Kyla L. Wahlstrom

College of Education and Human Development, October 10, 2023

Kyla L. Wahlstrom received her bachelor of science in elementary education and her doctorate in educational policy and administration from the University of Minnesota. In 1990, following a two decade career in K-12 education, Wahlstrom joined the University of Minnesota as a senior research fellow and lecturer in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development in the College of Education and Human Development and as both the associate director and later, director of the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement. Wahlstrom is a pioneer in research and policy on school start times. Her 20-year study, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, of the effect of a later start time on high school students, has influenced districts across the United States, and has been featured in a variety of publications. Wahlstrom also pursued additional areas of research related to school practices, such as longitudinal outcomes for students in all-day kindergarten, the effects of elementary breakfast programs, and the link between school leadership and student development. She was also the lead American investigator on international collaborations with Russia, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom that focused on the reform of Russian education. In addition to her prolific research work, Wahlstrom has made extraordinary contributions to the University of Minnesota community through her service, which includes significant foundational work on the University’s former Minnesota’s Academic Staff Advisory Committee and the Council of Academic Professionals, which later became the Academic Professional and Administrative (P&A) Senate. She has also been a member of countless doctoral committees; she developed a number of new courses as well as updating the content of others; and, as a well-regarded instructor, her teaching ratings exceeded those of many tenured/tenure track faculty members. Although it was never expected, Wahlstrom also volunteered for important committee work and was at every faculty meeting. Since her retirement, she has continued to support the work of the Educational Policy and Leadership Program, particularly the degrees that prepare senior educational administrators. Wahlstrom exemplifies rare excellence as a scholar, a teacher, and a public servant, whose primary purpose is to make a difference to schools and to the students and adults who work in them.
 

Biographies are as-of time of award presentation.