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 SDP Newsline


December 2011

In This Issue
Dr. Comer Speaks at Launch Of Nellie Mae Education Foundation Grant Program
Dr. Comer Panelist at Bank Street Capitol Hill Policy Briefing
Collaboration Key to Successful Comer Conference in Hartsville, South Carolina
Where Are They Now?: Melissa Quintana, 2003 Comer Kids Leadership Academy
Dr. Jack Gillette Named Dean of Lesley University School of Education
Dr. Comer Speaker at Community Wellness Seminar in San Diego


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SDP a Key Component of Revitalization Effort in Pittsburgh

By Cynthia R. Savo
Dr. James P. Comer was a panelist at the Breakfast Roundtable at Homewood Children's Village (HCV) in Pittsburgh on November 18, 2011. The event was convened by Derrick Lopez, president and CEO of Homewood Children's Village; Dr. Linda S. Lane, superintendent of the Pittsburgh Public Schools; and Dean Dr. Larry E. Davis and Associate Professor Dr. John Wallace, Jr. of the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work. Derrick Lopez moderated the panel that also included Jane Quinn, the vice president for Community Schools at the Children's Aid Society in New York City.
HCV Nov. 18, 2011
L to R: Dr. Larry E. Davis, Jane Quinn, Dr. John Wallace, Jr., Dr. James P. Comer,
Dr. Linda S. Lane, and Derrick Lopez

The previous evening Dr. Comer spoke with a group of the local funders and civic leaders who are investing in the revitalization of Homewood, an area of Pittsburgh that has been especially hard hit by the decline of the steel industry.

 

Homewood Children's Village, launched in 2008, is a child-centered, comprehensive community initiative whose mission is "to improve the lives of Homewood's children and to reweave the fabric of the community in which they live." While inspired by the Harlem Children's Zone, HCV operates under a different organizational paradigm. HCV convenes existing service providers, coordinates their services around individual children and families, and builds their capacityto deliver an integrated continuum of high quality, evidence-based services and programs. HCV has partnered with the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work to design, implement, and evaluate evidence-based interventions to fill service gaps in Homewood.

 

"The Homewood Children's Village is humbled by our burgeoning partnership with Dr. James Comer and the implementation of the Yale School Development Program at the schools located in Pittsburgh's Homewood neighborhood," said Derrick Lopez. "For decades, educators have searched for the proverbial magic bullet for educating children in public schools. For four decades the work of Dr. Comer and his colleagues at the Yale Child Study Center have empirically shown that there is no such magic bullet, but rather the key is to focus upon the development of the whole child in his/her many contexts. As Dr. Comer put it at our Breakfast Roundtable: "Our children are not flawed or incapable. They are 'underdeveloped' along key developmental pathways and thereby 'unavailable' to learn." The Homewood Children's Village has been searching for a partner who 'gets it' and understands that education is enhanced by strong and healthy children who are fully developed. Dr. Comer is just that partner, and we look forward to working with him and his team to make Homewood's schools, 'Comer Schools.'"

  

"I am very excited about the Homewood project possibility," said Dr. Comer. "More than 40 years ago I argued that focusing on restoring community vitality was as important, and maybe more important, than the almost exclusive focus on racial integration during that period and that is what they are doing in Homewood. Also, there may be a possibility of working with Homewood leadership and neuro-scientists at Yale to use a program that speeds up cognitive development for children who have not received adequate support for development. This was the aim of our work from the beginning, and now there is a possibility that it can be aided by technology. We hope to explore this possibility in this project. This is very hopeful and exciting. "

 

Derrick Lopez and his team from Homewood Children's Village are planning to visit New Haven to meet with Dr. Comer and the SDP faculty and to visit Comer schools in New Haven to see the model in operation.

