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The Story of Waldorf Education in the United States

Past, Present, and Future

Paperback
September 2011
9780880106566
More details
  • Publisher
    SteinerBooks
  • Published
    20th September 2011
  • ISBN 9780880106566
  • Language English
  • Pages 220 pp.
$20.00

Representing more than a decade of research, this book is the first account of the history and development of Waldorf education in America. Looking at the past and present with an eye to how the understanding of the term Waldorf education has changed over time, the author identifies key trends in education, both Waldorf and general education, to imagine the direction in which Waldorf education may move in the future.

Part one shows how the number of Waldorf schools grew slowly and steadily and how they have evolved through four generations, changing gradually from “experiments” to “alternatives” and, in the process, forging and re-forging Waldorf education itself.

Part two examines the methods and myths of Waldorf education, showing what is essential and what is extraneous. Peeling away layers of convention and even misunderstanding, the author reveals Waldorf education as what many believe Rudolf Steiner, its founder, intended it to be: a living method of education that may be employed by any teacher or any school.

As Waldorf education comes increasingly into public view and into public schools, primarily through charter schools, questions about what Waldorf education is (and is not) are becoming increasingly relevant.

The author concludes that Waldorf education is not a method that can be packaged and sold, but a living method that depends on insight for continual renewal.

The Story of Waldorf Education in America is a fresh, insightful, analytical, and valuable resource for parents, teachers, and educators who would like to know more about Waldorf education—whether they have extensive experience in the Waldorf education or have only just heard of it.

Stephen Keith Sagarin

Stephen Keith Sagarin, PhD, is faculty chair, a cofounder, and a teacher at the Berkshire Waldorf High School in western Massachusetts, where he teaches history. A former teacher and administrator at the Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School and the Waldorf School of Garden City, New York, the high school from which he graduated, Dr. Sagarin writes, lectures, mentors teachers, and consults with Waldorf schools on teaching and administration. An associate professor and Director of the Waldorf High School Teacher Education Program at Sunbridge Institute, New York, he is also the former editor of the Research Bulletin of the Research Institute for Waldorf Education and has taught history of education at Teachers College, Columbia University; human development at the City University of New York; and U.S. and World History at Berkshire Community College, Massachusetts. Dr. Sagarin holds a BA in art history from Princeton University and a PhD in history from Columbia University. He is married and the father of two.