James P. Comer

Who is James P. Comer?

James P. Comer is currently the Maurice Falk Professor of Child Psychiatry at the Yale Child Study Center and has been since 1976. He is also an associate dean at the Yale School of Medicine. As one of the world's leading child psychiatrists, he is best known for his efforts to improve the scholastic performance of children from lower-income and minority backgrounds which led to the founding of the Comer School Development Program in 1968. His program has been used in more than 600 schools in eighty-two school districts. He is the author of ten books, including the autobiographical Maggie’s American Dream: The Life and Times of a Black Family, 1988; Leave No Child Behind: Preparing Today's Youth for Tomorrow's World, 2004; and his most recent book, What I Learned in School: Reflections on Race, Child Development, and School Reform, 2009. He has also written more than 150 articles for Parents and more than 300 articles on children's health and development and race relations. Dr. Comer has also served as a consultant to the Children's Television Workshop which produces Sesame Street and The Electric Company.