The History of Waldorf Education Worldwide: 1919-1945 by Nana Goebel
In 1919, following the end of the First World War, Emil Molt put money aside for a school for the children of his workers at the Waldorf Astoria Cigarette Company in Stuttgart, Germany. He was interested in a new approach to education, and asked Rudolf Steiner to design the new curriculum. Steiner insisted that the school be open to children beyond the factory, and at the end of the first year, there were over 800 students. Teachers were experts in their fields, and came from far and wide.
One hundred years later, and Waldorf education continues to go from strength to strength. Flying in the face of mainstream education which demands rote learning and artificial testing, Waldorf education prioritises a delicate unfolding of each child's potential. There are over 1,000 Waldorf school worldwide.