Comer Schools

The Yale Child Study Center School Development Program (SDP) is commonly called the Comer SDP after founder James P. Comer. It grew out of collaboration between the New Haven Public Schools and the Yale Child Study Center. It was initiated in two pilot elementary schools in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1968. The intervention research model created has been used in about 1,000 schools nationally and internationally. It is probably the longest running school intervention approach in the country and is the first to demonstrate and codify a successful school improvement approach among largely less privileged African American students. It has also been effective with mainstream children from all racial and socioeconomic groups.

In 1969 the two pilot schools were 32nd and 33rd in achievement among 33 ...