News & Events
News From and About The World of Waldorf Education
Recent Stories
Keeping Yourself Sane and Refreshed with the Arts
An article in Creative U: The University of Toronto's Student Newspaper Since 1880 describes Waldorf Education as a positive way to develop imagination, amongst other things: "A good attempt can be seen in the Waldorf Education system, loved and loathed since its creation in 1919 by philosopher Rudolf Steiner. Waldorf schools believe any worthwhile education should be interdisciplinary, integrating practical, conceptual, and above all, artistic elements." Read more January 29, 2012
Sharing my Love of Waldorf Education
A mother blogs about the education system in Mexico, saying she fell in love with Waldorf. "Beauty is very much part of Waldorf Education. Even the colours on the classroom walls and the way teachers paint them is important. Art is an important part of the curriculum; children create their own school books, they learn how to play musical instruments, learn a second and sometimes a third language; they watercolour, knit, weave, bake, do carpentry as part of their classes and it is all tied in to their main class." Read more January 28, 2012
The Importance of Child's Play
A new study of how preschoolers spend their days may make you want to run around screaming, which is apparently more than the tykes themselves get to do. After interviewing child-care providers from 34 very different Cincinnati-area centers—urban to suburban, Head Start to high income—researchers found that kids spend an average of only 2% to 3% of their day in "vigorous activities. Read more Wall Street Journal January 27, 2012
'Music in Movement Concert with Eurythmy'
To raise funds for the Eurythmy program at the Ottawa Waldorf School, the school is turning to Eurythmy itself as it presents a "Music in Movement Concert with Eurythmy" on Saturday, Feb. 4 starting at 7 p.m. at the Glen Cairn United Church on Abbeyhill Drive in Kanata. Eurythmy which means "harmonious rhythm" is a form of artistic movement. Through their movements, participants strive to make the sounds of speech and musical tones visible and filled with feeling. Read more EMC Stittsville Richmond January 26, 2012
INFORM Newsletter for our School Communities. Read the February 2012 issue here: Link to pdf
The author discusses the need for a science of early childhood education, comparing the educational teachings of Froebel, Steiner, and Montessori. Steiner, founder of the Waldorf schools, believed that education should be holistic. In Waldorf schools, handcrafts, the arts, and music are integral parts of the curriculum. Whereas Froebel and Montessori focused on having children learn from their own individual activity, Steiner’s activities were more social and collaborative. Read more Education Next
This article profiles Rudolf Steiner: Steiner proposed that an interdisciplinary approach to education is crucial for integrating physical, emotional and intellectual growth.
Read more Business 2 Community January 25, 2012
Prairie Sky School Helps Students Grow
The school incorporates two curricula - the Waldorf approach, which uses interdisciplinary lessons that merge academics with artistic expression and practical learning, and the Saskatchewan government curriculum. Read more Leader Post January 25, 2012
One of the big concerns Waldorf educators hear from prospective parents is about the school’s lack of testing. This articulate and well-substantiated blog post from Spring Garden Waldorf schools shows how Waldorf Education is beneficial and highlights the advantages of the education system. Read more Spring Garden Waldorf School blog January 19, 2012
Shelburne's Waldorf School Philosophy is Deliberately Low-Tech
In a nation where public school students often encounter computers in the classroom as early as kindergarten and one to one student laptop programs are increasingly popular, Lake Champlain Waldorf School isn’t having any, thank you very much. The Waldorf philosophy is that younger students learn to think more deeply and creatively without computers. Read more Burlington Free Press January 21, 2012
AWSNA member Halton Waldorf School in Burlington, Ontario, Canada was one of 30 grand prize winners Read more Canada Newswire January 18, 2012
The Uniqueness of Science Teaching in the Waldorf School
Join Chicago Waldorf High School science teacher, Brian Glykoff, and Water’s Edge Waldorf School’s Grade 7/8 teacher, Kathy Matlin, as they discuss the unique approach Waldorf Education takes in the teaching of science. What is a “phenomenological approach” to teaching science? Why wait until adolescence to bring certain material? Waldorf Eduction provides a strong foundation in the sciences and this workshop shows how. Read more Trib Local January 19, 2012
Rudolf Steiner Health Center Youth Initiative
From July 9-21st 2012 the Rudolf Steiner Health Center in Ann Arbor, MI will be hosting the Learn-Work-Share Summer program, a new Youth Initiative for 16-30 year olds. In this program, kids will be introduced to anthroposophical medical, nursing, therapeutic, and biodynamic principles while building a community of anthroposophically oriented youth. Read more Eco Bites January 18, 2012
Where Education is Child’s Play, Yet Not
The benefits of Waldorf Education are many, and gives a general idea about the curriculum and its history. The learning experience the Steiner/Waldorf Education has introduced worldwide has been gaining positive response from parents who only want the best for their children. Read more Sun Star January 14, 2012
Make a list of the requirements for playing the violin, and the first few items are pretty obvious. Love of music, a good ear, dedication - check, check, check. What about two good arms? Now that's where you want to be careful about jumping to conclusions. Read more SF Gate of the San Francisco Chronicle January 7, 2012
