Almost 60 years have passed since Dr. James Comer last saw three of his elementary school friends, yet he vividly remembers them. They were African American boys just like him. They, too, came from two-parent homes, and their fathers also worked in the local steel mill. But unlike Comer and his siblings, these three youngsters did not take an interest in academics. They grew up to lead hard lives: one died from alcoholism, a second was in and out of jail, and a third was in and out of mental institutions. As a young man, the question that always haunted Comer was why. To understand how promising lives sometimes falter and fail, Comer decided to learn about people. And so he trained in psychiatry at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. His work in the early 1960s at the university's Child Study Center taught him that many adult problems are actually rooted in childhood. In 1968, Comer and his colleagues at the center created the School Development Program. The program focuses on improving relationships among the adults in schools--teachers, administrators, other staff members, and parents--so they can foster academic achievement and support student development. A look at Comer and his life's work provides valuable insights into the ways that educators and schools can connect with children. (Contains 32 endnotes.)