Our Mission

Developmental Studies Center (DSC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting children’s academic, ethical, and social development.

Since 1980, we have created research-proven programs and provided professional development services to help schools and after-school programs become caring, inclusive communities and stimulating, supportive places in which to learn. Our programs build students’ academic skills while simultaneously facilitating their social, emotional, and ethical development. Helping all students become good learners and good people—that is our mission.

For in-school use, DSC has created language arts programs that focus on decoding (i.e., phonemic awareness, phonics, and fluency), reading comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, and writing; these programs, together with our classroom and schoolwide community-building program, constitute a powerful school improvement agenda. DSC has also developed reading, mathematics, and science enrichment programs specifically designed for use in after-school environments. Aligned professional development is offered for each of these programs.

In rigorous evaluation studies, DSC's programs have been shown to improve students' academic achievement, strengthen their pro-social inclinations and skills, and reduce their involvement in problem behaviors including drug and alcohol use. Accordingly, these programs have been recognized as exemplary by, among others, the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Character Education Partnership, and the National Association of Elementary School Principals. To date, DSC's programs have been adopted in a highly diverse range of over 4,000 schools and 5,000 after-school sites nationally, including Title I schools serving low-income and minority youth—thereby demonstrating their feasibility and efficacy.