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I’m extremely interested in the blend of
research with practice. Each is equally important in informing
the other, so it’s absolutely vital for the University to
maintain a network and feedback loop with preK-12 educators. For
example, our nationally lauded research on the importance of
later start times for high schools had its genesis in a meeting
with local superintendents. Often, the most pressing issues that
need study are right within our midst. We needed the
forethought, for example, to ask our preK-12 colleagues what
they need to know in order to do their jobs better.
My other current research interests center on
the politics of change, the professional development of
teachers, leadership issues such as the characteristics
essential for leaders in today’s globally oriented world, and
the role of technology in instruction. For example, I’m
examining the link between staff development and student
achievement in Minneapolis schools. From that research we may
have a clearer answer to, “What are the generalized policy
implications of the changing dynamic of professional development
for educators?” In this era of accountability, professional
development is a complex and hotly debated topic. I’m also
looking at changes in teacher education at the international
level, specifically in Russia, the Netherlands, Great Britain
and the United States.
My professional background of 19 years’ work
prior to coming to CAREI includes teaching inner city children
with behavior problems and serving as an elementary school
principal in a suburb. That work has left me comfortable in both
urban and suburban educational settings, deepening my
understanding of the sometimes conflicting needs and views of
being a teacher and being a principal. I seek to blend my
research work with teaching and advising within the Department
of Educational Policy and Administration. I believe there is an
energy that occurs between student and teacher that has to do
with challenging one’s intellect and demanding high-quality
work. I feel that we are all teachers and learners
simultaneously and that it is in our school-University
partnerships that we develop and grow together.
Selected publications
Romano, J. & Wahlstrom, K. (2000).
Professional Stress and Well-Being of K-12 Teachers in
Alternative Educational Settings: a Leadership Agenda.
International Journal of Leadership in Education, Vol. 3,
No.2, pp.121-135.
Wahlstrom, Kyla L. & Begalle, M. (1999).
More Than Test Scores – Results of the Universal School
Breakfast Pilot in Minnesota. Topics in Clinical Nutrition,
Vol. 15, No. 1.
Wahlstrom, Kyla L. (1999). The Prickly
Politics of School Starting Times. Kappan, Vol 80, No. 5,
pp. 344-347.
Kubow, P., Wahlstrom, K. & Bemis, A. (1999).
Starting Time and School Life. Kappan, Vol. 80, No. 5,
pp. 366-371.
A more complete listing of publications follows.
Education
Doctor of philosophy 1990, University of Minnesota
Educational Policy and Administration
Dissertation title: School District Decision-Making in the
Adoption of Innovation
Master of arts 1976, University of St. Thomas
Special education-learning disabilities
Bachelor of science with distinction 1971, University of
Minnesota
Major: Elementary education, Minor: English
Professional employment
University of Minnesota, August 1990 to present
Associate director and research associate,
Center for
Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI)
Current duties: initiate/participate in the center's research
and evaluation projects; initiate and maintain information
services with member districts; serve as personnel director for
CAREI; facilitate CAREI development activities; provide
consultation services on program evaluation to CAREI-member
districts; organize and maintain the center's collaborative
grant program; provide ad hoc consultation service to the
Minnesota Department of Education and other education agencies;
develop topical workshops and seminars to be presented to school
district staff members; serve on college- and university-wide
committees as appropriate; act as chief administrator in the
absence of the director.
Lecturer - faculty, Department of Educational Policy and
Administration
Graduate courses taught once every year:
- Facilitating Change in Education; 1992-1999
- Critical Issues in Contemporary Education; 1992-2001
- Innovation and the Instructional Process; 1991-1993
North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale School District 1977 -
1990
Elementary and early childhood services coordinator for special
education; Harmony Early Childhood Center, acting principal
Supervised 21 professional and paraprofessional staff;
monitored educational services for handicapped children;
designed, planned for, and implemented new or improved
educational services and instructional techniques; designed and
implemented program evaluations; managed annual program budgets
of $3-500,000; served as building administrator/principal;
provided on-site observation and consultation to school
districts regarding programs and/or individual students; served
as a resource speaker for local and state-wide conferences
regarding innovative practices in the schools; participated in
writing Federal grant proposals.
Moundsview School District 1975 - 1977
Early childhood special education classroom teacher
Planned for and taught handicapped pre-school children;
provided individual, monthly contact with all parents;
disseminated information to visitors and metro-area
administrators regarding the program's innovative service
delivery model; participated in writing for foundation and grant
monies.
Minneapolis Public Schools 1971 - 1975
Lead teacher, Irving School E./B.D. special program
Developed program components for this new educational model;
taught inner-city elementary-aged children who had severe
behavioral, emotional, and learning problems; designed and
taught a special session of summer school for gifted students;
developed and administered a first grade readiness test for 200
children; supervised pre-service education students from the
University of Minnesota and other area colleges.
Other teachings experience - higher education
University of St. Thomas
Adjunct faculty, Department of Educational Leadership
Graduate courses taught:
Education Specialist Degree: "Research Methods and Practices -
Developing a Research Proposal"; Summer Session 1990 and Fall
1990
Areas of specialization and substantial experience
- Organizational leadership and educational politics
- Organizational communication, use of information, and
decision making
- Graduation standards and performance assessment
- Teacher and administrator professional development
- Program supervision and evaluation of curriculum
development
- Qualitative research, action research, and program
evaluation design
- Special education issues, policies, and practice
- Inter-agency planning and collaboration
- Language and cultural considerations in international
educational research
Publications
Romano, J. and Wahlstrom, K. (2000).
Professional Stress and Well-Being of K-12 Teachers in
Alternative Educational Settings: a Leadership Agenda.
