I have just finished reading this article, from the RSA and it is a very interesting and informative lecture. It has cleared up a lot for me in relation to the educational practices of Waldorf schools, what they teach when and especially why and into what depth at each developmental stage of the growing child.
I think that this lecture would be a great introduction for new parents interested in Waldorf education for their children, ...maybe in a little more summed up version.

One thing that stood out to me, already in the title of the lecture, is that the translation unfortunately does not do full justice to the original text (side note- I am pretty fluent in German)...., here is my reasoning, the title "The Education of the Child in the Light of Anthroposophy", is already differently translated than in the original text... in German there is no mention of the word Anthroposophy at all, but it is called: "The Education of the Child in the Face of Humanities", I hope this makes sense in English.
The meaning of the title already indicates a somewhat different view in regards to the text, it is not specific to Anthroposophy, which the English translation makes it sound like, but it considers the humanities over all.
This I think is important to consider when reading the text!
The word Anthroposophy is actually used only twice in the original text in the last paragraph of the lecture, which in the English translation are in the last two paragraphs.

What I found interesting in the last paragraph specifically, was the concern of Steiner that Anthroposophy might be regarded as a "religious sectarianism for a few cranks and enthusiasts", if the Anthroposophes themselves only theorize about the teachings but not let the educational philosophy show actively results in regards to the relationships of life.
Steiner believed if Anthroposophy was practiced rather than talked about people would welcome Anthroposophy with sympathy and understanding, basically that it would prove itself as a philosophy for a holistic teaching method with time and with well educated students, without the need of so called "scientific prove" and being dissected by scientific theory to proof its validity.

Looking at a lot of issues raised by critics of Waldorf education today I have a feeling that Steiners believe in the understanding and openness of society was overestimated and that what a lot of critics actually want are more theories and discussions rather than experience showing them the validity of the teaching philosophy.
It is important to understand the philosophy behind the concept, but maybe too much thought is confusing and brings up more questions and doubt, especially to the critics, where "the line of thought", so to speak, is broken up into pieces and basically dissected and put into wrong contexts.

Maybe the Anthroposophical concept behind Waldorf education, rather than Anthroposophy itself, should be more approachable to parents and to the public?
Would this maybe ease the minds of critics, or skeptical parents?

I have interacted with and read the concerns of a lot of Waldorf critics. For the most part, the main problem (in my opinion) is that there is a lack of transparency. People see the wonderful qualities and effects of Waldorf, but then they feel misled when they later hear of the esoteric background. They feel like the schools hide all the anthroposophy from them!

But I'm not sure how to approach that issue. I can't imagine being a parent, knowing nothing about Steiner, and being presented with the complexity of anthroposophy. I try to think of an equivalent situation with other schools, and I usually end up thinking of Catholic schools. Except...the people who send their kids to Catholic schools are already Catholic!

(I'm not saying anthroposophy is a religion, but there is a similar level of complexity and spirituality.)

So how do you balance letting the proof shine through and giving the actual background? And I think it is increasingly important to show the "validity" of Waldorf, even if the actual Waldorf method isn't so quantifiable

I think that somewhere in the midst of all the strong opinions of the waldorf critics there are some pointers to genuine problems with the way waldorf education is presented. But extremism makes it hard to spot the pointers and extremism makes it impossible to have thoughtful discussions on what to do.

Online discussion seems to slide easily into real nastiness, which doesn't help.

I'm not sure how to deal with the anthroposophy issue, either.

Part of the problem is that anthroposophists don't see anthroposophy as crazy or dangerous, so when people make accusations they are easily discounted. Catholics who see the church being attacked as sinister have the same reaction. Huh? What are you talking about? What sinister conspiracy?

The thing is.... I went for 10 years to a Waldorf school, we never really touched Anthroposophy and we as the students never felt that there was a conspiracy, nor did my parents (or any other parent) ever think there was a conspiracy.
My parents are not Anthroposophes either but they liked the way the school educates children and took the few things that they did not agree with just as a different opinion. My parents knew that we as students and them as parents were never forced to believe anything specific in regards to Anthroposophy, they saw and still see Anthroposophy as another way of looking at the humanities and so do I (including most other Waldorf graduates that I know). This is why I thought that the translation of the previous text is a little misleading, there are various believes and philosophies that look at life in different ways, that is also why Waldorf schools encourage free and independent thinking, at least a 'normal' Waldorf school.
The humanities do not only encompass Anthroposophy, this is another reason I think where a lot of people go wrong, todays western societies at large think that just because somebody delves deeper into the meanings of life or does things consciously is automatically weired or belongs to a sect,....unless it is naturally discussed on Opera. (Sorry, I just had to take the opportunity. )

I think it would be a good idea if new parents were given a tour not only of the school, but also a little of the Anthroposphical concept underlaying Waldorf education.
Kind of like, here you go have a look around the school if you are interested and if you are seriously considering this school I am sure you would like to know about our curriculum and why we educate the children the way we do.
I think a lot of Waldorf schools operate this way already, but for those who do not I think this would help to lift the veil of the so called "conspiracy".

Like you said though Henitsirk, I can't imagine being a parent and not knowing anything about Steiner before sending my child to a Waldorf school!

Just wanted to add:

Knowing about Steiner should mean knowing about the real man, not some of the crazy rumors which are spread around about him. On the other hand, the overly worshipful attitude of some anthroposophists doesn't lead to helpful insights and understanding, either.

If someone is looking for an intro to Steiner's life and work by someone with a spiritual background (not an anthroposophist), I recommend Rudolf Steiner: An Introduction to His Life and Work by Gary Lachman.