HighscopeEdit
HighScope is a widely implemented approach to early childhood education that emphasizes active learning within a structured, highly observable framework. Developed in the United States during the 1960s and refined through decades of classroom practice and evaluation, the HighScope method centers on children learning by doing, planning their own activities, carrying them out, and reflecting on what they learned. The core idea is that children flourish when they have regular opportunities to explore, make choices, and receive guided feedback in a predictable daily routine. This approach has been applied in public preschools, Head Start programs, and private early childhood settings around the world, and it remains a reference point for curriculum design in early education.
HighScope blends child-initiated exploration with a deliberate structure that makes learning visible and accountable. A distinctive feature is the plan-do-review cycle, through which children, with teacher support, map out activities, execute them, and then discuss outcomes. The classroom environment is organized into clearly defined areas to support purposeful play and collaboration. Teachers engage in intentional, language-rich interactions, guiding rather than directing, and they track progress through ongoing observation and documentation. These elements, together with a consistent daily routine, aim to cultivate autonomy, problem-solving, social skills, and readiness for formal schooling. Plan-Do-Review and active learning are central ideas in the framework, and the approach is often described in terms of Key Developmental Indicators (Key Developmental Indicators).
History and origins
HighScope traces its origins to the work of researchers and educators in the Perry neighborhood of Detroit, where the Perry Preschool Project in the 1960s investigated how early intervention could influence long-run outcomes for disadvantaged children. The program’s founder, David Weikart (often cited as Dr. David P. Weikart), helped translate the lessons from the Perry Preschool Project into a structured curriculum model that could be adopted in other settings. The model was further developed and formalized by the HighScope Foundation in Michigan, which promoted training, research, and dissemination of the approach. The project’s roots in urban, low-income education have shaped debates about how best to expand high-quality early education in diverse communities, including Head Start programs and various private-public partnerships.
Core principles and curriculum
HighScope rests on five main components that practitioners implement in classrooms and programs:
Active participatory learning: Children learn best when they actively explore materials, ask questions, and test ideas through hands-on experiences. Active learning
Plan-Do-Review: A daily cycle in which children plan a chosen activity, carry it out, and then reflect on outcomes with peers and adults. This process builds executive function, language, and social skills. Plan-Do-Review
A consistent daily routine: A predictable schedule provides stability and a sense of safety, which supports engagement and transitions between activities.
A prepared learning environment: Classrooms are organized into defined centers and spaces that encourage purposeful play, collaboration, and discovery. The arrangement of materials and activities is intentional to promote exploration and skill-building. Learning environment
Purposeful teacher-child interaction: Teachers provide scaffolding, model language, and guide children toward deeper inquiry, while giving children space to lead and make choices. Teacher–child interaction
These elements are typically implemented with a portfolio or other documentation approach to track progress toward Key Developmental Indicators and to inform planning and parental communication. The approach emphasizes both cognitive skills and social-emotional development, arguing that readiness for school depends as much on self-regulation and collaboration as on basic literacy and numeracy.
Curriculum delivery and settings
HighScope is used in a range of early education settings, from publicly funded preschools to private childcare centers and program-to-school transitions. In practice, classrooms adopt age-appropriate versions of the plan-do-review cycle, tailor activities to the local population, and align with local standards and accountability measures. The method has often been integrated into Head Start curricula, where leaders seek to combine structured learning with supports for families and communities. Families are encouraged to participate, and teachers document progress to support school readiness and, where applicable, transitions to elementary grades. The approach is disseminated through professional development and coaching to ensure fidelity to its core principles. Head Start and early childhood education authorities have cited HighScope as one option among several research-based curricula designed to improve early learning outcomes.
In addition to formal preschools, the HighScope model has informed after-school and community programs that aim to extend constructive, supervised activity into non-school hours. The framework’s emphasis on planning, doing, and reflecting makes it adaptable to various cultural and socio-economic contexts, while maintaining a consistent structure that parents and educators can understand.
Evidence and outcomes
The HighScope approach has a substantial research footprint, built on early studies and subsequent program evaluations. The Perry Preschool Project in the 1960s and 1970s is the most famous early example, showing significant long-term benefits for participants, particularly those from low-income backgrounds and minority communities in urban settings. Follow-up studies reported better high school completion rates, higher earnings, and lower crime involvement among participants, with effects most pronounced for the children who faced the greatest risk at program entry. Perry Preschool Project
Beyond Perry, researchers have examined HighScope implementations in various contexts, including Head Start and community-based programs. When fidelity to the curriculum and high-quality teacher training are present, schools implementing HighScope tend to observe improvements in language, literacy, and numeracy readiness, as well as in social competencies and self-regulation. Critics note that outcomes can be highly sensitive to program quality, staffing stability, and the broader educational environment, and that gains are sometimes smaller or less durable when programs are implemented imperfectly or in settings with weaker supports. Nevertheless, supporters contend that well-implemented HighScope programs offer meaningful, measurable benefits and a solid basis for productive school transitions. What Works Clearinghouse reviews and other syntheses have highlighted the importance of implementation quality in determining outcomes. Early childhood education
Debates and controversies
HighScope, like any major early education approach, sits in the middle of broader policy and practice debates about how best to prepare young children for school and for life. Proponents emphasize that HighScope provides a disciplined framework that helps children develop autonomy, problem-solving skills, and social competence—capacities that have long-run value in both school and the workforce. They argue that the approach is evidence-based when implemented with fidelity, and that it can be efficient when scaled through targeted professional development and coaching.
critics often raise concerns about cost, fidelity, and scalability. High-quality implementation requires ongoing staff training, coaching, and careful classroom management; programs without sustained support may see diminished benefits. Some opponents worry about the resource demands of maintaining high standards across many classrooms or across diverse populations. They may advocate for targeted, outcome-focused investments, parental choice, and school models that can be adapted quickly to local needs without large centralized mandates. Supporters of locality-driven education policy argue that HighScope’s emphasis on accountability and evidence makes it a sensible option for programs seeking demonstrable results while preserving flexibility at the school level. In debates over universal early education, critics and advocates alike stress the need for rigorous evaluation, transparent reporting of costs and outcomes, and a clear connection between investments and measurable improvements in readiness and long-run success. In discussing critiques, some readers view dismissals of active learning as underestimating the role of discipline and structure in forming durable skills; proponents respond that the HighScope framework actually promotes discipline and self-regulation through its planning and reflection processes, not through rigid compliance.
In the broader context of early education policy, HighScope is frequently part of discussions about federal and state funding, accountability, parental choice, and program quality standards. Proponents argue that targeted, well-supported implementations can yield durable benefits and justify the costs, while critics focus on the logistics of scaling high-quality programs and ensuring consistent results across populations. The ongoing debates reflect a balance between the desire for accountable, evidence-driven practice and the aim to provide accessible, affordable early education to as many children as possible. Head Start early childhood education