Dr. Comer Speaker at Launch of Nellie Mae Education Foundation Grant Program   
By Cynthia R. Savo
Mary Sylvia Harrison, Dr. Comer, and Nicholas C. Donahue
L to R: Mary Sylvia Harrison, Vice President for Programs,
Dr. Comer, and Nicholas C. Donohue, NMEF President & CEO 
Photo credit: Cheryl Hammond, NMEF Director of Communications 
The Nellie Mae Education Foundation launched its Building a Collaborative Culture 
grant program at the Omni Hotel in New Haven on October 20, 2011. Dr. James P. Comer, a member of the NMEF board of directors, was the keynote speaker. Drawing lessons from his own life and more than 40 years of experience working with schools and districts, Dr. Comer encouraged the leadership teams from the New Haven, Danbury, and Norwalk, Connecticut school districts to focus on bringing together the adults in a school community to support the overall development and academic achievement of all students. "It's development and relationships that make engaged learning possible because learning and development are inextricably linked," he said.

 

The Nellie Mae Education Foundation awarded each of the three districts $250,000 to develop student-centered approaches and a professional learning culture. The one-year grants have the potential to be renewable for two additional years. Another $250,000 will support cross-district collaboration and professional development.

 

"We are promoting a version of education that goes to the heart of Dr. Comer's life work," said Mary Sylvia Harrison, Vice President of Programs for the Nellie Mae Education Foundation. "We came to New Haven to launch the Building a Collaborative Culture grant program to honor Dr. Comer's contributions and to bring his perspective and imprimatur to this initiative."

 

"New Haven is a highly collaborative district, building foundations and structures to improve communication and the culture across the district. You can see that outlined in our District Improvement Plan as well as individual School Improvement Plans. Central Office, building administrators, parents, students, and teachers are all working together to close the achievement gap," said Donna L. Aiello, the director of Staff and Organizational Development for the New Haven Public Schools.

 

"Once students get to high school the focus is on college prep. Too often, teachers at the secondary level ignore adolescent development and expect kids to act like adults. If we address adolescent development, improve communications and classroom management, and connect with kids, we are more likely to have truly engaged learners, good inquiry, and joyful learning experiences. These are the prerequisites for student-centered learning," said Judith Puglisi, principal of Metropolitan Business Academy in New Haven.

Dr. Comer Panelist at Bank Street Capitol Hill Policy Briefing 
By Cynthia R. Savo
On November 17, 2011 Dr. James P. Comer was a panelist at Bank Street College of Education's Capitol Hill policy briefing, The Earlier, The Better: Why Effective Teachers and Leaders are Critical to Early Childhood Education. Dr. Comer used his own life and SDP experience to speak on effective teaching and leadership in early childhood education. He focused on the key elements of developing teachers' and leaders' knowledge base in child development and on the importance of family and community engagement to improve children's social, emotional, and academic outcomes.

Dr. Elizabeth D. Dickey, president of Bank Street College of Education, welcomed the audience to the briefing. Dr. Virginia Roach, dean of the Bank Street Graduate School of Education, introduced the speakers and moderated the Q & A with the panelist who also included Diane Trister Dodge, a Bank Street alumna who is the founder and president of Teaching Strategies, Inc., and Denise Prince, the director of Bank Street's Early Childhood Leadership Program and a Graduate Faculty member.

 

"The School Development Program and Bank Street College of Education been applying child and adolescent development knowledge on the ground for many, many years. Few universities have that experience. It was important that both organization came together to share our perspective with the members of Congress and their staffers," said Dr. Comer. 

 

Before the policy briefing Dr. Comer, Dr. Dickey, and Dr. Roach met with Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro, who represents the Third Congressional District in Connecticut and is the ranking minority member of the House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. Congresswoman DeLauro has had a long interest and been very supportive of the SDP.

Collaboration Key to Successful Comer Conference in Hartsville, South Carolina

By Cynthia R. Savo

More than 150 people attended the Whole Child-Whole Village Comer Conference in Hartsville, South Carolina on November 4, 2011. The conference brought together staff members of Southside Early Childhood Center, Washington Street Elementary School, Thornwell School for the Arts, and West Hartsville Elementary School, Darlington County School District central office administrators. Camille Cooper, the SDP's director of Teaching and Learning and the implementation coordinator for Hartsville, welcomed participants to the conference.

 

Carol Ray
Carol P. Ray

Carol Ray, the principal of Asheville High School in  
North Carolina and a member of the Comer School Development Program National Faculty, gave the keynote speech to a capacity audience in the Hartsville Middle School auditorium.Tara King, the PULSE Coordinator in the Darlington County School District, introduced Ray who described how she and the staff of two elementary schools in Asheville had used the SDP framework and process to close the achievement gap between African-American and white students.

