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 SDP Newsline

October 2011

In This Issue
Merrow: Comer Schools "Beacons of Hope"
Comer SDP Focus of Japanese Researcher
Dr. Comer Brings Developmental Focus to College Board Panel

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Comer's on the Move in Hartsville, South Carolina
By Cynthia R. Savo
Tara King
Tara Jenkins King

The bulletin board in Tara King's new office at Washington Street Elementary School sums up the status of the Comer Process implementation in Hartsville, South Carolina: Comer's on the Move! Much has been accomplished in the year since a group of education and business leaders met with Dr. Comer and the SDP faculty to discuss implementing the Comer SDP in Hartsville.

   

In the five months since Tara became the Darlington County School District's Comer Facilitator, she and a group of Hartsville educators have visited New Haven; school teams have completed three of the four days of Comer 101 training; School Planning and Management Teams are up and running; and teachers are integrating the six Developmental Pathways into their classrooms. Teachers and administrators have reported that they are already seeing a positive impact on student learning and behavior since they began implementing the Comer Process.

 

"Tara brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, great people skills, and energy to her role as the district Comer Facilitator," said Camille Cooper, the SDP's director of Teaching and Learning and the Implementation Coordinator for Hartsville. "She has been a classroom teacher, a master teacher, the district's elementary curriculum facilitator, and a program leader."      

 

Tara is planning to return to New Haven this fall to shadow Comer District Facilitator, Shelia Brantley. "This is a great opportunity especially since we have already started our teams here," said King. "I think Sheila would do a fantastic job of coaching me on how to coach the teams."     

   

Partnership for Unparalleled Local Scholastic Excellence (PULSE)  

Implementation of the Comer School Development Program in four Hartsville schools is one component of the Partnership for Unparalleled Local Scholastic Excellence (PULSE) initiative, a unique public-private partnership of the Darlington County School District, Coker College, Sonoco, and the South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics. The four pilot Comer schools are Southside Early Learning Center, Washington Street Elementary School, Thornwell School for the Arts, and West Hartsville Elementary School.

 

Sonoco, a global packaging company headquartered in Hartsville, recently launched the TEACH Foundation to administer the PULSE initiative  which they are funding with a $5 million grant that will be paid over five years.    

  

Hartville Educators Visit New Haven 

In June thirteen Hartsville educators spent three days in New Haven learning about the Comer Process. They met with Dr. James P. Comer, members of the SDP faculty, principals, teachers, instructional coaches, and Shelia Brantley. They also visited three Comer schools--Columbus Family Academy, Davis Street Arts and Academics Magnet School, and Nathan Hale School--to see the SDP in operation.

 

On the first day of the visit Dr. Comer gave a brief overview of the SDP and talked about how his experiences in his family and community informed his life's work. He said that he is excited about the potential for real change in Hartsville, because the educational, business, and civic leadership have enthusiastically embraced the SDP.

 

Dr. Comer and Hartsville group
 

"They had an opportunity to learn about the SDP from the founder in an informal but very personal way," said Cooper. "They were able to dialogue with him over lunch about how to introduce the SDP to their school communities."

 

The four school teams also had an opportunity to review draft copies of the contextual analysis reports prepared by the SDP faculty. The purpose of the contextual analysis is to identify concerns and challenges to be addressed in the SDP implementation plan that is co-developed by the SDP faculty, school leadership teams, and central office administrators.

   

The Hartsville school teams included Patricia A. Toney, principal of Southside Early Learning Center, and Stephanie Hall, a pre-K special education teacher; Julie Mahn, principal of Thornwell School for the Arts, and coordinating teacher, Wanda Govan-Augustus; Valerie Sawyer, principal of Washington Street Elementary School, and first grade teacher, Francena Johnson; and Dr. Kay Howell, principal of West Hartsville Elementary School, and 5th grade ELA teacher, Kendra Woods.


The group also included the
Darlington County School District administrators who will lead and manage the SDP implementation at the system level, including Linda G. Graham, the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, and Emily Lunn, the director of Federal programs.

Dr. Susan Henderson, chair of the education department and the director of the teacher education program at Coker College, and Amanda Easterling, the director of education internships, also participated in the site visit. Forty Coker College students will do internships in the four Comer schools in Hartsville.

  

Visits to New Haven Comer Renewal Schools

Dr. Abie Benitez, the principal of Columbus Family Academy, invited the Hartsville group to the last PTO meeting of the school year, an event that was both festive and focused on children. The PTO elected new officers, families learned about a summer program, and received bags of books for their children. There was great food and Zumba, a Latin-inspired dance fitness program.

