CONTENTS
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Independent versus publicly funded Waldorf
schools
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U.S. public Waldorf-methods charter
schools
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What are Waldorf methods?
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Summary
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Additional information
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Articles on U.S. public Waldorf-methods
schools
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Waldorf-methods training
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Public Waldorf-methods schools in North
America
Independent Waldorf schools versus publicly funded Waldorf methods schools
Waldorf
education began in 1919 with the founding of an independent school
in Stuttgart, Germany. Since then most Waldorf schools are likewise independent
and non-profit institutions which operate almost exclusively from student
tuitions and from donations. However, in the past decades in a number of
countries, public (government) funding has become available to these independent
Waldorf schools. This trend has been most prominent in different European
countries, for example, in the Netherlands, Sweden and Germany.
Rudolf
Steiner was concerned such government funding might produce conflicts
with the ideal that Waldorf schools, that is, the teachers and administrators,
be free to work out of their understanding of the spiritual nature of the
developing child. Numerous pressures to conform to the requirements of
the State might come with government funding, which would restrict or even
eliminate that freedom. In some cases, Steiner's concerns were correct:
Waldorf schools which receive government funding in some countries are
under continual pressure to conform to government standards for curriculum,
testing, assessment, and so on.
In the United States, the situation is somewhat
different. The Association
of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA), which serves independent
Waldorf schools in North America, recognizes that a public school (funded
with tax dollars) could never be a bona fide Waldorf school, because its
teachers and administrators would not have the freedom to work out of the
view of the spiritual nature of the human being that is the essence of
Waldorf education. However, the use of the forms and methods of Waldorf
education which are derived from these insights could be applied in many
different settings:
"[AWSNA] is an association of independent
schools working out of the pedagogical indications of Rudolf Steiner. Waldorf
Education is devoted to contributing to spiritual, social, and economic
renewal. It should be understood by any school or institution seeking affiliation
with AWSNA that Waldorf Education is based on Anthroposophy, the philosophy
initiated by Rudolf Steiner.
"It is our belief that Waldorf methods can be
applied in many different classroom settings. However, Waldorf education
is only possible if its practitioners and administrators are free to work
out of a clear recognition of and commitment to the development of the
spiritual nature of the human being."
See the full
AWSNA position statement.
Rudolf Steiner agreed that the methods of Waldorf
education could be used in any school but stressed that independent Waldorf
schools should serve as models for how fruitful these methods are.
U.S. public Waldorf-methods charter schools
In the 1990s, a number of States in
the U.S. adopted charter
school programs whereby an independent group of parents and administrators
may set up a publicly funded charter school which would have a certain
degree of independence in terms of setting curriculum and educational philosophy.
As a result, a number of Waldorf-oriented charter school programs have
been established in the U.S.
These schools are charter public schools under
the jurisdiction of a public school district and school board and must
meet the criteria set by the district and State to operate. Furthermore,
these Waldorf-oriented charter schools adopt the methods and forms of independent
Waldorf schools. They are usually called “Waldorf-methods” schools or “Waldorf-inspired”
schools. Typically a Waldorf-methods charter school retains certain aspects,
such as the form of the Main Lesson block, the fact that the teacher follows
the class from Grade 1 through 8, the use of the arts throughout the curriculum,
and so on, but the curriculum and content are typically adjusted and the
training of teachers is specifically oriented to public Waldorf-methods
teachers.
Today there are at least 30 publicly funded schools
in North America, from Alaska to Wisconsin, using Waldorf methods or Waldorf
“inspiration” and serving perhaps 5,000 to 6,000 students. See here
for a list.
What are Waldorf methods?
The methods of a Waldorf school derive
from a pedagogical model that recognizes the specific developmental stages
of the child. The Waldorf philosophy views education as an art, so each
subject, be it arithmetic, biology or English, is presented in a living
way that speaks to the child's developmental stage. Each subject is presented
through direct experience and is usually augmented with art, poetry, music,
drama and movement. The teacher’s aim is to draw out the children’s inherent
capacities by creating an atmosphere in the classroom that fills the children
with interest, wonder and enthusiasm.
The morning Main Lesson immerses the students in
a particular academic subject of the curriculum, over three or four weeks,
and each child produces a beautifully written and illustrated Main Lesson
book for each subject. The class teacher works with each child through
an eight-year relationship, where the teacher is able to draw out the child’s
strengths and focus more consistently and intensively on the weaker areas.
The Waldorf-methods teacher will adjust the pedagogical approach year to
year, to best address the way children learn at the different developmental
stages.
Additional subjects augment the Main Lessons: a
Waldorf-methods school will typically include handwork classes, woodworking
and other “practical arts”, music classes, two foreign languages and eurythmy
(movement) classes, in addition to physical education and on-going math
and English classes.
Waldorf-methods teachers are Waldorf-trained or,
if not, are sufficiently knowledgeable of Steiner's model of child development
that they can successfully work within the curriculum. There are courses
offered by Rudolf
Steiner College in California which are specifically oriented to public
Waldorf-methods teachers, and in-depth courses in Waldorf education are
also available at a number of Waldorf
teacher education centers.
With the Waldorf method of instruction, the class
teacher involves the children in the subject through presentation, story
telling, writing, reading, recitation, dramatic acting, painting, drawing,
and movement. The teacher follows a rhythm, day to day, which begins with
a review of the previous day’s material, further development of the subject
matter and then introduction of new material. Day by day throughout the
block, the teacher builds up the subject matter and the students build
up their Main Lesson books. The involvement of the students in the Main
Lesson promotes and develops active listening, imagination, memory and
verbal skills.