 

"It was helpful for them to hear from Carol what can be accomplished when people implement the Comer Process faithfully," said Camille Cooper.

 

"I was captivated by Carol Ray's presentation. She had me laughing, nodding my head in agreement and occasionally shedding tears as she took us through the implementation of the Comer SDP at Hall Fletcher Elementary School. I could relate to her experience of overwhelming challenges. The message of ultimate success as exemplified in Hall Fletcher's improved proficiency scores inspired me. I believe that Hartsville will be the next success story," said Sharman Poplava, the executive director of the TEACH Foundation, the nonprofit organization administering the PULSE initiative that supports implementation of the Comer SDP in four Hartsville schools.  

Jan at Nov. 4th conference
Jan Stocklinski leading the Parent Team workshop

Following the keynote speech conference participants rotated among three 50-minute workshops on the School Planning and Management Team (SPMT), the Student and Staff Support Team (SSST), and the Parent Team conducted by Dr. Fay E. Brown, Jeff German, and Jan Stocklinski respectively. Camille Cooper conducted several sessions about the District Planning and Management Team with administrator who will serve on the system-level oversight committee. While half of a group completed SDP surveys administered by Dr. Christine Emmons, the SDP's director of program evaluation, I made a presentation on the life and work of Dr. James P. Comer to the rest of the group.

 

"As I reflect on the Hartsville Comer Conference, a Mattie Stepanek quote comes to mind: 'Unity is strength. When there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved,' said Tara King. "The 2011 Hartsville Comer Conference was a great example of collaboration, one of the three guiding principles of the Comer Process. Numerous individuals joined together to prepare supplies and refreshments, set up technology, and organize registration. This work showed that anything can be accomplished when everyone unites for the betterment of the group. Collaboration was also evidenced by the unity of the SDP Faculty and National Faculty, Carol Ray, and Hartsville Comer Schools to provide a phenomenal professional development session for all members of the school community to create a positive impact on the lives of our students. The unity of these organizations showed a commitment to the Comer School Development Program philosophy and wisdom of the African proverb 'It takes a whole village to raise a child.'"

 

The four schools will participate in celebration of the first year of implementing the Comer Process on May 23, 2012 at Coker College in Hartsville. The event will highlight the progress the schools have made and provide the schools with the opportunity to share best practices and lessons learned.

Where Are They Now?
Melissa G. Quintana, 2003 Comer Kid's Leadership Academy
By Cynthia R. Savo

Melissa at Pierson
Last spring Ariel and Silvia Quintana of Miami, Florida emailed Dr. Comer to let him know that their daughter, Melissa had won a full scholarship to the Yale University summer session through QuestBridge, a national organization that connects the nation's brightest, under-served youth and leading higher education institutions. This would be Melissa's second summer experience at Yale: In July 2003 she represented Banyan Elementary School at the Comer Kids Leadership Academy and her parents served as chaperones.  

 

Melissa is in her senior year in the International Baccalaureate program at Coral Reef High School and is in the top 1% of her graduating class of 682 students. Her top choice for college? Yale University, of course. 

 

The Quintanas told Dr. Comer that the Comer Kids Leadership Academy (CKLA) had "exerted a strong motivational influence in Melissa's development as an academic and as a community leader. After meeting you and becoming familiar with your work, Melissa concluded that one's success can be measured in terms of how much and how many people's lives we can help improve and develop their potential."

 

I contacted Daniel Butler, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Yale political science department, to find out how Melissa had done in his class. The following is an edited excerpt of his response: 

  

Melissa took my course - Political Economy of Representation in the U.S. - in the summer of 2011 and earned an A. The course focuses on how institutions such as primary elections, redistricting, campaign finance, early voting, multi-member districts, term limits, etc. affect the behavior of public officials. The major goal of the course is to help students learn about aspects of research design. 

 

For students who have not been formally trained in research methods within the social sciences, this class can be very difficult. I have now taught this course 6 times and I find that many of the students at Yale struggle with many of the elements of research design even though they are political science majors. Melissa put the work into the course to succeed. She was the only student in the course during the summer session who fully understood the elements of research design  well enough to improve her own work and help others with their work. 