Ashwood Student Takes Eighth-Grade Project to Burma
On Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, Abigail Matlack won't be preoccupied with candy hearts; instead, she will be on a trans-Pacific flight heading to Southeast Asia — Seoul, Bangkok, and then to the isolated Burma. Read more Knox Village Soup January 11, 2012
The History of Waldorf Education in the United States
Interview with author Stephen Sagarin Read more The Wonder of Childhood December 12, 2011
Minister of Education Dr. Angel Castillo from Imbabura Province, Ecuador, toured the school on Monday. Castillo will be sharing what he learned with the Ecuadorian government, trying to expand his art program and apply more Waldorf concepts. Read more The Pheonix December 17, 2011
British Actress Tilda Swinton Discusses her Children's Waldorf Education
She says, "My children are my kind of political laboratory. I am very much involved in their education. My children go to a Waldorf Steiner School. I am very involved in trying to build a further program for the school so that they can stay in that project until they’re 18." Read more Entertainment Inquirer January 7, 2012
Oak Park Schools Should Take a Step Back from Fast ForWord
The author of this opinion article, which is critical of a recent school board's inclination to adopt a computer-based reading intervention program, Fast ForWord, uses the following to support his argument: A recent New York Times article, "A Silicon Valley School that Doesn't Compute" (Oct. 22), provides a fascinating counterpoint to the questionable step that D97 is contemplating. A Waldorf school in California, where the top executives of many Silicon Valley companies send their children, rejects technology in the formative educational years, in favor of old-fashioned chalk on the blackboard, books, interpersonal teaching, and hands-on tasks.
Read more Oak Park January 3, 2012
Teachers Resist High-Tech Push in Idaho Schools
Ann Rosenbaum, a former military police officer in the Marines, does not shrink from a fight, having even survived a close encounter with a car bomb in Iraq. Her latest conflict is quite different: she is now a high school teacher, and she and many of her peers in Idaho are resisting a statewide plan that dictates how computers should be used in classrooms. Read more of Matt Richtel's article in The New York Times January 3, 2012
Back to Basics for the Holidays
The holidays are a wondrous time of year, and I can't think of anything more wonderful than the joy brought to a child from a simple toy. With high tech gadgets all around us, it is tempting to rush out and buy the latest electronic games. This holiday season I am making a plea to go back to the basics. Not only is it more economical, but traditional toys capture a child's imagination in a way that a video game cannot. Read more Huffington Post December 20, 2011
Ecuadorian Education Official Tours Waldorf School
Princeton’s Waldorf School received a visit from Angel Castillo, the director of education in Ecuador, on Dec. 16 as part of a Waldorf schools research tour. Mr. Castillo came to this country to study Waldorf’s methods of education, which he hopes to implement in Ecuadorian public schools. Read more Central Jersey December 19, 2011
The Denver Waldorf Art Exhibit
The Denver Waldorf School and 910 Arts (www.910Arts.com) announce the opening of a unique art exhibition entitled, Two Kinds of Truth: Exploring the Interweaving of Art and Science, running January 6-14, 2012 at EventGallery at 910Arts in Denver. The show is an exploration of the interweaving of art and science in Waldorf Education. It features works from The Denver Waldorf students (Kindergarten – 12th Grade) in mediums such as: watercolor and oil painting; clay busts and stone carvings; blacksmithing and woodworking; and, sustainable clothing and handworks. To kick off the event–to be held in conjunction with the First Friday Art Walk on Santa Fe on Friday, January 6–an opening reception will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and the public is invited. Read more December 2011
INFORM Newsletter for our School Communities. Read the January 2012 issue here: link to pdf
Knitting Up A Storm in the Twin Cities
According to one teacher: "Knitting uses the math center of our brains, keeping students focused with automatic movement.” Read more Twin Cities Daily Planet December 17, 2011
High Mowing School Announces Founders Merit Scholarship
High Mowing School is bursting with excitement to let you know about a new scholarship opportunity for students entering High Mowing in September 2012! In honor of their 70th anniversary, their Board of Trustees has established the Founders Merit Scholarship. In all, five scholarships will be awarded each year, in the amount of $10,000 for boarding students and $7,500 for day students. Awards will be made without consideration of financial need. details and application December 2011
Huffington Post: My Children Can't Read
The author writes: "My four-year-old daughter is illiterate. She can only sight read her own name, has not memorized short board books, and can barely write five letters of the alphabet. I am more than fine with all of this. In fact, I am proud." Read more December 6, 2011
Huffington Post Joins the Waldorf Conversation
As schools across the country try to fit the digital era into lessons by experimenting with iPads as textbooks and reverse classroom models, the Waldorf School, a private institution, sticks to its hundred-year-old ways: blackboards and chalk. No computers in elementary grades, and sparse use of technology in high school grades.