The Waldorf-methods curriculum follows the general
outline of an independent Waldorf school. Writing is taught before reading
and is experienced at first through stories and pictures. Nature stories
are introduced in the early grades and develop in the later grades into
more advanced investigations of zoology, geology, space science, botany,
chemistry, physics, physiology, and anatomy. Math and English are taught
in an imaginative way similar to independent Waldorf schools. The specific
songs, stories, poems, and so on which the teacher brings to her class
may differ somewhat in a Waldorf-methods school.
Summary
A public Waldorf-methods or Waldorf-inspired
charter school typically takes the forms and methods which distinguish
independent Waldorf schools and adapts them to the public school environment.
The curriculum and content are usually adjusted, but the methods of teaching,
such as the Main Lesson, the daily and weekly rhythms, the integration
of artistic activity into every subject area, the inclusion of the fine
arts, the performing arts and the “practical arts”, the inclusion of foreign
languages and movement, and the class teacher from Grade 1 to 8, are all
used.
In contrast, in an independent Waldorf school,
teachers are trained not only in the methods of the curriculum, but are
also trained in and work directly out of the philosophy that motivated
the curriculum and methods.
Waldorf-methods instruction is a compromise which,
in the view of many independent Waldorf teachers, gives up too much. An
outcomes-based approach to education, measured by testing against government
standards, results in a competitive atmosphere in the classroom and significantly
restricts the teacher's freedom to formulate the curriculum and content
for her specific students. An independent teacher working out of the Waldorf
philosophy provides a moral education which is strengthened by the teacher's
commitment to self-development. Whereas public education is currently committed
to "values-free" or "values neutral" education, the independent Waldorf
teacher strives to develop individual integrity in each student.
In light of these differences, U.S. public schools
using Waldorf methods are not Waldorf schools. Even so, they provide a
meaningful education to many children.
Additional information
For another description of Waldorf
methods: What
is a Waldorf Methods Education?
Two public
school districts in California are the target of a lawsuit for operating
Waldorf-methods charter schools, which is alleged to violate the establishment
clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Articles on U.S. public Waldorf-methods schools
Waldorf
Succeeds in Public Schools by Claudia M. Lenart
Waldorf
values imagination by Sarah Berkley
Schooled
in Spirituality by Chrisanne Beckner
Video
documentary of teachers “using the Waldorf methods in U.S. public schools
in rural Washington, in Sacramento and San Diego, California, in Flagstaff,
Arizona, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and on the West Side in Manhattan” (also
here)
Schooling
the Imagination by Todd Oppenheimer
Waldorf
Approach Offers Hope in Schools for Juvenile Offenders by Arline Monks
Breaking
Down the Barriers to Learning: The Power of the Arts by Arline Monks
[PDF 702K]
Waldorf-methods training
For workshops on how the Waldorf approach
can be applied in the public school classroom, see Public
School Institute at Rudolf
Steiner College.
Courses
Public Waldorf-methods schools in North America
Alaska
- Anchorage
AK - Winterberry Charter School
Arizona
- Flagstaff
AZ – Pine Forest School
- Phoenix
AZ - Desert Marigold School
- Prescott
AZ – Mountain Oak School
- Sedona
AZ – Desert Star Community School
- Tucson AZ - Desert Sky Community School
California
- Arcata
CA - Coastal Grove Charter School (see also)
- Chico
CA - Blue Oak Charter School
- Culver
City, Los Angeles CA – Ocean Charter School
- Fair
Oaks CA - Golden Valley Charter School
- Lagunitas
CA - Waldorf Inspired School of Lagunitas
School
District
- Marysville
CA - T.E. Mathews Community School and
Carden
Court School (see also articles about this
program: article,
article,
article
PDF 702K)
- Napa
Valley CA - Napa Valley Charter School
- Napa
Valley CA - Stone Bridge School
- Nevada
City CA - Yuba River Charter School
- Novato
CA – Novato Charter School
- Pacific
Grove CA - Monterey Bay Charter School
- Petaluma
CA - Live Oak Charter School
- Sacramento
CA - John Morse Waldorf Methods School
- San
Clemente CA - Journey School
- San
Diego CA - Harriet Tubman Village School
- Sebastopol
CA - SunRidge Charter School
- Sebastopol
CA - Sebastopol Independent Charter
School
(see also)
- Sonoma
CA – Woodland Star School
- Trinidad
CA - Northcoast Charter
- Ukiah
CA - River Oak Charter School
Kentucky
- Louisville
KY - Byck Elementary School (also,
also)
Minnesota
- Minneapolis
MN – Watershed High School
Ohio
- Cleveland
Heights, OH - Cedar Creek Community
School
(also,
also)
Oregon
- Eugene
OR - The Village School
- North
Bend OR - The Lighthouse School
- Portland
OR - The Portland Village School
Wisconsin
- Milwaukee
WI - Urban Waldorf School
CANADA
- Chambly
QC - École de la Roselière
- Montreal
QC – Élan Waldorf Montreal
- Waterville
QC - École des Enfants-de-la-Terre
- Victoriaville
QC - École communautaire l'Eau Vive
(site seems to be under construction in
August 2008)
If you have suggestions for corrections or additions
to this list, please contact us.
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2005-2010: Robert Mays and Sune Nordwall
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