 

Melissa chose a more challenging topic for her research design project than the other students and still managed to produce the best proposal in the class. Melissa earned the best grade in the class and would compare favorably with the students I have had at Yale.    

  

The Impact of the Comer Kids Leadership Academy

While Melissa was in New Haven this summer I interviewed her about her participation in the Comer Kids Leadership Academy and the impact of those five days of what Dr. Comer calls "galvanizing experiences." She also visited with Dr. Comer in his office at the Yale Child Study Center. He was happy to hear about Melissa's many accomplishments. "Melissa is  great example of what's possible when children develop well along all of the developmental pathways," said Dr. Comer. 

 

Melissa Quintana and JPCMelissa and Comer Kids from 13 school districts around the country were organized into teams of 10-12. Two New Haven educators, Shelia Brantley and Deb Davis, were the adult leaders of Melissa's team. The Comer Kids met with Dr. Comer and learned about his life and his four decades of work to make schools great places for children and adolescents to develop and learn well so they can be successful in life.

 

Melissa with Shelia
Melissa with team co-leader, Shelia Brantley

"Dr. Comer was such a great inspiration to us," said Melissa. "He spoke to us about his guiding principles and the pillars that should guide our lives. He taught us that all of the interpersonal relationships and skills we learned that week were helping us grow on a number of levels, including our brains. It was so amazing that were able to contextualize all of these amazing lessons and principles on how to build lasting friendships and relationships." 

Melissa holding brain
Melissa holding a human brain









The Comer Kids visited a neuroscience laboratory at the Yale School of Medicine where they took turns holding a human brain. They met with New Haven Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. at City Hall and made a decision by consensus in the city's legislative chambers. They went on a scavenger hunt at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History. They
learned Proud to be a Comer Kid, Knowledge is Power, and other songs that they performed together at the closing awards ceremony at which Melissa received the Leadership Award, the highest honor bestowed on the student who contributed most during the Academy.

"We were so young but we were learning these things that were well beyond our maturity, and I think it gave it much more meaning and that much more lasting effect and power," said Melissa. "One of the great things about the Comer Kids Leadership Academy was that the Comer principles shaped my development and put me on the path that brought me back to Yale."  
 

Silvia and Melissa Quintana
Proud mother Silvia Quintana and Melissa

When Melissa returned to Miami she wanted to share what she had learned at Yale. "I asked my Dad how I could present all the information, and he said, 'There's a program called PowerPoint, but I think it's a little too advanced for you.' I wasn't exactly happy with that evaluation of my computer skills so I brushed that aside and over a few weeks I learned how to use PowerPoint. I put together a presentation with the main lessons I got from the seminar. I put pictures in so that students would be able to see what I was talking about. It was very colorful and engaging for everyone who saw it. I think it was great."

  

To download a copy of Melissa's PowerPoint, click here.

 

When she returned to Banyan Elementary School as a 4th grader Melissa asked her principal, Carolyn McCalla, if she could show her PowerPoint to each of the K-5 classrooms and talk to the students about the Comer philosophy. Ms. McCalla encouraged Melissa to make her presentation to an assembly of all the staff and students at Banyan. 

  

"At a very young age Melissa really understood what the Comer School Development Program philosophy was all about and what it took to be a Comer school and student," said McCalla. "I gave Melissa consent to do so with fair warning to the teachers. The teachers and staff were overwhelmed by her thorough understanding. Her peers were her fans and began to absorb the true meaning of the Comer concepts."

  

Ms. McCalla called Dr. Felicia Gil, the principal of another exemplary Comer school in Miami, to ask her if Melissa could show her PowerPoint and talk about her experiences at the Comer Kids Leadership Academy. Dr. Gil agreed and Melissa made her presentation to a capacity audience of students, staff, and parents at Charles R. Hadley Elementary School. Melissa also made presentations at E.W.F. Stirrup Elementary School and at a meeting of the principals of the Comer Schools in Miami-Dade County. When people visited Banyan to see an exemplary Comer school in operation, Melissa would show them her PowerPoint.

 

"Melissa became the Lead Co-Facilitator for spreading the Comer philosophy among our students," said McCalla. Rose Infante, the assistant principal at Banyan at the time, said that "Melissa embodied the Comer philosophy and was able to present it well. She would always tell the students, 'You see, you can achieve no matter where your roots are growing.'"