Read more Huffington Post December 1, 2011
Duane Plantinga, executive director of the Association of Independent Schools and Colleges in Alberta, discusses independent education in the Calgary Herald.
Read more Calgary Herald November 22, 2011
New Waldorf Initiative in Mexico!
We're always glad to announce the continuing spread of Waldorf Education in North America.
This one is in Cuajimalpa near Mexico City and they've just launched their new website: www.colegioinlakesh.edu.mx We wish them well.
CBS National News Covers Waldorf Education
As teachers across the country turn to laptops and iPads as education tools, one school in Silicon Valley, Calif., has actually banned computers. Priya David Clemens reports on why The Waldorf School of the Peninsula has gone low-tech. Watch Video CBS News December 5, 2011
Suncoast Waldorf School in Palm Harbor, FL on the Local Evening News
Watch Video WTSP 10 News December 1, 2011
NBC Nightly News discusses "The Waldorf Way"
From the moment you walk into the Waldorf School of the Peninsula there are clear signs that something different is happening. Allysun Sokolowski, a third-grade teacher, greets each one of her 29 students by name and shakes their hand as they enter the classroom. Read more NBC Nightly News November 30, 2011
Control • Halt • Delete
Why some educators and scientists believe technology is bad for brains — especially young ones
Read more Colorado Springs Independent November 24, 2011
Some Ohio Schools Say Computers Don’t Belong in Classrooms
This article profiles Spring Garden Waldorf School in Copley, just North of Akron. Where most schools these days have a computer room, Spring Garden has a wood working shop. There are no photoshop lessons, but there is an arts and crafts room and lots of music, without the help of Apple’s Garage band. The philosophy of these schools collides with a major focus of state education policy.
Read more State Impact npr November 21, 2011
Rudolf Steiner - Profile
Rudolf Steiner is well known for pioneering an alternative education system but it's less well known that his ideas on agriculture, philosophy, architecture and medicine were way ahead of his time. In honor of the 150th anniversary of Rudolf Steiner's birthday, Andrew Hill, the principal of Glenaeon Steiner School, profiles the man and his ideas. Read more ABC Radio National November 21, 2011
How College Prep is Killing High School
What's important? "Dependability, Intellectual Involvement, and Self-Confidence."
The Boston Globe reports on educational research that shows how Americans' view of high school needs to change. "A long-term study by sociologist John Clausen tracked children born in the Great Depression for six decades and found that those whose lives turned out best — who obtained more education, had lower rates of divorce, had more orderly careers, achieved higher occupational status, and experienced fewer life crises such as unemployment — shared something he labeled “planful competence,” a combination of dependability, intellectual involvement, and self-confidence. Those factors, he found, didn’t necessarily correspond to higher education or test scores. “There’s nothing that predicts better,” he wrote “than what they were like in high school.”
