James Christensen of Gateway Bank has been named 2013 board chairman of the Mesa Chamber of Commerce.

Lizett Segura’s son was enrolled in kindergarten at a neighboring district when she walked into Mesa’s Keller Elementary School looking for employment about five years ago.

The Gilbert Chamber of Commerce will celebrate the impact women have had on the local business community over the last year when it hosts its annual Business Woman of the Year awards luncheon Wednesday afternoon.

One of the most noted charter schools in the country hopes to open its first Mesa campus later this year.

It’s lunchtime for the older 2-year-olds at Mesa’s Montessori International School. Three young children eat at a table about a foot tall, while their classmates settle down on their mats for naptime. A girl in pigtails spears a blueberry with her fork. A young boy peels a banana.

Siobhan Silks

The Montessori High School Exploratory Committee will give a report to the Tempe Union High School District Governing Board 6 p.m. Nov. 14 at the district office, 500 W. Guadalupe Road, Tempe.

Arizona has often been viewed as the state with the most options for school choice.

Thousands of Ahwatukee Foothills students started a new chapter Monday as bells rang and doors opened for the first day of the 2012-13 school year.

Parents will find few states that offer families as many schooling options as Arizona does. A longtime leader in the national school choice movement, Arizona has an education marketplace with a school for just about any income, interest or situation. And nowhere in the state do options abound like they do in the East Valley.

Parents will find few states that offer families as many schooling options as Arizona does. A longtime leader in the national school choice movement, Arizona has an education marketplace with a school for just about any income, interest or situation. And nowhere in the state do options abound like they do in the East Valley.

Amy Bartko knows that moms everywhere should know what options are out there for their children when looking for preschools, day cares or summer camps.

Amy Bartko knows that moms everywhere should know what options are out there for their children when looking for preschools, day cares or summer camps.

Earlier this month, I did something I've said I was going to do for a long time: I took a tour of a charter school as a PARENT, not as a reporter.

In a recent edition of the East Valley Tribune, there were two important stories about the future of public education in Tempe.

In about six months, the class of 2025 starts to enter the doors of kindergarten.

Registration for Mesa Unified School District Montessori programs begins Jan. 30. Valley families can apply to enroll in one of the district's free Montessori classes. Parents can choose from "highly performing" and "excelling" campuses with certified Montessori teachers, the traditional philosophy and hands-on materials.

Tempe Union High School District will move forward to explore creating a Montessori high school.

"Allahu Akbar. God is great."

"Allahu Akbar. God is great."

Montessori classrooms provide a popular, hands-on, student-driven approach to education. Several East Valley schools offer the option for young children.

Tempe Union High School District administrators continue to explore the possibility of bringing a Montessori high school to the district. If their plans are eventually realized down the road, it would be the first such high school in Arizona.

The Mesa Unified School District offers kindergarten-through sixth-grade Montessori programs, free of charge. Children living within district boundaries and beyond are welcome. The programs are held at Bush, Johnson and Pomeroy elementary schools. A video about the program can be found at www.edtv99.org/video/7880 or see mpsaz.org for more information. There are still openings for this school year.