Core Philosophy

The Montessori Multiplier

Written by Ray Girn on June 22, 2020

Imagine you could multiply by 10 or 100 or 1000 a habit of noticing the details that are most salient in your immediate environment or in the media you consume. Imagine you could multiply by 10 or 100 or 1000 the extent to which you’re naturally attuned to the sights and sounds and ideas that are most impactful on your life and learning.

Such a multiplier exists. It is called a Montessori school.

The Montessori Multiplier
The Montessori Multiplier, by Ray Girn

Ray Girn

Ray Girn received a BSc with honors from the University of Toronto, with a focus on philosophy and neuropsychology, as well an Association Montessori Internationale teaching diploma from the Montessori Institute of San Diego.

Prior to founding Higher Ground, Girn had a 13-year career with LePort Schools. Working at LePort’s K-8 lab school, he helped lead a team of educators in architecting LePort’s upper school curriculum and program. In 2010, he took over as CEO, expanded the team, and implemented an ambitious growth strategy. In five years, Girn and his team took the company from a small, local family business of three schools to the largest Montessori operator in the United States.

In March 2016, Girn founded Higher Ground Education with the vision of greatly accelerating the growth of Montessori education globally. Higher Ground aims to create a comprehensive international platform to deliver high-quality, high-fidelity Montessori programming everywhere, as well as to conduct the research and development necessary to extend Montessori principles to new, innovative models of secondary education.