 

"As her principal, I always thought that Melissa would one day be known for her greatness in making a mark in this world because she is driven to success. She certainly embodied what we wanted to achieve in a Comer School," said McCalla, who received the prestigious Patrick Francis Daly Memorial Award for Excellence in Education Leadership from Yale University in 1999 as did Dr. Gil.

 

Melissa said she felt comfortable and at ease making presentations with her PowerPoint. In 5th grade the W.K. Kellogg Foundation asked her to speak at two of their national conferences, one in Miami and the other in New Mexico. "I felt happy and in my element. I like to share what I have learned from various experiences I have been fortunate to have. I would not have been able to discover that so fully had it not been for the Comer Kids Leadership Academy," said Melissa.

 

Melissa Quintana: Scientist and Enviromentalist 

In 8th grade Melissa's science project, "Mischievous Mercury" won best in fair in Miami-Dade County. She measured the effects of mercury pollution on the nitrogen levels in the soil of coffee plants she grew. Her statistically significant results demonstrated that mercury "stunts the development and growth of vegetation and ecosystems. Since plants and all vegetation are at the base of the food chain, mercury in the long run harms the animals and humans that consume them," said Melissa. "This study was close to my heart because I'm very pro green, and I want to conserve the beautiful world we have around us."

 

Melissa then competed in the state competition where she won first place in the chemistry category. From there she went to the Intel Science Talent Search in Atlanta. "That was a wonderful experience I'll never forget. Although I could not compete nationally because I was too young, I was able to share my experiment with scientists who had won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. They were impressed with my project. Being able to speak with them was a very impressive experience of a lifetime."

 

Melissa Quintana: Community Leader and Education Advocate

During the summer between 10th and 11th grade, with seven years of experience as a public speaker, Melissa started a program called Leaders Engaging in the Art of Public Speaking (LEAPS). She wanted to share her knowledge and skills with low-income elementary school students in her community. "I teach them public speaking, research skills, and the fundamentals of debate, skills that they might not have otherwise attained that will help them achieve an education and have a brighter future overall. That's the point of everything I do," said Melissa. LEAPS is funded by The Children's Trust in Miami. 

 

Melissa conducts monthly seminars for Hispanic parents through another program she started called Paving the Road to Success. "I teach them about educational opportunities, scholarships, and how to support their children to get an education. I do these bilingually. I really enjoy doing everything and anything I can to get the word out that yes you can--s�, se puede--and to give individuals the tools they can use to get an education because in the end, education is the big equalizer."

 

Melissa is also the lead prosecutor in Teen Court, a juvenile justice diversion program in Miami-Dade County. "We try to veer underage individuals from a life of crime. These are kids who have been guilty of petty theft, small drug possession, and other misdemeanors. As a prosecutor I try to determine their punishment in real-life court cases. Afterwards I am able to talk with them and give them tips about how to lead a healthier and more positive lifestyle."

 

For the last four years Melissa has volunteered in the Public Relations department at a local hospital. She is also on the Coral Reef High School Student Council and is the secretary of the Debate Club.

 

Melissa's Recommendations for Student Success   

Revive the Comer Kids Leadership Academy

The Comer Kids Leadership Academy would benefit so many people and is worth supporting. I was given this opportunity and I ran with it but even if it wasn't the exact magnitude, I was able to impart a little seed of a way to have better interpersonal skills with hundreds and hundreds of other students and that was just me. Can you just imagine how many kids in the greater Miami area alone would benefit if the Comer Kids Leadership Academy was reinstated? I think that this is something that is really worth investing in.   

 

I'm from a very modest income family. We've been on food stamps for part of our lives. We live in a small apartment in a challenging neighborhood and being able to see these things that are usually associated with the higher social strata and to think that this is available to me too is just something beyond comparison. Something that if lower income students from all races were given the opportunity to come visit this campus and see everything that it had to offer would just give them this incredible advantage that they may otherwise never have.  

