Current educational research affirms
	what Waldorf educators have known for nearly a century:  imaginative play is vital in the early lives of children, and beyond.  Our students' needs for free play are fully met, with an early childhood curriculum that is rich in imaginative play.  We continue to cultivate students' capacities for imagination throughout the elementary years, with arts and music seamlessly integrated into the academic curriculum.  We frequently update this page with research & commentary from a variety of sources, from mainstream media to publications from the Waldorf movement, so check back often for the latest perspectives.

	The Creativity Crisis
	American creativity scores are falling. Kyung Hee Kim at the College of William & Mary discovered this after analyzing almost 300,000 Torrance scores of children and adults. Kim found creativity scores had been steadily rising, just like IQ scores, until 1990. Since then, creativity scores have consistently inched downward. “It’s very clear, and the decrease is very significant,” Kim says. It is the scores of younger children in America—from kindergarten through sixth grade—for whom the decline is “most serious…. It’s too early to determine conclusively why U.S. creativity scores are declining. One likely culprit is the number of hours kids now spend in front of the TV and playing video games rather than engaging in creative activities. Another is the lack of creativity development in our schools. In effect, it’s left to the luck of the draw who becomes creative: there’s no concerted effort to nurture the creativity of all children."

	Fixated by Screens, but Seemingly Nothing Else
	(NY Times, 5/9/2011) In her column “18 and Under,” Dr. Perri Klass examines the relationship between screen time and ADHD in today’s youth. She cites Dr. Christopher Lucas, associate professor of child psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine, who suggests that screen time and video gaming develops the wrong kind of attention: “It’s not sustained attention in the absence of rewards,” he said. “It’s sustained attention with frequent intermittent rewards.”

	Why Preschool Shouldn't Be Like School: slate.com reports

	Research Roundup: The Importance of Play
	A resounding theme in recent research and commentary on education is that children in contemporary U.S. schools are starved for play, and the consequences to their development -- academic, social, and emotional -- are significant.

	Kindergarten Crisis: What Happened to Play?
	"By age 10 children in play-based kindergartens excel over others in reading, math, social and emotional learning, creativity, oral expression, industriousness, and imagination."  Alliance for Childhood

	Free Play & Self Control: NPR Morning Edition
	Research continues to highlight the relationship between free play and the development of self-control in young children.

	The Failure of Standardized Testing: NY Times
	Why "teaching to the test" fails our kids.

	Too Much Pressure?
	NPR looks at academic stress among schoolchildren.

	Education in the News: Adele Diamond on NPR
	Cognitive Developmental Neuroscientist Adele Diamond
	Developmental Neuroscientist on What Works

	In the news...
	Recent articles highlight education challenges
	Articles of interest: NY Times and Boston Globe

	NYT article: "Wired for Distraction"
	Read about growing up in a digital world.

	Benefits of Nature: NY Times
	Class is Back to Nature, Rain or Shine, NY Times commentary on nature based aspect of Waldorf kindergartens (11/29/09)

	NY Times Style Magazine 4/8/10
	'Soul Man' What didn't Rudolf Steiner Do?
	Rudolf Steiner, 'Soul Man'

	More Waldorf Education in the News
	San Francisco Area Parents Say 'No' to Tech.
	Too Much Tech!