The School Development Program (SDP) is a process for school change that is designed to help schools center their operations around effective child development and successful teaching and learning. The SDP puts the development of the child at the center of the educational process. All of the adult stakeholders—administrators, teachers, support staff, and parents—are involved in creating an environment that nurtures both adults and students. Improved student-teacher relationships, supportive parent-school interactions, and effective systems for decision making and problem solving have helped SDP schools to become more child-centered and focused on their core mission of educating children.

The School Development Program, founded by child psychiatrist James P. Comer of Yale University, was first implemented in 1968 in the two lowest achieving schools in New Haven, Connecticut. Today 541 elementary schools, 107 middle schools, and 73 high schools are using the School Development Program, also known as the Comer Process.

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