Set to receive $3M grant from US Department of Education
YPSILANTI, MI, November 22, 2016 — HighScope Educational Research Foundation has been announced as one of 15 highest-rated applicants in the Investing in Innovation (i3) competition. Selected from 385 submissions, HighScope will receive up to $3 million from the US Department of Education to promote self-regulation skills for preschool and kindergarten students in the city of Detroit.
“We are grateful for this opportunity to improve students’ lives,” said HighScope President Cheryl Polk, PhD. “Developing self-regulation in young students has been shown to lead to future academic achievement. This grant will allow us to build on HighScope’s Perry Preschool Study results and apply the newest research on self-regulation to develop the skills children need to set them up for success later in life.”
As an i3 development grant recipient, HighScope must secure matching private sector funds before beginning enhancements on two of its signature curriculum components —plan-do-review (PDR) and conflict resolution (CR) — which will support students’ self-regulation skills, including their abilities to control impulses, make plans, problem-solve, and reflect on their actions. The project will be conducted in partnership with the Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) and will serve approximately 2,024 students across 88 classrooms.
The grant will also be used to integrate teacher participation in the development process and support successful implementation of the enhanced PDR/CR in their classrooms. Additional focuses will be on sustaining the intervention after the grant ends by educating families about the importance of self-regulation and training DPSCD early childhood staff as enhanced PDR/CR trainers.
HighScope will work with researchers from Oakland University in developing enhancements to PDR/CR and strengthening its implementation. To research the effectiveness, HighScope will partner with Michigan State University researchers who will serve as independent evaluators. The results of this project will ensure teachers have the tools they need to increase students’ self-regulation abilities to support their academic achievement and to help them build the skills needed for lifelong success.
About HighScope
HighScope Educational Research Foundation is an early childhood leader in pursuit of a world where all children have the opportunity to develop socially, emotionally, and cognitively so they have satisfying, productive lives. HighScope supports the development of young children from birth through age eight by developing and providing quality, research-based, high-quality curricula, assessments, professional learning, and other supports in the context of families and their communities.
HighScope’s roots extend back to the Perry Preschool Project (1962–1967). Launched in Ypsilanti, Michigan and led by Ypsilanti Schools psychologist David Weikart and Perry Elementary School principal Charles Eugene Beatty, the Perry Preschool Project was one of the first early childhood programs in the United States intentionally designed to increase school success for preschool children living in poverty. Today, HighScope’s work can be found in classrooms throughout the United States and in educational settings around the globe.
Media Contact:
Tara Baliat
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