The School Development Program: A Model for School Improvement

Abstract

Numerous school improvement strategies were developed during the 1960s to address the problems of inner-city students.' Each strategy or program was based on specific assumptions regarding the causes of the widespread academic underachievement of these children. This period in American education generated some of the most controversial ideas and policies concerning inner-city education and some of the most innovative solutions. Three of the most significant and well-known programs initiated during this period were Head Start, Follow Through, and Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Each of these was somewhat similar to the School Development Program developed by the second-named author of this article-especially in the broad goal of improving academic achievement of young inner-city children. However, the School Development Program was unique among these programs in many respects, especially in its mental health approach regarding the elimination and prevention of the school problems. The School Development Program (SDP) was introduced into the New Haven Public Schools in 1968. The model went through a period of refinement from 1968 to 1975. Since 1975 the effectiveness of the model in the New Haven Public Schools has been evaluated and documented.2 The documentation of the success of the model