Franciscan school a candidate for PNAIS accreditation

PORTLAND, OR (October 20, 2004) - The Franciscan Montessori Earth School in Portland, Oregon was visited recently by a seven-member team of the Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools (PNAIS), to which the school has applied for accreditation.

The team consisted of administrators from various schools throughout the Northwest. They will compile a report of their observations and discussions for the Accreditation Committee of PNAIS, and offer recommendations and commendations to the school. The Franciscan school hopes to hear the final decision of the Accreditation Committee of PNAIS sometime in January. The PNAIS team offered positive feedback for the school citing that the Montessori Method being implemented “was strong and exceptionally executed.”

The school’s administration, staff and parents have been working on the accreditation process for the past four years. Sister Anne Clare Keeler, FSE, Ph.D. (right), coordinated the effort to compile a comprehensive document on various aspects of the school as part of the process.