The Sebastopol Independent Charter School uses a Waldorf curriculum developed by Rudolf Steiner nearly a century ago, and is now the basis for one of the fastest growing non-sectarian educational movements in the world. The curriculum follows the developmental stages of childhood, mirroring the inner transformations of the child. It works because it engages children. Teachers strive to present lessons in a lively way using the rich stories of the curriculum that speak directly and intimately to the children. Periods of challenging mental work are balanced with artistic and physical activities so that the children move through their day and through the years of grade school in a healthy, balanced way.

“I believe that Waldorf education possesses unique educational features that have considerable potential for improving public education in America. Waldorf schools provide a program that not only fosters conventional forms of academic achievement, but also puts a premium on the development of imagination and the refinement of the sensibilities.” Elliot Eisner, Ph. D., Professor of Education and Art, Stanford University; Past President, American Educational Research Association; Author, Curriculum and Cognition: Educating Artistic Vision