Read more Boston Globe November 20, 2011
Students Participate in Model United Nations
Monadnock Waldorf High School students participated in their first Model U.N. event of the year at Alvirne High School in Hudson earlier this month. Along with students from four other high schools, the Monadnock Waldorf students participated in a Security Council meeting on the topic of U.N. sanctions against Syria. Last month, the (real) U.N. Security Council failed to pass sanctions because of vetoes from Russia and China. Read more Sentintel Source November 20, 2011
Toronto Waldorf Academy on Global Television News
Grade 4 teacher Dean Husseini and his students from the Toronto Waldorf Academy are featured in a news report on the slow death of cursive writing. Yes, Waldorf Education continues to be the candle that continues to keep this vital flame alive. Read more Global Toronto November 18, 2011
Charles Greenhalgh: Waldorf School Can Provide Best Education for Your Child
Letter from Charles Greenhalgh, Waldorf parent, about the White Mountain Waldorf School and how well his daughter has done at the school. Read more The Conway Daily Sun November 15, 2011
Celebrating Rudolf Steiner — Audio Recordings
RSF Social Finance has made available the audio recordings made from from panels and discussions at their “Celebrating Rudolf Steiner” event. Read more RSF Social Finance November 14, 2011
'Teaching Is More Like Gardening Than Engineering'
A lot of school districts in America place a very high value on the results of standardized tests, which may not be the ideal way to measure the success of an educational endeavor. The success of a school can be measured without those tests, and instead educators can use retention rates, graduation rates, and other less tangible things such as the spirit of the school. The author says that teachers need to be given the license and freedom to innovate and to re-invoke the creativity of the teaching profession, otherwise opportunities to recognize the true talents of students could be lost. Read more Los Altos Patch Novermber 13, 2011
NPR Interview with Arthur Zajonc
What happens when you bring together science and poetry on something like color or light? National Public Radio interviews Arthur Zajonc, who says we can all investigate life as vigorously from the inside as from the outside. Zajonc is professor of physics at Amherst College and director of the Academic Program of the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society. His books include Meditation as Contemplative Inquiry: When Knowing Becomes Love and The Heart of Higher Education: A Call to Renewal. He was also one of the founders of the Hartsbrook Waldorf School in Hadley, Mass. Interview (51:09) American Public Media November 10, 2011
Waldorf Teacher Featured on Radio Show
David Blair is featured on a webcast/live radio show hosted by a parent at Shining Mountain. It is broken into three segments: Who was Rudolf Steiner, what are the essentials of Waldorf Education, and finally what would he would say to parents in the audience. Worth listening too!
Listen Here to Archived Interview Gaeta Communications November 10, 2011
Austin School Says Young Minds Don't Need Computers
Software entrepreneur Shawn Rucks and his wife Angela discussed several educational routes for their daughter, Zoe. They ended up choosing a school that aims to unlock a child's potential... without a computer. Read more KVUE (Local ABC Affiliate) November 10, 2011
Waldorf School Featured on CBS
At the Waldorf School of the Peninsula, first grade students shuck corn and build a garden, while fourth graders explore the philosophy behind Celtic knot drawing. In a high school humanities class students read their own poetry, while math students work with a compass and protractor. Read more
CBS San Francisco November 10, 2011
Assignment: Education - No Screens in Class
Three Rivers Waldorf School in La Crosse is one of around 160 Waldorf schools in the country that believes children learn the best through relationships, not by using high tech gadgets. Waldorf education prides itself on providing a balanced education for the whole child... meaning physically, socially, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually.
Read more News8000.com November 8, 2011
Congratulations to the Waldorf School of San Diego
Waldorf School of San Diego is celebrating its 30th Anniversary this year!
Read more here November 2011
Preschool Tests Take Time Away from Play--and Learning
The trend in early education is to move from a play-based curriculum to a more school-like environment of directed learning. But is earlier better? And better at what?
Read more Scientific American November 2011
Teacher Looping in Chicago and Beyond
“Looping” makes a lot of intuitive sense: teachers don't have to give up students so soon after they've figured out their personalities, learning styles, and habits, and they can go into their second year with a solid grasp of their students. And since everyone knows they're all in the same boat for at least two years if not more, there's more incentive on both sides of the equation to make the student-teacher relationship work. There’s not a lot of hard data on looping, in part because it's so uncommon. But what's out there is mostly positive. Read more Chicago Magainze October 31, 2011
Sunday Dialogue: Using Technology to Teach?
In schools and in homes, teachers and parents wrestle with the role of technology in children’s lives. New York Times readers weigh in on Greg Simon's Op-Ed article on Waldorf Education's low tech option. Read the letters here New York Times October 29, 2011
Do Kids Need Computers to Learn? Some Schools are Saying No
"Are Quebec schools embracing computers too zealously? I don’t know the answer – I’m no pedagogue – but it’s a question worth asking. Two things are clear." Read more Montreal Gazette October 26, 2011
NYT Invitation to a Dialogue: Computers in School?
