If Stiener Schools are so good why doesn't the state sector embrace it's principles

[hebetalbot]

Have no opinion either way at the moment as I don't know enough about their principles. But it niggles me that if it was that good wouldn't every school be doing it ?

check out the link a few posts back to my friend's blog - they've just withdrawn their two daughters from their Steiner school because they weren't happy with the education they were getting - they are now home educating for the time being - worth a read.

The answer is different per country. In the US, there are many publicly-funded 'Waldorf-inspired' charter schools - including a very successful one for youth offenders in a 'juvenile hall' prison in California.

In most European countries they are at least partially funded by the state. As for why government schools do not use Waldorf methods, the answer is that whether consciously or not many Waldorf (and Montessori and just about every other 'alternative' system) methods have been incorporated, which is why education looks so different today to how it did 100 years ago before these movements made their contributions to the education debate.

As to why the government does not go whole hog Waldorf in any country, there are a number of reasons, not least of which is the difficulty for most people to understand Anthroposophy. However, one practical reason is that it takes an enormous committment of time and emotion to be a Waldorf teacher, far more than in most systems.

3andnomore: Steiner is the name of the man whose ideas they follow. His first school was for the children of workers at the Waldorf-Astoria cigarette factory, hence the interchangeable Waldorf/Steiner names.

I may be wrong but I believe that the Hereford Steiner school is now funded by the state.

The (many IMO) drawbacks with Steiner education include religion, lack of qualifications on offer, and parental participation. It is great that parents who can are encouraged to help out in school, but there seems to be a real push for it in Steiner schools, therefore 2 working full-time parents are at a disadvantage.
Plus, I believe that children should learn to get on with all types of society. Steniers do have an overwhelming proportion of wealthy hippy-types (don't shoot me for saying that!).

I've tutored (remedial reading) several Steiner educated children who have been completely failed by their Steiner education by not being taught how to read.

No direct experience but I was interested so did a lot of looking online and found some quite alarming stuff.

DSister is interested and has a couple of books which give all the positive stuff but reading between the lines I find it very odd. e.g. painting - encouraged to use "wet on wet" style and not supposed to draw machines / paint in bold colours; taught various mythologies as if facts; no teaching of some basic scientific facts e.g. gravity.

As I said, I was alarmed, but I haven't been to an actual school (might go soon with DSister).