EduFocus #1: Comer School Development Programme

Often dubbed the Comer Process, this “operating system” is designed to “improve interpersonal relationships and school climate through three teams.Comer School Development Programme (CSDP) is a successful school reform program, which began in 1968, through Yale University in collaboration with the New Haven Public School System in Connecticut, by child psychiatrist, Dr. James P. Comer. The programme is built on the idea that adolescent and child development principles should guide performance improvement efforts. Hence the system incorporates all dimensions of child development- the physical, psychological, linguistic, cognitive, social and ethical. This is unlike the traditional approach to education, which tends to focus on linguistic and cognitive development only.Research has shown that implementation of the Comer process evident from improvements in standardized test scores and a drop in disruptive and illegal behaviours. In North Carolina, Carol Ray, Principal of an elementary school explained that her teachers intentionally “weaved the developmental pathways into all areas of the curriculum”. She noted achievement gains in reading and math over a 6-year period as well as a closing of the achievement gap between African American and Caucasian American students.The Teams were guided by three principles:

• Collaboration
• No fault problem solving
• Decision by consensus