Comprehensive Development, Inc. (C.D.I.). is a support organization that provides academic, employment and counseling services to the students of Manhattan Comprehensive Day and Night School (M.C.D.N.H.S.), a public high school for students ages 17 to 21 who have few, if any, other educational options. Some of the 800 over-age and under-credited students in this transfer school have failed out of other schools; others are recent immigrants, hailing from over 40 different countries.
Founded by current principal Howard Friedman, M.C.N.D.H.S. is open year round, seven days a week. Extended school hours accommodate the many working students. They receive tutoring, counseling, internships and college services. Robin Hood, which paid for the renovation of the Student Life Center, also supports programming for the entire school population and general operating expenses.
Initially, C.D.I. concentrated on individual counseling and academic help. It soon became clear, however, that the students shouldered a range of complex issues, including memories of war, the death of family members, domestic turmoil and medical and legal problems. In response, C.D.I. coordinates social workers, faculty and peer counselors to run drop-in support groups, academic review sessions and a referral protocol for health and legal services.
Each C.D.I. staff person is partnered with an advisory class. The teacher and the staff person confer multiple times a week to identify students who may be experiencing difficulty and would benefit from C.D.I.’s services. These students are pulled out of the advisory class once a month for assessment and services.
M.C.N.D.H.S. is featured on Sirius Satellite Radio’s Robin Hood Stories. To hear this or other Robin Hood Stories, visit www.sirius.com/robinhood.
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