The New York Times is asking for your letters in response to a letter to the NYT from Greg Simon. Mr. Simon wrote a follow-up letter on the Op-Ed page to last Sunday's article on Waldorf Education. From 1993 to 1997 Mr. Simon was the chief domestic policy adviser to Vice President Al Gore, and oversaw the Clinton administration’s program to connect classrooms to the Internet. He writes in his letter: "At the same time both of my children attended a Waldorf school. I wish parents who surround their children with technology and adult-created graphic images as early as 2 years old would realize that they are robbing their children of their greatest treasure and skill — being a child." The New York Times "invites readers to respond to this letter for our Sunday Dialogue. We plan to publish responses and Mr. Simon’s rejoinder in the Sunday Review." Please E-mail your letter to: letters@nytimes.com The New York Times October 25, 2011
Even in today's tech obsessed world, many kids would rather doodle than Google. Parents and educators alike have honed in on this this notion, and some are seeking a distinctly-low tech way to teach their children. Computers, tablets and gadgets are set aside in some classrooms, in favor of primitive teaching tools like pencils, pens, paint brushes, knitting needles and, at times, cake and mud. Read more myfoxny.com October 25, 2011
The Private School in Silicon Valley Where Tech Honchos Send Their Kids so they DON'T Use Computers
An article in the Daily Mail, UK, expounds on the New York Times article. Read more Daily Mail UK October 24, 2011
Waldorf School vs. Electronic Classroom: The New Parental Debate
An Op-Ed piece in the Washington Post concerning the high-tech, low-tech debate. Read more Washington Post October 24, 2011
Some of the finest minds at high-tech companies such as Apple, Yahoo, Hewlett-Packard, and Google are enrolling their children in technology-free schools that teach through the time-tested methods of hands-on exploration and project-based learning. Read more GazetteXtra.com October 24. 2011
At Elite Schools, Easing Up a Bit on Homework
Although this NYT article does not mention Waldorf Education, it does reference studies that show less homework has its benefits - as Waldorf educators have known all along. Read more New York Times October 23, 2011
A Silicon Valley School That Doesn’t Compute
Excellent New York Times education series continues on why Silicon Valley, Google, and other high-tech parents choose to educate their children in low-tech Waldorf schools. Read the article here New York Times October 23, 2011
Benjamin Weber was selected as the 2011 Outstanding Secondary Level Social Studies Teacher of the Year Award recipient. Weber is a graduate of Hawthorne Valley School. The award will be presented during the 91st Annual, Conference of the National Council for the Social Studies, “Dimensions of Diversity,” in Washington, D.C., in December at a special Outstanding Social Studies Teacher of the Year Award ceremony. Congratulations, Benjamin Weber! Read more 2011
Michalemas
"How can we find the right imagination to bring to the strengthening festival of Michaelmas? Barbara Klocek writes about some of the rich traditions that a carried annually at her school. These include a large dragon constructed by the sixth grade class, so large that they all fit inside. The third grade grade dances a harvest dance when the dragon arrives, who is then bravely slain by a twelfth grader. In the kindergarten the rituals include telling the story of George and the Dragon and making wooden swords."
Read more
Excellent Education Series in the New York Times
Investigative reporter Matt Richtel researched the impact technology in the classroom has had on test scores and other factors, and comes to some interesting conclusions.
Read more New York Times September 3, 2011
Honolulu Waldorf School is 50 Years Old
The Honolulu Waldorf School celebrates its 50th anniversary this year! The festivities begin on Friday, October 7 with an alumni gathering.
'Tastes and Treasures' - the school's annual feast and silent auction - is on Saturday, October 8 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. On Sunday there will be a grand Luau on the school campus. For more information, click here
Waldorf alum Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan has an apartment-therapy business and has also written a book about apartment cures. Read more
Corporate Influences on Children
The New York Times published a letter written by Alexandra Gruskos, Esq., Board president of the Waldorf School of Pittsburgh, who was responding to an op-ed piece written by Joel Bakan called "The Kids are Not Alright" and wrote about the media-free policy of Waldorf schools and the beneficial effects that children experience when raised in such an environment. To see the letter and read the article written by Joel Bakan, go here New York Times August 26, 2011
The Calgary Waldorf School offers a very different approach to education from other institutions in the city. Read more Calgary Herald August 10, 2011
Challenged by some formidable health issues, a former Waldorf student looked for alternative health care. Initially, she discovered that massage therapy helped get her Type 1 diabetes under control. Then she found other ways of improving health that were not suggested by mainstream health practitioners. As an adult she founded a wellness center, Body in Balance Center in Alexandria, which uses alternative treatments (in concert with medical ones) to help people cope with cancer, ALS, multiple sclerosis, and other diseases and conditions. The wellness center has seven practitioners who specialize in non-conventional fields, such as reiki and acupuncture.
