The Perry Preschool Story

12/31/2009

Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.
John Dewey (1859 - 1952), American psychologist

The Perry Preschool Study continues to have a major influence on early childhood policies around the world. In Early Lessons, Emily Hanford takes a look back at how it all began. She discusses how David Weikart got the inspiration...

"He was a school system administrator in the small city of Ypsilanti, Michigan, back in the late 1950s. When he took the job, he was shocked to discover how many poor African-American children were doing badly in school. A lot of them were being assigned to special education classes, getting held back, and failing to graduate from high school. Weikart wanted to do something about it, but school officials did not share his enthusiasm. They didn’t want him changing things, messing around in their schools."

So rather than change the schools, Weikart decided to invent a new kind of school — a preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds. His hope was that preschool could boost children’s IQs. This was a radical notion. Most people believed everyone was born with a certain amount of intelligence, a quotient, and it never changed. They had faith in IQ tests to measure intelligence. And they thought intelligence mattered a lot, that it was the key to success in school, and life."

Click here to check out the rest of the story, hear the radio documentary, read articles about preschool past and present, and see slide shows of the preschool experience.

Over 100 Articles on Play

That's right, Exchange's Value of Play CD Book includes over 100 articles from Exchange and the HighScope Foundation covering these issues...

The Purpose of Play

HighScope Perspectives on Play

Advocating for the Value of Play

Play in Practice

Taking Play Outdoors

Play Materials

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