Weikart takes a position as psychologist for the Ypsilanti School District, and partners with district administrators to launch the Perry Preschool Project and plan the High/ Scope Camp in response to the needs of high-potential, disadvantaged youth.

Dave establishes the High/Scope Foundation to provide a laboratory for testing ideas and validating the model approach. The model preschool and first preschool curriculum are launched.

A young Oberlin student, Karen Johnson (Pittman), joins the summer staff for 3 summers. She rethinks her goal to become a classroom teacher.

The High/Scope Foundation takes over operation of the camp.

High/Scope Camp is rebranded the Institute for IDEAS (Initiative, Diversity, Expectations, Achievement, Service) under the direction of Dave Bruno as the one-month program partnership expands to include students from Detroit Public Schools.

Learning Comes to Life is published in 1996, documenting the methods developed over three decades at the IDEAS “laboratory.” Core ideas informing the youth work methods training are documented in this book.

High/Scope expands partnership with community-based programs, establishing the Youth-Adult Training Institute to train adults and youth together based on methods developed in the IDEAS program.

The Adolescent Division pilots a TOT model with youth program managers.

Karen begins a regular column in Youth Today, using the vehicle to communicate active learning to the broader field.

Funded by the Wallace Foundation, the Center develops Stronger Staff/Stronger Youth and creates the first national network of intermediaries.

Karen serves on the Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development, which issued the report A Matter of Time.

Karen and Merita leave AED to head up the President’s Crime Prevention Council, chaired by Al Gore. The council publishes 50 Ways to Promote Youth Development, surveying federal programs.

Karen joins Rick Little in taking a leave of absence to launch the America’s Promise Alliance.

The Forum establishes the International Learning Group on Youth and Community Development.

The Forum spins off from the International Youth Foundation, becoming a separate nonprofit and setting up its DC office at the Cady-Lee House.

The High/Scope Foundation receives funding from the William T. Grant Foundation to validate the Youth Program Quality Assessment.

Karen Pittman joins the board of High/Scope, helping to connect the evolving knowledge assets of the Adolescent Division work to a national audience.

The joint venture – The David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality – is publicly launched.  Charles Smith is named as  its inaugural director and all staff are housed at the Forum.

The Forum’s Ready by 21 Quality Counts initiative, a national effort to develop quality assurance and evaluations of evidence-based programs, provides an opportunity to routinize the methods and assessment processes. The initiative partners with seven cities and five states.

The Weikart Center is the established leader in program quality with several national partners.  The Weikart Center’s reach is in 140 systems, 4800 sites, and ~31,000 staff.

The Forum publishes the Creating Good Schools Observation Tool.

The Forum publishes Building Quality Improvement Systems and Measuring  Youth Program Quality: A Guide to Assessment Tools.  The YPQI was highlighted as the best in field.  The report is updated in  2009.

The Quality Counts initiative provides an opportunity to combine the Forum’s Ready by 21 ideas, training  and partnership technical assistance with the Weikart Center’s quality improvement systems approach.

The Forum begins offering Ready by 21 Institutes in DC and across the country.

As the Quality Counts initiative wraps up, local partners are co-convened with the Ready by 21 Southeast Challenge sites.  A number of communities continue their quality work as part of the Ready by 21 Southeast Challenge.

The 1st Ready by 21 National Meeting is held in Nashville, launching an annual cross-systems learning event bridging research, policy, practice, and partnerships.

In partnership with the National Collaboration for Youth, the Forum publishes Invitation to the Big Picture: Implementing a Local Collaboration for Youth in Your Community.

The Big Picture Approach (BPA) and Weikart  teams are engaged by the Wallace Foundation to shape work with six communities involved in the Partnerships for Social Emotional Learning Initiative.

The Policy team develops the Evidence-Based Policy and Practice Initiative, creating proactive strategies to drive the next generation of governmental policy innovations designed to use evidence to improve program quality.

Working across units, the Forum establishes a partnership with Tom Akiva at the University of Pittsburgh. This partnership will facilitate national thought leadership, identify research/practice partnership opportunities, develop micro-credentials, and offer a senior fellows program.

The Forum formally joins the Science of Learning and Development Alliance as a principal partner.