see more studies w/ montessori+sudbury education compared to traditional (especially considering many "montessori" schools nowadays have mixed methodologies that differ from the original methodology developed by Maria Montessori)