Our Association
The Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA) is a nonprofit membership organization of independent Waldorf schools and institutes in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. It was founded in 1968 to support Waldorf schools and institutes in North America.
Our vision is to strengthen and nurture Waldorf education and to advance Waldorf principles worldwide.
Our mission is to support the healthy self-development and thriving future of independent Waldorf schools and institutes in North America.
Inspired by AWSNA’s Principles for Waldorf Schools and Institutes, we foster inclusive and collaborative work, guide responsible self-reflection and accreditation, advance new and evolving practices, and bring greater visibility to Waldorf education.
Our work is based on four core values, which are:
- Evoke and develop Quality and Integrity in everything we attempt and achieve
- Promote Strength and Resourcefulness in every school community
- Foster, encourage, and support inspired Leadership and Colleagueship
- Work towards conscious and collaborative human Community and Relationships
AWSNA is a part of the international Waldorf movement that includes 1,090 Waldorf / Steiner schools in 64 countries, and 1,857 Waldorf kindergartens in more than 70 countries. Waldorf associations and teacher training centers for Waldorf educators exist all over the world. In North America, there are more than 160 member schools and 13 teacher training institutes.
OUR ORGANIZATION
AWSNA IS COMPRISED OF EIGHT GEOGRAPHIC REGIONS WHOSE MEMBERS WORK TOGETHER AND SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER.
Each full member school and institute of the association is represented by its delegates. The schools are responsible for supporting one another. Regional delegates' circles carry the work of the association regionally and locally.
The schools and institutes in each region are represented by a member of the leadership council who guides the work of the association regionally on behalf of the whole association. This council, which also includes representation from the Teacher Education Delegates Circle, the Pedagogical Section Council, and the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America, fosters the spirit of collaboration both regionally and continentally.
The association is led by a team of three executive directors, each with specific focus areas: Membership, Advancement, and Operations & Member Resources.
The work of the association is overseen by a board of trustees who are responsible for strategic planning and are the legal and professional guardians of the organization.
Strategic Objectives Year-At-A-Glance
AWSNA is not a governing or management agency. It does not enter into the internal matters or day-to-day operations of its member schools.
Each school has its own governing body, i.e., a board of trustees. The board is accountable for the institution's financial stability and future. A board’s primary tasks are long-range and strategic. Operational matters, particularly disputes involving parents, students, or teachers, are the responsibility of each school’s administration.
As such, concerns related to an individual school should be voiced to school administration in accordance with the school's established compliance or grievance procedures.
Honoring and Embracing Human Dignity
We celebrate the diversity of humankind and pursue a path of human dignity and equity in organizational, leadership, and pedagogical realms. We are engaged in understanding and addressing the current and historical roots of inequity. These endeavors are of spiritual, moral, and educational importance and are rooted in Waldorf education’s founding vision, which included addressing contemporary social struggles within the context of education.
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Early Childhood Education
I am the world
Grades Education
I love the world
High School Education
I know the world
