Yale Bulletin and Calendar

December 15, 2006|Volume 35, Number 13|Four-Week Issue

Dr. James P. Comer

Child psychiatrist wins award
for contributions to education

Dr. James P. Comer, the Maurice Falk Professor of Child Psychiatry at the School of Medicine, has won the 2007 University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award
in Education.

The prestigious award honors Comer's commitment to educating the whole child and his view that organizing schools to support the development of children yields positive behavioral and academic outcomes. The award carries a $200,000 prize, the highest cash prize in education.

Recognized nationally and internationally and much honored for his work in promoting child-development principles as a means of improving schools, Comer has over 30 years experience in child development and education. He authored the 2004 book "Leave No Child Behind: Preparing Today's Youth for Tomorrow's World." The premise of both the book and Comer's pioneering School Development Program (SDP) at the Yale Child Study Center flies in the face of current education trends that focus mainly on raising test scores.

"I am thrilled because this award validates what has been a lonely position," says Comer. "Our work suggests that lasting education reform must value all aspects of a child's development. It must address more than raising test scores. We have shown that test scores rise in environments that support overall student development. I am hopeful that the award will help more policymakers pay attention to the importance of development."

Founded in 1968, Comer's SDP is based on the idea that all youngsters -- regardless of race, geography, or cultural and economic background -- can learn at high levels. The programs and services that fall under the SDP umbrella help schools seek to ensure that students achieve their highest academic potential. The program has been used in over 1,000 schools in the United States, South Africa, England, Ireland and the Caribbean, and research has shown it increases achievements among children in low-achieving schools.

Comer calls for teacher training to incorporate a whole-student approach, beyond the standards of a federal No Child Left Behind law that focuses on traditional curriculum, instruction and assessments.

He points to numerous studies that he says show what is needed: clear goals, high expectations and standards; community support; a respectful and orderly environment; students actively engaged in appropriate learning tasks; teacher competence; teachers and staff members genuinely caring about each student and demanding students' best efforts; frequent assessment of student achievement, with feedback; public rewards and incentives for student achievement; and administrators possessing the skills and courage to demand and help create all of the conditions listed. The SDP provides the framework for bringing these conditions about, notes Comer.

Comer joined the Yale faculty in 1968. His many prestigious awards include the Smithsonian Institution's John P. McGovern Behavioral Science Award, the Heinz Award in the Human Condition, the Harold W. McGraw Prize in Education and the Charles A. Dana Award for Pioneering Achievement in Education. He was named to Education Week magazine's list of 100 people who helped shape American education during the 20th century.

Comer has written and edited several other books including "Maggie's American Dream: The Life and Times of a Black Family," "Beyond Black and White," "School Power: Implications of an Intervention Project," "Raising Black Children" and "Waiting for a Miracle -- Why Schools Can't Solve Our Problems and How We Can."

T H I SW E E K ' SS T O R I E S

Gift from alumni to expand Grand Strategy Program

State gives Yale $7.8 million for stem cell research

Environmental activist named Marshall Scholar

Yale scientist helps keep museum's trains chugging along

Project will consider how to develop 'pastoral imagination'

Human Resources department to pilot STARS . . .

Yale researchers share expertise with Ethiopian health care . . .

Global Citizenship Initiative awarded Hewlett Foundation grant

Child psychiatrist wins award for contributions to education

Alan Kazdin named president of American Psychological Association

Thomas Steitz honored by Japanese university

The Duke's Men make holiday appearances

SCHOOL OF MEDICINE NEWS

HIV testing should be a routine part of health exams, say scientists

Discovery has implications for treatment of herpes

Study: Cancer gene mutations more common than expected

Aortic aneurysms often run in families, say researchers

Study: Decreased genital sensation likely in competitive women cyclists

Retinopathy of prematurity may be due to genetic factors

Research shows benefits of exercise programs for elderly

Asian Indian men found to be more susceptible to diabetes

Yale School of Medicine joins national consortium