Washingtonian July 6, 2011Read more
AWSNA to Host 2nd Annual WaldorfFest - Alumni Gathering July 30th in Hudson, NY
Come on down to the second annual WaldorfFest party on Saturday, July 30 at Club Helsinki, in Hudson, NY. All participants in the Waldorf journey are welcome: teachers, board members, parents, and friends of Waldorf schools from around the world. Last year we had representatives from seven Waldorf schools! Read more June 2011
"The Detroit Waldorf School is a place that matters because we are committed to using our historic building as a gathering place to bring people of all different backgrounds and ages together to learn, play, and revitalize our community." Read more June, 2011
Raphael Academy Announces Opening
Raphael Academy is a new Waldorf-inspired private school initiative for children and youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities such as Aspergers, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD), Developmental Delay, ADD/ADHD and other conditions associated with intellectual disability, located in the city of New Orleans, LA. "Our concept is to establish the first mixed-age classrooms for the fall of 2011. We are in the process of enrolling students, hiring faculty, organizing the board of directors, negotiating a lease for the school, and looking into alternative funding sources!" Read more May 2011
Ban Mobile Phones and Wireless Networks in Schools, say European Leaders
A Council of Europe committee examined evidence that the technologies have "potentially harmful" effects on humans, and concluded that immediate action was required to
protect children. Read more The Telegraph May 14, 2011
Hearthstone Students Travel to New Orleans
Early this month, several Hearthstone high school students left on a service trip to New Orleans. The group's travel expenses were partially paid for by a grant from the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America, awarded for their willingness to help rebuilding efforts in New Orleans, which is still struggling to overcome the devastation of Hurricane Katrina five years ago. According to one of the students: "It was a great learning experience, and possibly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, although I have high hopes of returning to New Orleans in the future to help with the rebuilding and experience the culture all over again."Read more RappNews April 28, 2011
Pine Hill Waldorf School Graduate
Pine Hill Waldorf School graduate, Kerren McKeeman, explains how her career in circus arts started with her circus arts teacher, Jacqueline Davis, and has ended with a performing position in Cirque de Soleil Read more The Telegraph March 21, 2011
12th Grade Students Demonstrate Science Projects
Over the past few months, students in a 12th grade physics class have been working after school and on weekends to create a variety of electric-based science projects: everything from motors and Van de Graaff generators (or electrostatic generators) to rail guns and Tesla coils (also known as lightning generators). Read more March 21, 2011
Why Preschool Shouldn't Be Like School:
New Research Shows that Teaching Kids More and More, at Ever-Younger Ages, May Backfire
As so often happens in science, two studies from different labs, using different techniques, have simultaneously produced strikingly similar results. They provide scientific support for the intuitions many teachers have had all along: Direct instruction really can limit young children's learning. Teaching is a very effective way to get children to learn something specific---this tube squeaks, say, or a squish then a press then a pull causes the music to play. But it also makes children less likely to discover unexpected information and to draw unexpected conclusions. Read more Slate March 16, 2011
Children Around the World Will Celebrate Screen-Free Week
On April 18-24, children around the world will celebrate Screen-Free Week (formerly TV-Turnoff) by turning off televisions, computers, and video games and turning on the world around them. Waldorf school communities are ideal partners in this global effort to eliminate screens for a week from the lives of children. In the curriculum at Waldorf schools, the human voice and human speech are cultivated through recitation and storytelling; imaginative play is a pillar of the work at school from early childhood on, transformed into drama through twelfth grade; and current brain research indicates that the curriculum in a Waldorf school supports development of the whole mind through play, the arts, and rigorous academics. Waldorf school communities already know the benefits of a week with no screens, but we can all do a bit more to focus away from the distractions of electronics that are so enmeshed in our complex and beautiful world. Join with us in working to have a completely free-of-screens week to emphasize the importance of this effort. For more information: Screen-Free Week
How a handful of researchers are trying to save childhood. When it comes to the value of play, "The science is clear." Read the article in The Chronicle for Higher Education: here February 20, 2011
Teacher Education Colloquium Report
For two-and-a-half days in January, forty Waldorf teacher educators met in Fair Oaks to consider the ideals and challenges of their work. Here's a brief summary of the meeting: bacwtt.org
'Race to Nowhere' is Racing Through Schools
A new film about the stresses imposed on American students has been quietly drawing intent viewership across the country. Race to Nowhere is now popping up with screenings at schools and other institutions around the country. Read more Chapel Hill News February 13, 2011
Interview with Rudolf Steiner alum Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens became an indie darling following a string of excellent albums such as Michigan and Seven Swans, and which culminated with brilliant 2005 album Illinois. However, Stevens disappeared for a while -- made some films, a Christmas album, and an hour long EP. However he finally re-surfaced (in terms of an album) with his excellent 2010 album Age of Adz.
