Waldorf schools are "self-administered." Looking to build a model of collaborative leadership, the College or Council of Teachers, is the primary governing body working to direct the destiny of the school. These governing bodies of teachers in conjunction with Boards of Trustees in the United States, work to keep schools independent from government incursion on curriculum, testing, hiring and standards in Waldorf schools. Because all Waldorf schools are independent, even from each other, every Waldorf school is a little different from every other Waldorf school.
Waldorf schools use differing governance structures. However, Waldorf schools generally give their teachers the right to make decisions about the school's pedagogy.