 

"The visit to Columbus Academy had a big impact on me," said Kendra Woods. "I loved the way they conducted their PTO. I felt like we had been invited into their family and culture." Wanda Govan-Augustus thought the family meeting was dynamic. "I felt the use of dance was a method for allowing parents to be in their comfort zone."

 

During the visit to  Davis Street Arts and Academics Interdistrict Magnet School, the Hartsville group met with principal, Lola Nathan, and administrative intern, Mary Derwin. They toured the new, state-of-the-art building and visited classrooms. Many parents were in the school working as volunteers, attending the college fair in the cafeteria, or participating in the orientation for parents of incoming kindergarten students.

 

"I liked the way the principal had such a good rapport with parents," said Francena Johnson. "She had them volunteering and doing all kinds of things within the school. As she said, they were her 'recruits.'"

  

The group visited Jess Atnes's 4th grade classroom where students were working in teams on skits about a variety of ethical dilemmas. Atnes had developed realistic scenarios of situations her students could imagine experiencing, like finding a popular video game that had fallen out of someone's backpack.   

  

Atnes was concerned that her students' behavior had been slipping. She wanted to get them back on track by having them focus on the ethical pathway. Based on the developmental characteristics of the age group, Dr. Fay E. Brown, the SDP's director of Child and Adolescent Development and the Implementation Coordinator for the New Haven Public Schools, recommended having the students do skits, an activity that would address their need for creative self-expression and their heightened awareness about fairness.

  

"I was impressed with the creativity of the student skits. The scenarios were real and important for every child. The importance of learning about each of the pathways was clearly shown through their commitment to help each other work through authentic situations," said Amanda Easterling.

 

When asked what impressed them most about their visit to Nathan Hale School, two things stood out: the shared leadership style of principal, Lucia Paolella, and the school's developmental focus.

  

"The principal of Nathan Hale School exemplified the characteristics of shared leadership," said Tara King. "She exerted effort to build leaders within her school, therefore everyone felt important and had a vested interest in the school and strived to make the school successful." For Stephanie Hall, Nathan Hale had "a true extended family feel."

  
During their visit to the Read 180/Turn Around Room, 6th grade students talked about how they had used the Developmental Pathways to learn how to work together, to solve problems, to control their emotions, and to improve in their academics. They had worked with their teachers and classmates to create a positive classroom environment.  As the year progressed they learned how to support one another to stay focused and on track.        

    

Dr. Kay Howell said that she thought "the student work demonstrating the six pathways was awesome. I took pictures, developed a PowerPoint of student work and have shared it with the West Hartsville staff."

 

Teacher Leaders Share Implementation Insights

Several teacher leaders from the Comer Renewal schools in New Haven shared their experiences with the Hartsville educators. The panel included Rose Evans, the library media specialist at Columbus; Lisa Pietrosimone, the math coach at Nathan Hale; Michele Alex, a 6th grade teachers at Benjamin Jepson; and Erin Michaud, the magnet coach and School Planning and Management Team chairperson at L.W. Beecher Museum Magnet School

 

Kendra Woods thought it was "very helpful to hear how well the process works in other schools. Hearing about the struggles and hurdles was also helpful." Wanda Govan-Augustus thought the panelists provided them with "great insights and practical strategies. They brought Comer to life."


Dialogue with New Haven Comer Principals  

One of the standout activities during their visit to New Haven was the opportunity talk with a group of New Haven principals whose schools are part of the Comer Renewal in New Haven. Sharing their knowledge, experience, and wisdom with the Hartsville educators were Kathy Russell Beck, L.W. Beecher Museum Magnet School; Dr. Abie Benitez, Columbus Family Academy; Dr. Michael Conte, Jr., East Rock Global Magnet School; Lucia Paolella, Nathan Hale School; and Peggy Pelley, Benjamin Jepson Magnet School.   

Fay, Shelia and the NH principals
L to R: Dr. Fay E. Brown, Kathy Russeell Beck, Dr. Abie Benitez, Shelia Brantley, Dr. Michael Conte, Lucia Paolella, and Peggy Pelley

 

"I enjoyed getting to eat lunch with principals and talk with them as well as ask questions about their perceptions of how staff accepted and related to Comer way of doing things," said Dr. Kay Howell.

