Survey of Parents of Waldorf Students in Germany

Survey of Parents of Waldorf Students in Germany

While reliable findings based on academic studies have so far been available on students, teachers, and graduates of Waldorf schools, a scientifically grounded study of Waldorf parents is now to be conducted. For this reason, the Institute of Educational Economics will carry out a representative survey of parents of Waldorf students in Germany starting in October 2014. For this purpose, approximately 120 member schools of the Federation of Independent Waldorf Schools will be selected, stratified by federal state and settlement structure, at each of which a specific number of parents (approximately 7,000 nationwide in total) will be surveyed using a standardized questionnaire. The client commissioning the study is the Federation of Independent Waldorf Schools.

One reason for this is, among other things, the current political debate on the funding and organization of private schools. In addition to publicly run schools, Germany also has schools operated by independent, non-state providers. Under Article 7 of the German Basic Law, independent schools require state approval, which also results in an obligation to provide funding. Accordingly, independent schools receive state refinancing depending on the law of the respective federal state. In terms of German school law, Waldorf schools are, depending on the federal state, state-approved or state-recognized general education substitute schools under independent sponsorship with a distinctive educational profile. The school provider is generally a privately initiated association whose members may include parents and teachers of the school. Each Waldorf school is managed as an autonomous organization through collegial self-governance by parents and teachers. The schools are financed on the one hand by state subsidies and on the other hand by school fees. These are generally set by the respective schools according to income. Under the prohibition of segregation derived from the Basic Law (Art. 7 para. 4 GG), schools are required not to deny any child access to the school for financial reasons.

At present, the majority of federal states provide restrictive funding for Independent Waldorf Schools. Legislative changes have increasingly led to cuts in state subsidies in recent years. The establishment of new private schools is currently being made more difficult or prevented on the grounds that independent schools draw pupils away from state schools, which need them for their integration task. It is argued in particular that educationally oriented German families are increasingly sending their children to private schools. Behind these points lies, among other things, the assumption that Waldorf schools are supported by a particularly affluent parent clientele and could finance themselves to a large extent. Since there is as yet no reliable knowledge as to whether this is actually the case, socio-economic data on parents throughout Germany are to be collected, including questions on educational background and the motivation for entrusting a child to a Waldorf school. Only in this way can prejudices be dispelled and well-founded arguments be made in public discourse and political debate.

Waldorf parents are people who are especially committed to their children’s education. They establish school associations and build school buildings; they are concerned with maintenance and take care of the garden. They work actively in their schools, take on administrative, organizational, and support tasks, finance their own teacher training, educate themselves on pedagogical issues, and assume entrepreneurial responsibility. In this way, each Waldorf school has its own individual social fabric in which the respective parent community plays a central role. Does this make Waldorf parents “extraordinary people”? Accordingly, the study also asks about the attitudes and values of Waldorf parents. Where do they come from? What drives them? Where do they want to go? Through the study, parents have their say, have the opportunity to make their views and ideas known, and thus contribute to shaping the future of the schools.

Waldorf Parents in Germany
Who are they? And what do they want for their schools? A review of the publication of the study.