David P. Weikart

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David P. Weikart (August 26, 1931 – December 9, 2003) was an American psychologist and founder of the High/Scope Cognitively-Oriented Curriculum, an early childhood education program.

Weikart was born on August 26, 1931, in Youngstown, Ohio. His parents were Hubert and Catherine Weikart. One of four children, he had an older sister and two younger brothers. Weikart's parents were social workers and teachers with a deep commitment to helping others – a commitment their son embraced as his own. He attended public school in Youngstown, graduating from South High School in 1949. He enrolled in Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio, in the fall of 1949 and graduated in 1953 with a major in psychology and a minor in zoology. Throughout the college years, he worked at a YMCA camp in Rochester, New York, as a counselor and program director. In the fall of 1953 Weikart enlisted in the United States Marine Officer Training Corps and graduated as a lieutenant. He was honorably discharged in December 1955 after serving as a platoon commander in Korea and Japan.

During the spring of 1956, Weikart taught English and biology at Canfield High School in Canfield, Ohio, and also attended Youngstown University, taking courses in education. In the fall of 1956 he enrolled in a University of Michigan joint PhD program in Education and Psychology sponsored by the School of Education and Department of Psychology. At the University of Michigan, Weikart met his future wife, Phyllis Saxton, then a master's candidate in the Department of Health and Physical Education. They were married in the summer of 1957 in Shelton, Connecticut.

In the fall of 1957 Weikart began working part-time as a school psychologist for the Ypsilanti Public Schools in Ypsilanti, Michigan; he began full-time work there the following year. About the same time, he and his wife worked as staff in leadership positions at several summer camps until they founded High/Scope Camp in 1963. The couple had four daughters, all born between 1959 and 1963. Juggling full-time work, summer camp activities, a new family, and work on his PhD, Weikart received his degree from the University of Michigan in 1966.

In 1996 Weikart received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Oberlin College in recognition of his achievements. He died December 9, 2003 from leukemia.

Source: High/Scope Educational Research Foundation