"Having the opportunity to speak with principals already implementing this model was significant in my understanding of the model and its impact on the entire school community," said principal Valerie Sawyer. "Listening to these school leaders and hearing the success that they have had in their schools and students progressing was positive and encouraging."  

Merrow: Comer Schools "Beacons of Hope"
By Cynthia R. Savo

In his August 30, 2011 Huffington Post Taking Note column, Two Town Halls, and a Peek into the Future, PBS Newshour education correspondent, John Merrow expressed his dismay over media coverage of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute's Annual Martha's Vineyard Event, Separate but Unequal: Closing the Education Gap held on August 18th at the historic Old Whaling Church in Edgartown.

 

Merrow, who was one of 400 people in the town hall audience, described the event as "a slam-dunk winner from Day One. It had everything going for it: (1) It was organized by Henry Louis "Skip" Gates and his capable team at the Du Bois Institute at Harvard; (2) The moderator was the incomparable Charlayne Hunter-Gault; and (3) It had cast of heavyweights: Dr. James Comer, Diane Ravitch, Michelle Rhee and Professor Angel Harris of Princeton. Even the title of the event was reassuring: 'The Education Gap'--not 'The Achievement Gap'--a choice revealed that the organizers understood the complexity of the issue. This was certain to be substantive."

 

What troubled Merrow about the Washington Post article about the event was that it "made the afternoon sound like a polite disagreement between Rhee and Ravitch, who are well-known for their antagonism. Not a word about Comer, Harris, or Hunter-Gault or about the substance of the session."

 

Merrow called Comer Schools "beacons of hope" and said that Dr. Comer "brought the crowd to life with his eloquent explanation of why and how so many schools for poor children fail. It is, he asserted, largely because teachers and administrators do not understand child development and the needs of children. Time was, Comer told the audience, when most families were able to meet their children's developmental needs, but today, with about 35% of children living in poverty, the schools and teachers are overwhelmed. And, to make matters worse, schools of education do not prepare teachers to understand, let alone meet, developmental needs, Comer said."

Japanese National Ministry Funds Research on SDP

By Cynthia R. Savo

Yasuko Fujioka, M.A., a doctoral student and lecturer at Aichi Prefecture University in Nagoya, Japan, visited New Haven in August as a part of her research on the Comer School Development Program (SDP) for both her dissertation and a project funded by the Japanese National Ministry of Education. She is assessing the feasibility of  implementing the SDP in Japan schools.  

 

Camille, Yasuko and Fay
L to R: Camille Cooper, Yasuko Fujioka, and Dr. Fay E. Brown

 

Fujioka has been studying the Comer SDP for ten years. She became interested in Dr. Comer's work after reading his 1988 Scientific American article, "Educating Poor Minority Children."  "I have been deeply impressed with Comer's philosophy, holistic approach along the six developmental pathways, and the Schoolhouse model of the Comer Process," said Fujioka.  

   

"I believe that SDP has a lot of potential as a child-centered District Leadership Model that empowers children, teachers, parents, and all participants," said Fujioka. "I believe it has been proven that the consistent efforts of the SDP have provided the attractive learning opportunities for all children. I also believe that a holistic approach to whole child development might be realized in real education and can empower all students to become knowledgeable, active citizens. Such school climates might have the possibilities to seek further enlightenment that surpasses the policy trend toward judging by test scores."

 

Yasuko and Reggie

Yasuko Fujioka and Dr. Reginald Mayo

She was also impressed with the Social Skills Curriculum for Inner City Children, developed by the SDP pilot project at King School and also at Jackie Robinson Middle School when Dr. Reginald Mayo was the principal. Fujioka interviewed Dr. Mayo. who is the superintendent of the New Haven Public Schools to learn more about his early involvement with Dr. Comer and what was then called the New Haven Intervention Project. Dr. Mayo had spent a sabbatical year as a Fellow at the Yale Child Study Center studying with Dr. Comer. Mayo was the first principal in the United States to implement the SDP in a middle school and established New Haven's first in-house suspension program in the early 1980s.      

 

Fujioka and Dr. Mayo also discussed the Comer Renewal in New Haven which is a major focus of her dissertation and research for the Japanese National Ministry of Education.