Under the Radar February 2, 2011 Read more
Salute to Dr, Martin Luther King Jr. at the Baltimore Waldorf School
The annual Civil Rights Brunch, now in its 13th year, had an audience of over 100 people on January 15, who gathered to listen to C. Fraiser Smith talk about the Civil Rights years in Baltimore -- anecdotal stories about famous people from Frederick Douglas to Thurgood Marshall, as well as stories about ordinary people in history who make a difference in the lives of others even if we never know their names. Each guest received Peace Seeds as part of the Weed Out Hate---Sow the Seeds of Peace project, founded by Marc Daniels. Read more Examiner.com January 14, 2011
NYT: Effort to Restore Children's Play Gains Momentum
The "Play Movement" addresses the fact that too little playtime may seem to rank far down on the list of society's worries, but scientists, psychologists, educators and others say that most of the social and intellectual skills one needs to succeed in life and work are first developed through childhood play. New York Times January 5, 2011 Read more
"We'd rather talk to kids about the meaning of life than what's on their shirt."
Looking to combat both classroom distractions and the fever pitch of children's advertising, a number of schools around the nation have policies in place prohibiting media characters from joining students in the form of backpacks, T-shirts, shoes and other apparel. Chicago Tribune January 4, 2011Read more
NASA Program Puts Aspiring Engineer, Waldorf School Graduate to Work on Mars Rover
His engineering talent has taken one local graduate all over the country; one day, his ideas could be flown in space. Michael Maylahn, 19, a 2009 graduate of The Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs, recently led a team of engineering students in creating a prototype Mars rover at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala Read more The Saratogian December 5, 2010
Waldorf grad Julia is an exciting new talent who has taken elements of jazz, pop, country and folk music to create her own unique sound. With her new CD of vintage and classic songs, she is positioning herself as a bridge artist to her generation, introducing many to these older, vintage musical styles. With her singular presentation and ultra-cool vocal delivery she is uncovering musical gems from another era. But her focus isn’t on the past. Her visual presentation and her flawless musical phrasing, position her as an artist leading a new direction rather than offering mere nostalgia. Read more Examiner.com October 2, 2010
WALDORF ONE WORLD
On Friday, October 1, Waldorf students and teachers from all over the world will be engaged in work on behalf of disadvantaged children in an effort to give them access to a Waldorf Education and to improve their circumstances. With the money earned on last year’s (2009) WOW-Day (approx. € 278.000), the WOW project was able to assist forty projects in twenty countries. These projects included one-day jobs, walkathons, handwork and selling activities, circus performances, and many other wonderful activities that helped to improve the living conditions of children all over the world. Everyone is welcome to take part: find out details at the WOW website September 2010
Hudson, New York, WALDORF ALUMNI PARTY
On a warm and breezy summer Friday evening, July 30, 2010, alumni, teachers, board members, parents and friends of Waldorf schools from around the country met at the newly opened Club Helsinki Hudson, in Hudson, NY, to greet old friends and make new ones. The networking opportunity was a kick off for future Alumni Parties at the Helsinki Hudson and around the country. Read more
Young Alums Gather in NYC for Inaugural "Young Alumni Night"
The event drew close to 80 people from seven northeast Waldorf/Steiner schools including graduates from the Waldorf School of Garden City, the Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School, the Green Meadow Waldorf School, the Hawthorne Valley School, the Kimberton Waldorf School, the Rudolf Steiner School of New York City, and the Waldorf School of Princeton. Read more
Malibu Compost: Love, Compassion, Gratitude, and Cow Manure
Waldorf alum Colum Riley, class of 1992 at Kimberton is the co-founder and director of operations for one of the hottest new companies on the west coast. His company “Malibu Compost” not only makes and sells biodynamic compost, but also rescues cows that are about to be slaughtered for beef. Read the article in the LA Times April 19, 2010
Waldorf Crisis Intervention Team in Haiti
The international Waldorf organization known as “Friends of Waldorf Education” has sent a crisis intervention team to Haiti to help traumatized children come to terms with their terrible experiences. “The Friends of Waldorf Education intend to send a crisis intervention team, consisting of educationalists, psychologists, therapists, physicians and translators, to the disaster area in mid-February to stimulate the children’s natural self-healing processes and counter possible delayed reactions,” the group said in a statement. Read more News Network Anthroposophy Limited January 28, 2010
Waldorf Alum News: ETHOS brings ethical touch to French fashion at CIFF
ETHOS, a French designer of environmentally friendly clothing, will preview its latest collections at the CIFF trade show, to be held in Copenhagen from 11 to 14 February 2010. Johanna Riplinger, ETHOS’ Stylist and Collection Manager, is a graduate of the Munich Fashion School (in Germany) and previously worked for Guy Laroche. Also in Germany, she attended a Rudolf Steiner school that helped her develop her love and knowledge of nature, which provides the inspiration for all the company’s collections. Read more Infotechfrance.com January 18, 2010
Roots of Empathy teaches students emotional literacy
Several Montréal schools, like École Rudolf Steiner, participate in a program called Roots of Empathy (Racines de l'empathie), which was created by award-winning Canadian educator Mary Gordon to teach young people “emotional literacy.” What is emotional literacy? It means being able to “read” emotions: to know and express how we are feeling, and then, to recognize and handle how others are feeling. Emotional literacy can be a powerful tool in families, schools, and society. Read more Examiner.com January 14, 2010
Waldorf Education Growing in Mexico January 2010 Read more here (pdf)
Research Finds No Advantage In Learning To Read From Age Five
A University of Otago researcher has uncovered for the first time quantitative evidence that teaching children to read from age five is not likely to make that child any more successful at reading than a child who learns reading later, from age seven. Read the article here. Voxy News December 21, 2009
Why does Waldorf Education Talk about Warmth so much?
