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What is Waldorf Education?

Waldorf Education is the fastest growing private school movement in the world. Founded by Dr. Rudolf Steiner in the chaos of post WWI Germany, the first Waldorf School was started with the goal of educating children to grow up to be agents of social change. Worldwide there are over 900 Waldorf Schools in 80 countries. While the base of Waldorf schools is largest in Western and Northern Europe, growth in the United States and Canada has accelerated dramatically during the last 10 years. Today there are almost 160 schools in North America, supporting nearly 25,000 students. There are currently 35 Waldorf high schools in the United States with several more under development.

There are a number of reasons for the rapid growth of Waldorf Education. In many ways the world today is far more turbulent than Germany was after WWI. More and more parents are asking themselves, “How do we teach our children to not only deal with the stresses of the world we are raising them in, but be a part of improving it?” Standard methods of teaching are directed increasingly toward repetition of the “Three R’s” and improving test scores. The arts, music, language—subjects that were a standard part of public education just a generation ago—have been replaced with rote memorization of vocabulary words and endless repetition of math problems. Homework has increased dramatically, along with the stress placed on our children. While test scores may be improving, more parents today are asking themselves if this is all an education should provide.

Waldorf Education, while building a rigorous academic foundation, takes a vastly different approach to educating the child. At its heart, the Waldorf teaching methodology is highly individualized, providing an education tailored to each child’s specific needs. Instructors take a holistic approach to teaching, bringing to bear multiple disciplines to any one topic. Art, music and language are emphasized equally along with math and English in the curriculum. The goal is to teach children how to learn, and to imbue in each child a love of learning that they will carry with them throughout their lives. The process of learning is one of discovery and exploration, of discussion and debate—rather than “listen and repeat”. Students frequently work together on joint projects to learn cooperation and teamwork—skills both necessary and valuable as an adult.

Critical thinking, a highly-developed ethical compass, a love of learning, innovation, cooperation, strong communication skills—these are the key components of a Waldorf Education. And increasingly, these are the skills our children need to maneuver and indeed thrive in the complex and sometimes frightening world they have been born into.

WSP High School

Waldorf education has been designed to span kindergarten through 12th grade, with the “summit” being the four high school years. A fundamental principle of Waldorf teaching is that both content and teaching methodology are designed to match the student’s mental and social development at any particular age. For example, subjects brought up in the lower grades which may be taught with stories and allegory given the child’s development at that stage and need for exploration of the “feeling”, are transformed in high school into an analytical approach which mirrors the teenager’s increasing engagement with the outside world and the full development of the analytic portions of the brain. Whereas in the lower grades the importance of continuity and stability are reflected in having a single teacher for Grades One through Eight, in high school the teaching emphasis is on subject matter expertise. High School classes are taught by specialists in their fields, with most teachers holding advanced degrees and many holding doctorates.

The results speak for themselves. Waldorf graduates have an established reputation for critical, analytical and imaginative thinking and are highly sought after by leading colleges and universities across the country. A recent study of Waldorf high school graduates showed that ninety-three percent of Waldorf high school graduates attend four-year colleges, most at their first choice of schools. These range from small, liberal arts colleges to large universities. Students from last year’s graduating classes are now attending Stanford, UC Berkeley, Harvard, Yale, Brown and many other top schools. In addition, there was no difference in acceptance rates from established Waldorf high schools and newly-established schools. In fact, the rate of acceptance of “pioneers”, those students who make up the first four years of a new high school’s life, had an even higher acceptance percentage than average.

Waldorf Education in Silicon Valley

While all Waldorf high schools share curriculum standards and hold basic principles and practices in common, each one is shaped and built by its students, teachers and parents to reflect its community. Although an abundance of excellent private schools exists in the area, given the particular nature of Waldorf education, a Waldorf high school will fill a compelling need in our community.

