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Waldorf School
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Waldorf schools are independent hands-on, group-learning environments that are based on the teachings of Austrian thinker Rudolf Steiner. The first school was founded in Germany in 1919 and now there are approximately 900 Waldorf Schools around the world.
"Rudolf Steiner believed that schooling must engage a child's heart and hands as well as the head," says Sharon Vanderslice, communications director of the Waldorf School in Lexington, Mass. "For this reason, Waldorf schools infuse all academic subjects with artistic and practical work."
Students may learn their times tables, for instance, by marching, clapping, and singing them in a circle. Fifth graders studying the history...
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The philosophy behind the Waldorf schools is based on Rudolf Steiner's Anthroposophy which is the study of the mind, soul, and spirit. Although this isn't exactly a religious teaching it is heavily incorporated into the school curriculum. In the United States, this part of the teaching has brought the most controversy. The other controversy in the states is the Waldorf stance on reading. Most Waldorf students don't begin to read independently until age 8 or 9 which differs from mainstream education where children learn to read at 5 or 6. However in general, children who study the Waldorf method tend to test above average on many U.S. standardized tests. They test extremely well in verbal communications, arts and sciences. They also have a heightened awareness of social, environmental and community concerns. Because Waldorf schools are self-governed, and are both independent as well as public schools so the education may vary from school to school and parental involvement is required for children enrolled in Waldorf schools.
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