How David P Weikart’s HighScope Summer Camp for (Gifted) Teenagers became a sustainable model for my later work in special education and inclusive education

Abstract

The HighScope Summer Camp for Teenagers founded by David P Weikart in 1963, and operated until 2002, was an international, inclusive gifted education program that aided many young people, including those from disadvantaged social strata, in their personal development and shaped them in a special way. The six-week program stood for a high degree of structure and high expectations from the youth with regard to active thinking, problem solving and responsible action in the sciences, arts, and in social intercourse. Diversity and social justice were organically integrated, as was closeness to nature and a hands-on approach. The author worked on David P Weikart’s team during the summer of 1984 and then helped to found a similar program in Germany. The author’s personal HighScope experience remained intact over the decades and an effective background source of inspiration and orientation for his work in special and inclusive education.