Martha M. Urioste

Martha Urioste (2 October 1937 – 8 December 2022) was a 20th-century American educator. Known as "La Madrina de Montessori," Urioste founded the first Montessori education in the Denver Public School system. She was a strong advocate for bilingual education, and taught Spanish to students in the classroom and on local television.

Biography Urioste was born on October 2, 1937, in Raton, New Mexico,

She graduated from Loretto Heights College in 1957, and Texas Tech University in 1958. She earned her doctorate in Counseling and Multicultural Education from University of Colorado Boulder.

She worked at Gilpin Elementary school as a first grade teacher. She put in a request to be a principal, and her first assignment was to a school in Northeast Denver, Mitchell Elementary. Writing in Multicultural Inclusion in an Urban Setting, Urioste said she believed introducing a Montessori programme at the school would improve integration by building interest and trust in education. She brought back this model and asked to work in an elementary school to implement the new program.

When Urioste worked at Mitchell Elementary, she implemented the first Montessori style education in the Denver Public School system. This intervention made an impact on student education, and Urioste continued with the Montessori model. This offered early childhood and parental education for low income families. This intergenerational family center was one of the first Early Head Start sites, and has grown to two campuses with over 300 children.

Urioste taught Spanish on KRMA Channel 6 in Denver. 2018, NEWSED Community Development Corporation Civil Rights Award