    

Expose Children to Colleges at a Young Age

Being on the Yale University campus at age 9 was something so momentous and so magical even though I could not fathom what Yale or college was. The Comer Kids Leadership Academy facilitated and enabled me to set high goals. I left New Haven wanting to work hard and to help people. I want to get to Yale myself and help others get here, too. It gave me a spark that just lit me like a firecracker. I want this and I'm going to do everything I can to get here. That attitude would benefit hundreds and hundreds of students in so many ways.

 

Teach the Comer Kids Songs

The songs we learned at the Comer Kids Leadership Academy had a great impact on me. Songs like Knowledge is Power are self-empowering. Hearing these songs and singing them with other kids was great. These were important messages that we internalized: Knowledge is power. The sky's the limit. There is no mountain too high that you can't climb.

  

The sky's the limit for Melissa. We hope that next year she is just a few blocks away studying at Yale University where her path to higher education began. 

Dr. Jack Gillette Named Dean of Lesley University School of Education
Jack Gillette
Dr. Jack Gillette

Dr. Jack Gillette, the former director of Professional Development and Consultation at the Comer School Development Program (SDP) at the Yale Child Study Center, was recently appointed dean of the Lesley University Graduate School of Education in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Gillette played a key role in the scale up and implementation of the SDP across the United States and in Trinidad. He managed the national leadership academies that over the years brought thousands of educators from around the United States and other countries to Yale to learn how to implement the Comer Process in their schools and districts. He also managed eight university-district partnerships including the Bay Area, Detroit, New Orleans, and San Diego.

 

Gillette, who began his career as a social studies teacher at Hillhouse High School in New Haven, Connecticut, became the director of the Teacher Preparation and Educational Studies Program at Yale University in 2001. He established a new Master of Arts in Urban Education Studies program in partnership with the New Haven Public Schools, and redesigned the undergraduate education majors to meet NCATE standards.

 

"Jack has the theoretical and academic knowledge and many years of hands-on experience of applying child and adolescent development on the ground. He understands the importance of creating structures that enable kids and adults to connect," said Dr. Comer. "Lesley University is very fortunate to have Jack bring that knowledge and experience to on-site and online educator preparation programs. His work is very important for the education field as it moves more and more into the online world."

 

The Impact of Dr. Comer and the SDP

By Dr. Jack Gillette

At the most basic level, working with the School Development Program has fundamentally altered the way I think about education in general and teaching and learning in particular. At the macro level our work at SDP-reinforced by Tony Bryk's analysis of Chicago schools-demonstrated that schools can begin the change process in a variety of ways whether focusing on climate first, or instruction or parent/community involvement.  

 

But in every case, where schools soar and stay high achieving, initial success propelled efforts and success in other areas. So a good climate led to teacher willingness to try new instruction, which when aligned with assessments produced great results. We also saw schools make great progress in one area-such as climate-and never move to the instructional work, and they stayed stuck at the bottom levels of performance, even if that was slightly higher than when we began working with them.

 

In terms of teaching and learning, Jim's relentless focus on development means that teachers I work with think about student habits and dispositions, whether the students have been fully socialized into the role of being a student. Such development is essential for students to move to very important higher order skills, and yet some progressive teachers think students who have been trained to copy can make that leap without clear and consistent supports.  

 

When I work with teachers now it is not solely focused on planning what content they need to prep but asking what kinds of experiences do their students need to be able to connect and understand a piece of content. There is so much power in having teachers use the four elements of the SDP child-centered planning process (curriculum, instruction, relationships, development) because relationships and development serve as the foundation for the instructional choices available to a teacher.

 

What is terrific at being at Lesley is that this is an environment where that thinking is prevalent.

Dr. Comer Speaker at Community Wellness Seminar in San Diego

In his October 20, 2011 presentation, "Building Healthy Communities" at the Lincoln High School Theatre in San Diego, Dr. Comer talked about the importance of parents, educators, and the community collaborating to help improve students' emotional and academic lives. The event was the fourth in the Lincoln High School Youth Health Council's Community Wellness Series, developed in partnership with the University of California, San Diego. The series featured themes related to health and academic success for youth.

 

Dr. Makeba Jones, a research scientist at UC San Diego, moderated the Q&A with Dr. Comer following his presentation. Dr. Jones is a principal investigator for research projects related to education reform and education policy, particularly for K-12 schools serving low-income neighborhoods.


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]