The goal of this project is to improve the self-regulation skills of Detroit preschool and kindergarten students. Multiple studies have shown that self-regulation supports the ability of children — particularly those from low-income families — to adjust behavior, control impulses, and engage in learning. HighScope is partnering with Detroit Public Schools Community District to enhance, pilot, implement, and test for evidence of effectiveness two key elements of the HighScope Curriculum, Plan-Do-Review® (PDR) and Conflict Resolution (CR), which offer a promising way to support the development of students’ self-regulation skills.
The HighScope Curriculum was tested in the landmark HighScope Perry Preschool Study. The study’s most significant lifetime effects were participants’ increased social responsibility and reduced involvement in crime. It is speculated that PDR and CR were the “key ingredients” contributing to these outcomes. Project objectives are to 1) revise PDR/CR by infusing PDR/CR training and coaching with new self-regulation research and by developing a resource kit that supports teachers’ implementation of the newly enhanced PDR/CR; 2) assess usability/feasibility of the enhanced PDR/CR; 3) train and coach teachers to implement the enhanced PDR/CR with fidelity; and 4) examine the preliminary impact of the enhanced PDR/CR. The results of this study will be an enhanced PDR/CR for preschool and a newly developed version of PDR/CR for kindergarten.
Expected outcomes include teachers’ successful implementation of the enhanced PDR/CR and students’ increased self-regulation, which may also support academic achievement. Special project features include extending PDR/CR to support school transition, training internal Detroit Public Schools Community District trainers, and distributing 100 new resource kits to sustain the intervention after the grant ends. Other partners include Oakland University and Michigan State University (evaluators).