David Weikart :
"'David Weikart is one of the true fathers of early childhood education in America."
David Weikart was born on August 26,1931, in Youngstown, Ohio. His parents were Hubert and Catherine Weikart, social workers and teachers with a deep commitment to helping others.
In 1949, David graduated from South High School in Youngstown. In 1953, Weikart graduated from the Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, with a major in psychology and a minor in zoology. While attending college, Weikart worked as a counselor and a program director at a YMCA camp in Rochester, New York.
Later in 1953, Weikart joined the United States Marine Officer Training Corps and graduated as a lieutenant. After serving as a platoon commander in Korea and Japan, Weikart was honorably discharged in December 1955.
In the summer of 1957, David married his wife, Phyllis Saxton in Sheldon Connecticut. The couple then had four daughters.
In the fall of 1957, Weikart began working part-time as a school psychologist for the Ypsilanti Public Schools in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The following year, Weikart began working full-time in the Ypsilanti schools.
In 1962, he collaborated with a committee of elementary education leaders to create the Perry Preschool Project. At about the same time, Weikart and his wife began working in leadership positions at several summer camps until they founded the High/Scope Camp in 1963.
After years of hard work, Weikart received his PhD from the University of Michigan in 1966. Also in 1966, Weikart received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Oberlin College in recognition of his many achievements.
In 1970, Weikart left the Ypsilanti schools to establish the High Scope Educational Research Foundation.
On December 9, 2003, at the age of 72, Weikart passed away during his battle with Leukemia.
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"Through active learning — having direct and immediate experiences and deriving meaning from those experiences through reflection — young children construct knowledge that helps them make sense of their world. The High/Scope preschool approach has encouraged children to develop initiative. Through the daily plan-do-review process, children express their intentions, carry them out, and then reflect on what they have done. As active learners, children develop their own interests, generate ways to answer their questions, and share their discoveries with others. Supported by adults who are genuinely interested in what they say and do, children are able to construct their own understanding of the world around them and gain a sense of control and personal satisfaction. The High/Scope Curriculum works because it empowers children to follow through on their interests purposefully and creatively. In the process, children develop initiative, interest, curiosity, resourcefulness, independence, and responsibility — habits of mind that will serve them well throughout their lives."
-Mary Hohmann and David P. Weikart in Educating Young Children
