James P. Comer, M.D., M.P.H.

Maurice Falk Professor of Child Psychiatry, Child Study Center
Associate Dean for Student Affairs, School of Medicine

Research Interests

Schools as a preventive psychiatry focus - I participated in the process of changing two inner-city low-income elementary schools from chaos to stability and academic and social achievement. We accomplished this by helping the staff develop a framework for change that created a culture that enabled all the adults to support overall student development and academic learning. We believe that development and academic learning are inextricably linked.

This project, entitled the School Development Program, has been utilized in more than 1000 schools in 82 school districts in 26 states. We have also expanded our work to middle and high schools; and to teacher and administrator preparatory programs and policy makers. I am particularly interested in the psychological and social impact of our Program on the children involved, their families, the school staff, and the community at large. I have described our work in my books, School Power, Waiting for a Miracle, The Field Guide to Comer Schools in Action, and Leave No Child Behind.

Race Relations - I am interested in the historical and contemporary economic and resultant political, economic, and social circumstances contributing to black and white racial conflict in America. Much of this work was described in Beyond Black and White.

Child Rearing - I am interested in the traditional and new issues involved in child rearing as a result of scientific and technological changes in society since the 1940s. I addressed these interests in a monthly column in Parents Magazine between 1978 and 1993 as a contributing editor. I have a special interest in the rearing of Black children. This interest is reflected in Black Child Care (revised as Raising Black Children) and Maggie's American Dream.

Links

• schooldevelopmentprogram.org

Recent Publications

• Comer, J.P. (2008). An open letter to the next president. Education Week, 27 (19), 25, 32.
• Comer, J.P. (2004). Leave No Child Behind: Preparing Today's Youth for Tomorrow's World. Connecticut: Yale University Press. (Excerpted in Yale Medicine (Spring 2005): 24-29 and Yale Alumni Magazine (September/October 2004): 20-23.)
• Comer, J.P., Joyner, E.T., and Ben-Avie, M. (editors), (2004). The Field Guide to Comer Schools in Action. California: Corwin Press. Comer, J.P. (1997). Waiting for a Miracle: Why Schools Can’t Solve Our Problems –and How We Can. New York: E.P. Dutton & Co.
• Comer, J.P., Haynes, N.M., Joyner, E.T. and Ben-Avie, M. (editors), (1999). Child by Child: The Comer Process for Change in Education. New York: Teachers College Press.
• Comer, J.P., Haynes, N.M., Joyner, E.T. and Ben-Avie, M. (editors). (1996). Rallying the Whole Village: The Comer Process for Reforming Education. New York: Teachers College Press.
• Comer, J.P. (1980, 1993). School Power: Implications of an Intervention Project. New York: The Free Press.
• Comer, J.P. and Levett, M.A. (May/June 2007). Lessons from early childhood and elementary education practice. Focus, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. 35(3), 5-6.
• Comer, J.P. (January 2006). Our mission: It takes more than tests to prepare the young for success in life. Education Week Quality Counts, 25(17), 59-61.
• Commission on the Whole Child. (2006). The learning compact redefined: A call to action. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. (Commission member)
• National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Association for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. (2006). Child and adolescent development research and teacher education: Evidence-based pedagogy, policy, and practice. Bethesda, MD and Washington, DC: Authors. (Roundtable Chair)
• Comer, J.P. (Fall 2005): The human development gap. Connection: The Journal of the New England Board of Higher Education. XX(2), 35-36.
• Comer, J.P. (June 2005). Child and adolescent development: The critical missing focus in school reform. Phi Delta Kappan. 86(10), 757-763.
• Comer, J.P. (March 2005). The rewards of parent participation. Educational Leadership, 62(6), 38-42.
• Comer, J.P. (2005). Philosophy and empirical evidence: Achieving vision through research. Journal of Jewish Education, 71, 67-94.
• National Research Council, Institute of Medicine's Committee on Increasing High School Students’ Engagement and Motivation to Learn. (2004). Engaging schools: Fostering high school students' motivation to learn. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. (Committee member)
• Comer, J.P. (November/December 2004). Educators overlook child development. Focus, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. 32(6), 12.
• Comer, J.P. (May 2004). Brown v. Board of Education 50th anniversary. News Leader, National Association of Secondary School Principals. 51(9), 2.
• Comer, J.P. (April 2004). Brown 50 years later: Reflections on the ongoing struggles. American School Board Journal. 19(4), 57.
• Comer, J.P. (January 24, 2003). Making schools of education bridges to better learning. The Chronicle Review – The Chronicle of Higher Education XLIX(20), B20.
• Comer, J.P. (April 23, 2001). Schools that develop children. The American Prospect, 12(7), 30-35.
• National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future. (1996). What matters most: Teaching for America’s future. New York: Author. (Commission member)
• Task Force on Youth Development and Community Programs. (1992). A matter of time: Risk and opportunity in the non-school hours. New York: Carnegie Corporation of New York. (Task Force member)
• Task Force on Education and Young Adolescents. (1989). Turning Points: Preparing American youth for the 21st century. New York: Carnegie Corporation of New York. (Task Force member)

Contact

Campus Address
Child Study Center
230 South Frontage Road
P.O. Box 207900
New Haven, CT 0520-7900

Office Address
NIHB 102

E-mail
james.comer@yale.edu

Office Phone
203-785-2548

Fax
203-785-3359