Program Overview Publications Staff Profiles Keyword Search:   Comer Site Med center Site Yale Site     Comer School Development Program 55 College Street New Haven CT, 06510 (203) 737-1020 Tel. (203) 737-1023 Fax			About Comer SDP Program Overview     • Strategic Alliances Overview of the School Development Program How it Works An Operating System Research & Evaluation Programs & Services Founding Assumptions New! "Essential Understandings of the Yale School Development Program" available for downloading: Essential Understandings of the Yale School Development Program - PDF Reprinted by permission of the publisher from editors: Edward T. Joyner, James P. Comer and Michael Ben-Avie, Transforming School Leadership and Management to Support Student Learning and Development, (Corwin Press, (c) 2004 by The Yale School Development Program, Yale Child Study Center. All rights reserved.), pp. 15-... If you do not already have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software needed to view this document, download it now. How it Works The Comer Process provides a structure as well as a process for mobilizing adults to support students' learning and overall development. It is a different way of conceptualizing and working in schools and replaces traditional school organization and management with an operating system that works for schools and the students they serve. Click English or Spanish for an illustration of the model: The following three structures comprise the basic framework on which the Comer Process operating system is built: The School Planning and Management Team develops a comprehensive school plan, sets academic, social and community relations goals and coordinates all school activities, including staff development programs. The team creates critical dialogue around teaching and learning and monitors progress to identify needed adjustments to the school plan as well as opportunities to support the plan. Members of the team include administrators, teachers, support staff and parents. The Student and Staff Support Team promotes desirable social conditions and relationships. It connects all of the school’s student services, facilitates the sharing of information and advice, addresses individual student needs, accesses resources outside the school and develops prevention programs. Serving on this team are the principal and staff members with expertise in child development and mental health, such as a counselor, social worker, psychologist, or nurse. The Parent Team involves parents in the school by developing activities through which the parents can support the school's social and academic programs. Composed of parents, this team also selects representatives to serve on the School Planning and Management Team. All three teams adhere to the following three guiding principles throughout their work: No Fault—Maintains the focus on problem-solving rather than placing blame Consensus Decision-Making—Through dialogue and understanding, builds consensus about what is good for children and adolescents Collaboration—Encourages the principal and teams to work together This framework places the students' developmental needs at the center of the school's agenda and establishes shared responsibility. Concerned adults work together to provide students with the developmental activities that may be lacking outside the school. They also work together to make effective decisions about the program and curriculum of the school based on student needs. Central to their work are the following three school operations, which are supervised by the School Planning and Management Team: Development of the Comprehensive School Plan including curriculum, instruction and assessment, as well as social and academic climate goals based on a developmental understanding of students Provision of Staff Development in the service of achieving the goals of the Comprehensive School Plan Assessment & Modification that provides new information and identifies new opportunities based on the data of the school’s population An Operating System The Comer Process provides a structure as well as a process for mobilizing adults to support students' learning and overall development. It is a different way of conceptualizing and working in schools and replaces traditional school organization and management with an operating system that works for schools and the students they serve. Like the operating system of a computer that allows the software to do its specialized work, the Comer Process provides the organizational, management and communication framework for planning and managing all the activities of the school based on the developmental needs of its students. When fully implemented, the process brings a highly positive school climate, a stability and an instructional focus that supports all of the school's curriculum and renewal efforts. In its second generation, the Comer Process has evolved into a systemic reform program as well as a school reform program. While still bringing change to one school at a time, the program has been expanded to the district level. This new systemic focus is based on experience that shows the process works best when the "community" of support for each school includes the central office and school board. Research and Evauation The School Development Program has a substantial history of evaluation and research, both by its own staff and by outside evaluators. Comer Schools have been assessed on a variety of factors at different levels, including school climate, level of program implementation and students' self-concepts, behavior, social competence and achievement. Studies of Comer Schools conducted by the SDP and by independent researchers indicate significant effects on school climate, student attendance, and student achievement. Effects are generally first manifested in the improvement of school climate (indicated by improved relationships among the adults and students in the school), better collaboration among staff members, and greater focus on the child as the center of the education process. Research has also shown that in schools where the Comer Process was followed consistently, there was a significantly greater reduction in absenteeism and suspension than in the district as a whole. Comparative studies of Comer and non-Comer schools also demonstrated that student self-competence, self-concept and achievement was significantly more improved for Comer students than for non-Comer students. Founding Assumptions The Comer Process is based on certain key assumptions: Due to a lack of developmental support in their homes and communities, many of today’s children come to school with developmental gaps that impair their ability to learn. While more children come to school with experience deficits, we expect all students to meet the high standards dictated by today’s workplace and citizenship needs. The School Development Program recognizes and addresses the experience deficit that inhibits the development of many of today’s children. On the other hand, the SDP does not accept the academic deficit theory that leads to tracking and lowered expectations of minority and ESL students. The Comer Process is based on the premise that all students can reach high levels of academic achievement. They are entitled to the opportunity to reach their highest potential. Academic learning rests on a foundation of solid development along six pathways critical to human development. These Six Developmental Pathways are the physical, psychological, language, social, ethical and cognitive pathways. For students with experience deficits to learn to their highest potential, schools must provide them with the developmental opportunities they lack. Schools cannot meet this challenge alone, but can mobilize other adult stakeholders, including parents, to help meet the developmental needs of the students. More Information For further information contact us at: School Development Program 55 College Street New Haven, CT 06510 Voice: 203.737.1020, Fax: 203.737.1023 E-mail: schooldevelopmentprogram@yale.edu
			Copyright © 2001 School Development Program, Yale Child Study Center. All rights reserved. Comments or suggestions to the site editor. Photos from the book "Child by Child: The Comer Process for Change in Education," are by Michael Jacobson-Hardy and Laura Brooks. Used by permission of Teachers College Press. Home URL: http://www.schooldevelopmentprogram.org/ Last modified: July 2004 (GM)