 

In addition to Dr. Mayo, Fujioka also interviewed Dr. Abie Benitez, prinicpal of Columbus Family Academy; Lucia Paolella, principal of  Nathan Hale School and three members of her staff: administrative intern, Raeanne Reynolds, 4th grade teacher, Larissa Giordano,  and literacy coach, Krista Bergin. She also interviewed three members of the SDP faculty:  Dr. Fay E. Brown, Camille Cooper, and myself. Fujioka plans to return to New Haven in April so that she can see the Comer SDP in operation.

Dr. Comer Brings Developmental Focus to College Board Panel at Harvard

By Cynthia R. Savo

NCollege Board young men of color reportearly half of young men of color ages 15 to 24 who graduate from high school will end up unemployed, incarcerated, or dead. This shocking statistic is one of the many highlighted in two new reports that were released by the College Board Advocacy & Policy Center at an event in June at Harvard University. The reports are The Educational Experience of Young Men of Color: A Review of Research, Pathways and Progress and Capturing the Student Voice. Gaston Caperton, president of the College Board, and Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director,  

W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard, co-hosted the event.

 

Dr. James P. Comer was a panelist at the event that was moderated by Claudio Sanchez, education correspondent for National Public Radio (NPR). The distinguished panel also included actor and activist Hill Harper; State Representative Joaquin Castro of San Antonio, Texas; Neil Horikoshi, executive director of the Asian and Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund; Estela Mara Bensimon, co-director of the Center for Urban Education and a professor at the University of Southern California; and LeManuel "Lee" Bitsoi, program director of the Minority Action Plan (MAP) at Harvard Medical School.

 

The panelists discussed the educational challenges and disparate outcomes of different groups in the United States, and ways to improve college completion for Native American, Asian American/Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, and African American young men. Just 26 percent of African Americans, 24 percent of Native Americans and Pacific Islanders, and 18 percent of Hispanic Americans have at least an associate degree. In addition, in each racial and ethnic group young women are outperforming young men in attaining high school diplomas, with even more pronounced disparities at the post-secondary level.

 

"The College Board panel was an important step in bringing to light the severity of the growing problem that minority and poor white students and males in general are underachieving in our society," said Dr. Comer. "The panelists represented the ethnic and racial groups where under-achievement is a problem. They are doing very important work with African Americans, Southeast Asians, Native Americans, Hispanics, and poor white students. What became apparent is that we must address more than curriculum and instruction and focus on the whole child and that means child and adolescent development."

 

To download copies of the two reports, The Educational Experience of Young Men of Color: A Review of Research, Pathways, and Progress and Capturing the Student Voiceclick here.

Dr. Comer Speaks at Yale-Quinnipiac Symposium   

By Cynthia R. Savo 

Dr. James P. Comer was a panelist at the symposium, "Educational Disparity and Minority Youth," co-hosted by Yale Law School and Quinnipiac University School of Law. The event was held September 16, 2011 at the TD Bank Sports Center on Quinnipiac's York Hill campus.

  

The symposium brought together a cross-section of stakeholders from education, business, elected officials, and local community organizations, and others who have a vested interest in improving educational outcomes for all children, particularly children of color.   

 

Other panelists included Dr. Reginald Mayo, superintendent of the New Haven Public Schools; Eric Cooper, president of the  National Urban Alliance for Effective Education; Gloria Ladson-Billings, Kellner Family Chair in Urban Education and professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Pedro Noguera, professor of education at New York University and co-director of the Institute for the Study of Globalization and Education in Metropolitan Settings; Dudley N. Williams, Jr., Manager, District Education Strategy Relations, GE Equipment Services; Carlotta Walls LaNier, the youngest member of the Little Rock Nine; and others.


To learn more about the
Comer School Development Program, go to:  

 www.schooldevelopmentprogram.org  

 


Our Mission

The School Development Program is committed to the total development of all children by creating learning environments that support children's physical, cognitive, psychological, language, social, and ethical development.


Our Vision 
Our vision is to help create a just and fair society in which all  children have the educational and personal opportunities that will allow them to become successful and satisfied participants in family and civic life.

WILIS cover

What I Learned in School: Reflections on Race, Child Development, and School Reform

By James P. Comer, M.D., M.P.H. 

What I Learned in School highlights, in one volume, the major contributions of world-renowned scholar Dr. James P. Comer, whose visionary work has dramatically shaped the fields of school reform, child development, psychology, and race. This small collection of Dr. Comer's work is beautifully arranged and includes an introduction and engaging updates from the author. These works paint a remarkable picture of what we've all learned so far, and what we all must learn going forward.


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Cynthia R. Savo
Editor
[email protected]