This article by Adam Blanning M.D. discusses how warmth works throughout the entire spectrum of human experience: physical warmth, emotional warmth—the warmth of love, of generosity, of true morality—and all of these “warmths” pour over and merge with each other, and why it's especially important to pay attention to warmth for young children. November 2009 [link to pdf]
The Merger of two Venerable Canadian Educational Associations has Created a new National Voice in Independent Education The membership of both the Canadian Educational Standards Institute (CESI) and the Canadian Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), has voted to dissolve their respective associations and to endorse the creation of a new organization that would combine the strengths of both founding groups. Read more ... October 28, 2009
"Reclaiming the Link Between Independence and the Essence of American Education," an article by Patrice Maynard, has just been published in Independent Schools Magazine. In it she writes: “If we can identify for our culture the unique opportunity available in America, a national treasure of freedom in education, with rigorous debate between independent schools and government-provided schools, we can protect the variegated landscape of ideas and methods available to us into the future. If we can build a platform for discussion about education that transcends special interests (industries, unions, politics, ideologies) and squarely debates the needs of our nation’s youth, we can lead the world in forging true excellence in education.”
Read the complete article here…
During the last week of September, Patrice Maynard, AWSNA leader for development and outreach, spent two days in Washington, D.C. with the CAPE (Council for American Private Education) Board and one day at the Private School Leadership meeting hosted by the Office of Non-Public Education in the Office of Innovation. Here is her report... October 2009
Background Television Bad for Your Child
Background television could harm the development of your child, claim scientists who found that it reduces the amount that families talk to each other. Read more The Telegraph September 15, 2009
Swallowtail School Adopts Accessible-to-All Tuition Adjustment Program
Swallowtail School in Hillsboro has adopted the Accessible-to-All tuition adjustment program currently used nationwide by many Waldorf schools. This program allows schools to practice the ideal that Rudolf Steiner envisioned, that Waldorf Education should be accessible to all families who wish it for their own values, regardless of their economic status. It also views adjusted tuition as a contribution to the financial well being of the school, rather than a reduction of income. Read more Oregon News August 28, 2009
Foundations of Waldorf Education for the Twenty-first Century
Steiner's thought on children's growth and evolution is the basis of the famous Steiner-Waldorf Education, and is more modern than ever. Read more Suite101.com August 9, 2009
On Wednesday, May 6 Johns Hopkins sponsored a one-day Roundtable on Arts and the Brain, based on the report released last year from the Dana Foundation, indicating that the arts light up parts of the brain like nothing else can do. This was followed in Washington, DC by the tenth annual conference on Learning and the Brain. Both the Roundtable and the conference were attended by Patrice Maynard, AWSNA Leader for Outreach and Development, who sent this report. Read more May 6, 2009
New Study: Home Computers Affect Grades Negatively
Waldorf educators are delighted that research is finally catching up with what they have known all along: excessive screen media has a negative impact on growing children. Three researchers from Duke University in Durham, N.C. used data gathered from a survey given to 1 million fifth through eighth graders for their paper: Scaling the Digital Divide: Home Computer Technology and Student Achievement. Read more (PDF with link to research paper) January, 2009
Assessment without High-Stakes Testing: Protecting Childhood and the Purpose of School. A team of Waldorf educators and researchers has published an important research paper. Read more (12 page PDF)
ARCHIVED ARTICLES can be found under Why Waldorf Works Articles
