What Others Have Said about Rudolf Steiner and Waldorf Education:

“My meeting with Rudolf Steiner led me to occupy myself with him from that time forth and to remain always aware of his significance . . .We both felt the same obligation to lead man once again to true inner culture. I have rejoiced at the achievements his great personality and his profound humanity have brought about in the world.”
—Albert Schweitzer

“The advent of the Waldorf Schools was in my opinion the greatest contribution to world peace and understanding of the century.”
—Willy Brandt, former Chancellor, West Germany

“If there is any one thing that the Waldorf system does, it nurtures, protects and develops the intelligence of the true child. ”
—Joseph Chilton Pearce, author, The Magical Child

“If I had a child of school age, I would send him to one of the Waldorf Schools.”
—Saul Bellow, Nobel Laureate

Waldorf education began in Germany in 1919 when Waldorf-Astoria cigarette company owner Emil Molt asked Rudolf Steiner to design a school that would educate individuals who would be able to create a peaceful and just society.

Dr. Steiner, born in Austria in 1861, was a leading figure in the cultural life of central Europe. He lectured and wrote on a variety of topics, including philosophy, religion, history, science, agriculture and art. He ultimately gained an international reputation for his unique perspectives and contributions.

When Emil Molt asked him to create a school, Steiner readily and enthusiastically accepted. He saw an opportunity to design a system of education that would meet the needs of the individual and be a model for education. In the autumn of 1919, the first Waldorf school opened in Stuttgart with 12 teachers and 175 pupils, mostly the children of Molt’s employees.

In this first “Freie Waldorfschule,” Steiner created a school ahead of its time. It was a school in which art, music and handcrafts were as important as reading, writing and arithmetic; in which each day included activities for the hands and heart, as well as for the head; in which the teacher and class remained together for the first eight years. The Waldorf School’s explicit purpose was to allow free, independent, creative, moral, happy human beings to develop and unfold their gifts and capabilities. Interest spread rapidly, and Waldorf schools were soon founded in Holland, England, and other parts of Europe.

The first Waldorf school in North America, The Rudolf Steiner School of New York, was opened in 1928. Today there are approximately 200 schools throughout North America. Each Waldorf school is independent, and together they form the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA). AWSNA’s mission is to strengthen and support the schools and to inform the public about the benefits of Waldorf education.

Internationally, the Waldorf school system is rapidly expanding, with more than 800 schools in more than 40 countries. Schools exist in Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Sweden, Israel, Egypt, South Africa and Kenya. Waldorf schools have recently opened in Russia, Romania, Hungary and former East Germany.