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			School Development Program FAQs How much does it cost? Can the SDP increase test scores? Does the SDP have its own curriculum? How much support do we get from SDP staff after we sign on? Who may attend the SDP Leadership Academies? What materials does SDP provide schools for their SPMT/SSST/PT? What is the difference between the PTA/PTO and the Comer PT? What is the relationship between the Comer Process and the union? What does parent involvement look like in a Comer School ... more information Q.  How much does it cost? A.  For school districts there is an administrative fee of $1,000 for each school. The National Academies conducted at Yale are $850 per attendee. Site visits made by the Yale SDP staffs are charged per day, per consultant. Q.  Can the SDP increase test scores? A.  Comer is not an "add-on" program geared towards test preparation. Yet, the SDP works with schools to assess its curriculum and instruction efforts and help to identify, as well as put in place, practices and structures that can significantly impact achievement. Q.  Does the SDP have its own curriculum? A.  No. The SDP does offer three curricular services Essentials of Literacy, Balanced Curriculum, and Teachers Helping Teachers. Q.  How much support do we receive from SDP after we sign on? A.  School districts and schools that affiliate with the SDP engage an SDP-trained facilitator as part of the partnership agreement. Some school districts set up Comer Action Teams at their central offices to provide support for schools. National Academies held at Yale train school communities in the Comer Process. SDP faculty who conduct these National Academies visit member school districts at least twice each school year to coach, provide feedback, and further train on site. In addition, member schools receive training manuals, research data, publications, and other materials that support the implementation process. Q.  Who may attend the SDP Leadership Academies? A.  We welcome any member of a school's educational community at our Leadership Academies. This includes building administrators, central office administrators, teachers, parents, teacher assistants, non-instructional staff (e.g. clerical or custodial), support staff (e.g. counselors, nurses, social workers), board members, and community members. Participants from districts with a contract pay $1000/person; Participants from districts without a contract pay $1500/person. For information on becoming an official participant in the Comer Process please see the Steps for Joining the School Development Program. Q.  What materials does SDP provide schools for their Teams? A.  Training manuals are provided to those completing the training cycle. In addition, schools receive research data, publications, and other materials that support the implementation process. Q.  What is the difference between the PTA/PTO and the Comer PT? A.  There may be none. The PTA/PTO gives parents a voice in the schools across the nation. The Comer PT involves parents at every level of school activity. Q.  What is the relationship between the Comer Process and the union? A.  The School Development Program does not ask schools to do anything to violate their contracts, but we recommend involving union members in all school planning and decision making. Q.  How does the Comer Process affect Special Education/Technology? A.  How a member school addresses the issues of Special Education or Technology is based on school and community needs and grows out of the decisions of the teams (SPMT, SSST, PT). Q. What does parent involvement look like in a Comer School? A. Please see our section on the Comer "Parent Team." For more information on the School Development Program contact the SDP national office at: The School Development Program Yale Child Study Center 55 College Street New Haven, CT 06510 Phone: 203.737.1020 Fax: 203.737.1023
			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)