Explains how problems in urban schools mirror problems in U.S. society and how this affects disadvantaged and minority children, discussing one professor's experiences with racial bias in his own educational experiences. Describes the creation of the Comer School Development Program, questioning reform projects and programs that do not take child…

Focuses on the impact of major political, economic, social and psychological forces on the black community, its adaptive response, and the outcome for black students, past and present. Optimal conditions that foster education, technological change, black adaptation, and educational planning are discussed. (Author/AM)

Research findings indicate that the Yale Child Study Center School Development Program (SDP) has led to consistent progress in academic achievement and school attendance from 1969 to 1984 in the New Haven (Connecticut) schools in which it has been used. This report evaluates SDP, which attempts to strengthen student academic and social skills in…

Proposes that a National Academy of Education is needed to set priorities, assess research in education, allocate resources, learn to implement approaches that work, and identify areas of study. Describes a successful program developed in New Haven as a model to others. (RT)

Discusses the effects of societal changes on child development at home and at school and its relationship to academic learning, with particular emphasis on minority children and their families. Describes a model for improving school organization and management. (FMW)