Silicon Valley is a unique, extraordinary region. Certainly those of us who have lived here for many years tend to take for granted the tremendous amount of creativity, energy and innovation that occurs here constantly. Be it in technology, the arts, education, or government—Silicon Valley is a source of innovation and creativity whose influence is felt across the globe. Our world-leading universities provide a constant influx of talent and result in a continuous stream of new ideas. Entrepreneurs come from all parts of the world to take advantage of the “start-up” culture and infrastructure that exists here. Other cities, states—even countries—have tried to recreate their own versions of Silicon Valley. But while these have to various degrees been successful, none rival what exists here. We continue to draw the best of the best from every country.

One of the reasons it is so difficult to recreate Silicon Valley elsewhere is our unique set of values and the culture we have built. Creativity, Innovation, Risk-taking, Teamwork—these are some of the core values of Silicon Valley. Openness to new ideas and acceptance of other cultures are also keys to our success. Finally, the ability to communicate clearly, to share ideas and to analyze critically are all skills required to succeed in this culture and make it continue to grow and flourish.

As more and more parents are concluding, the public school system is not effectively building the foundation of the skills necessary for success in Silicon Valley. The Waldorf School of the Peninsula High School is founded on the core values that make Silicon Valley what it is. The skills the WSP High School teaches are those most valued in Silicon Valley—and indeed those most needed to succeed in the increasingly complex, multicultural world we live in.

An Educational Startup

The first four years of the WSP High School are the “startup” phase. During that period each class will take an active part in defining and shaping the content, traditions and infrastructure of their school. This opportunity to be a “pioneer”, to be a founder of the startup that is the Waldorf School of the Peninsula High School, will give these students a rare opportunity to “learn through doing”. Guided by not only their subject matter teachers, but also experts from the Valley in starting new ventures, the founding students will be given an extremely unique opportunity to help define and create their own education, in the process building an institution that will be a lasting legacy to their efforts. As they carry their skills forward to college and beyond, they will already have one “start up” under their belts, and whether they apply this experience to technology, the arts, government or education, it will be an experience that no other school has to offer, one that will serve them well whatever they do in their lives, wherever they end up living.

Waldorf School of the Peninsula

In September of 2007, the Waldorf School of the Peninsula will matriculate its first class of 9th grade students, the class of 2011. The school will add one class each year for four years with an eventual targeted enrollment of approximately 120 students. The addition of a high school is the result of many years of hard work and development by the Waldorf School of the Peninsula. Established in 1984, WSP lower school has approximately 250 students in its Nursery through Eighth Grade program. In 2003 WSP received full membership in the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA) and the highest level of accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). A high school was clearly the next natural step in the school’s growth. WSP is located in the rolling hills of Los Altos. More than 145 children have graduated from WSP since its first 8th grade class in 1992, with 15-25 more graduating each year. These students have gone on to high school at a wide variety of local public and private schools, including Menlo, Saint Francis, Bellarmine, and Crystal Springs, and to universites and colleges that include Stanford University and Smith College. The Waldorf K-8 curriculum has been proven to provide an extremely strong base for success in public or private high school. And despite the 1.5 hour commute each way, approximately 20 WSP graduates have gone on to attend the San Francisco Waldorf High School. Surveys of both students and parents have shown tremendous interest in a local Waldorf High School. In fact, the single largest reason students and parents give for not attending San Francisco Waldorf High was the distance. The WSP High School will have its own campus within a convenient radius of the lower school. A number of sites are currently being investigated for the first phase of WSP High School.

Waldorf Graduates

Ninety four percent (94%) of Waldorf graduates attend four-year colleges ranging from small liberal arts colleges to large universities, and over one half of those continue with post graduate study.

To learn more about Waldorf students after their graduation, please see the research below conducted by the Research Institute for Waldorf Education:
Colleges and Universities attended by Waldorf graduates
Summary of the above report- 2 pages
Data, statistical information and anecdotal reports about Waldorf graduates

Why Choose Waldorf