Leave No Child Behind: Preparing Today's Youth for Tomorrow's World [Paperback]

Dr. James Comer M.D. (Author), Henry Louis Gates Jr. (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2005

The call-to-arms to “leave no child behind” in America has become popularly associated with the Bush administration’s education plan—a plan that actually diverges greatly from the ideals of the Children’s Defense Fund, which originated the concept. Here, in a bold and engaging new book, Dr. James Comer reclaims this now-famous exhortation as a tool for positive and substantive change.
Far removed from the federal government’s focus on standardized testing as the panacea for our educational ills, Dr. Comer’s argument—drawn from his own experiences as the creator of the School Development Program—urges teachers, policymakers, and parents alike to work toward creating a new kind of school environment.
In so doing, Dr. Comer reignites a crucial debate as he details the evolution and many successes of his School Development Program since its inception thirty-five years ago, and he illustrates how his model for change has proven effective in public schools throughout the country. Most important, he offers proof that students from all backgrounds can learn at a high level, adopt positive behavioral attitudes, and prepare for a fulfilling adult life, if they learn in schools that provide adequate support for their complete development--schools that know that leaving no child behind should be much more than just a convenient political slogan.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Comer (Maggie’s American Dream), a child psychiatrist who founded the School Development Program (known for many years as the Comer Process) at the Yale Child Study Center in 1968, reiterates the wise assumption behind his decades of educational work: that "development and learning are inextricably linked." He reminds teachers and administrators that some children have experiences that hinder school readiness and eagerness to learn; schools must therefore strive to encourage emotional growth, not just better test scores. And especially for low-income students, Comer argues, higher scores aren’t enough: these students "need... skills that are gained through meaningful interactions with meaningful caretakers from birth through maturity." If educators must address problems they did not create, Comer says, they need more training in how to "read" children as individuals and thus better teach them. Comer also calls on parents to provide environments in which children feel valued. He shows how his prescribed marriage of child development and pedagogy worked in a series of pilot schools, and he warns of the great social cost of failing to better educate our students. (Studies show that educational achievement has a bearing on everything from civic participation to substance abuse). Amid the loud chorus of cries against standardized testing, Comer offers a clear and confident voice of change.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

This book takes its name from the ideals of the Children's Defense Fund, not the controversial school-reform policy. Comer, child psychiatrist, professor, and creator of the highly regarded School Development Program in New Haven, applauds the focus on higher standards and accountability but criticizes emphasis on test scores and curriculum. What is needed, he asserts, is a more comprehensive approach that considers the cognitive, psychological, social, and ethical development of children. Comer, who grew up in a low-income black family, points to his success reforming troubled inner-city schools as an example of the kind of concerted effort needed to provide disadvantaged children with high-quality education. At the same time, he notes that school reform is tinged with an ideology that ignores the socioeconomic factors behind low academic achievement. Comer encourages a "no-fault" approach to get beyond blaming and finger-pointing and emphasizes community involvement in building character and instilling the skills necessary for full participation in a modern democracy. This is a clear, passionate perspective on the need for real educational reform beyond empty slogans. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (September 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300109679
• ISBN-13: 978-0300109672
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #733,190 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Development is essential, September 21, 2005

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James F. Perry (Tampa, FL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Leave No Child Behind: Preparing Today's Youth for Tomorrow's World (Hardcover)

Comer's book offers an essential addition to curriculum and a complex description of the many instances of practice in which his proposal has been tested and found useful. One point that he did not mention is that throughout the country education is considered to be a social science in which all processes and relationships are causal; as he does say there is a presumption of no choice on the part of children. This seems to me to go hand-in-hand with the fact that except for the work of Matthew Lipman and Richard Paul philosophy is never taught at the primary and secondary school. Comer's book makes sense!