On January 29th, the city of New Haven released its City Transformation Plan (CTP), “which charts a course to transform all of New Haven into a place of greater opportunity and well-being for all our residents.” One city partner in early education is the School Development Program (SDP), founded by Dr. James Comer, the Maurice Falk Professor of Child Psychiatry at the Yale Child Study Center.
The founding belief of SDP is that many so-called behavior problems prevalent in low-performing students stem from insufficient social-emotional development, rather than deliberately bad behavior or lack of ability, explains Dr. Comer.
The SDP began through a partnership with the New Haven public schools in 1968. In 2014, the city reached out while preparing its Promise Zone application. After being short-listed for that grant, the city decided to pursue the goals in the application and strengthen their community network for the next round, including increased support from the SDP. “We are providing an infusion of knowledge about child development and how it can be promoted in school,” said Dr. Comer. SDP guides the teachers, administrators, staff, and parents to create a school culture that supports positive growth, laying the foundation for academic success.
We are providing an infusion of knowledge about child development, and how it can be promoted in school.
Dr. James Comer
The SDP will also help the New Haven Public Schools work toward stability and continuity with their teachers through a teacher-training partnership with Southern Connecticut University, and continuing professional development for New Haven Public Schools.