International Journal of Leadership in Education, Vol. 3,
No.2, pp. 121-135.
Wahlstrom, Kyla L. and Begalle, M. (1999).
More Than Test Scores-Results of the Universal School Breakfast
Pilot in Minnesota. Topics in Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 15,
No. 1.
Wahlstrom, Kyla L. (1999). The Prickly
Politics of School Starting Times. Kappan, Vol 80, No. 5,
pp. 344-347.
Wahlstrom, Kyla L. (1999). "Further Thoughts
on The Study of School Start Time". A videotape developed at the
request of and produced by Phi Delta Kappa International.
Kubow, P., Wahlstrom, K. and Bemis, A.
(1999). Starting Time and School Life. Kappan, Vol. 80,
No. 5, pp. 366-371.
Frederickson, J., Wahlstrom, K., and Wrobel,
G. (1999). "The Adolescent Crisis: Can Later School Start Times
Help?" Paper presented at annual meeting of American Educational
Research Association; Montreal.
Wahlstrom, K. (1999). Wrote an invited
critique of a research study, "Starting Times of School: Effects
on Daytime Functioning of Fifth-grade Children in Israel" for
the newsletter for the World Society of Sleep Researchers,
Volume 7, Number 1, 1999.
Wahlstrom, K. and Romano, J. (1997).
"Reflective Practice and Responsive Teaching" book chapter in
Crossing Borders
(Over grenzen), Ponte and Zwaal, editors. Garant Publishing,
Netherlands and Belgium.
Romano, J. and Wahlstrom, K. (1997). "An
Overview of School Counseling and Guidance in the United States:
History, Training, and Practice" book chapter in Crossing
Borders
(Over grenzen), Ponte and Zwaal, editors. Garant Publishing,
Netherlands and Belgium.
Wahlstrom, K. (1996). "Reforming Russian
Education: Action Research and the Work of Teachers From Three
Nations". Paper presentation at the American Educational
Research Association Annual Meeting; New York.
Wahlstrom, K. (1993). "The Use of Action
Research to Engage School and University Faculty in
Collaborative Efforts Towards Reform". Paper presented at the
American Association of Higher Education Fourth National
Conference on School/University Collaboration; Pittsburgh.
Wahlstrom, K. (1993). "The Dichotomy
Inherent in the Principal's Decentralized Role: Which Master is
Served First?" Paper presented at the American Educational
Research Association Annual Meeting; Atlanta.
Wahlstrom, K. (1993). "Emerging Issues in
Collaborative Action Research at the Center for Applied Research
and Educational Improvement". Paper presentation at the American
Educational Research Association Annual Meeting; Atlanta.
Wahlstrom, Kyla L. and Louis, Karen Seashore
(1993). Adoption Revisited: Decision-Making and School District
Policy. In S. B. Bacharach and R. T. Ogawa (Eds.), Advances
in Research and Theories of School Management and Educational
Policy, Vol. 2., pp. 61-119. Greenwich, Connecticut: JAI
Press.
King, Jean A. and Wahlstrom, Kyla L. (1993).
Bringing Research to Life in Schools: The Center for Applied
Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI). In Evaluation
and Research in Education, Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 1-5.
Wahlstrom, K. (1991). "School District
Decision-Making in the Adoption of Innovation: A Qualitative
Study". Paper presentation at the American Educational Research
Association Annual Meeting; Chicago.
Invited conference/meeting presentations
"School Start Time Research: What We Know
Thus Far". Invited address to the Minnesota chapter of Phi Delta
Kappa Fall Initiation Meeting. November, 2000.
"Understanding Adolescents' Sleep
Requirements: The Crossroad Between Research and Practice".
Invited address for the annual meeting of the American Academy
of Sleep Medicine. Las Vegas, NV; June, 2000.
"Later School Start Time Research: Policies,
Politics, and Preliminary Outcomes". Invited address for the
Forum on Adolescence. Sponsored by the National Research
Council, National Academy of Science, September, 1999.
"More Than Test Scores: The Impact of a
Universal Breakfast Program on Learning". Invited address given
at the symposium on Nutrition and Learning. Sponsored by the MN
Department of Children, Families, and Learning Food and
Nutrition Section. March, 1999.
"Findings from Recent Research into Later
Starting Times for High Schools". Invited presentation to TURN
(Teacher Union Reform Network), a national collaborative
organization of the AFT/NEA focused on best practices and newest
research leading to educational improvement. The national
meeting was held in Minneapolis, April, 1999.
"Findings from Recent Research into Later
Starting Times for High Schools". This information was also
presented to the Midwest meeting of the UCEA, held in April,
1999.
"Accommodating the Sleep Patterns of
Adolescents Within Current Educational Structures: An Uncharted
Path.." Invited presentation to International Symposium on
Adolescent Sleep Needs, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles,
1997.
"The Rights and Responsibilities in Being An
International Scholar". Invited presentation to Russian scholars
coming to the United States; done at the request of the U.S.
Department of State, in Moscow, 1996.
"Curriculum Development for the Future: The
Synergy of Professional Development and Educational Reform".
Keynote address at Junior Faculty Development national
conference. Cleveland, OH, 1996.
"Organizational Change: Getting from There
to Here". Keynote address at national conference: Problem-Based
Learning in Veterinary Medicine: Challenges for Implementation,
San Diego, CA, 1995.
"The Needs of K-12 Students and the Response
of the School Counseling System in the United States of
America". Presentation at the Educational Reform Conference in
Moscow (Russia), 1992.
"The School-University Connection:
Operationalizing Action Research in Both Worlds". Second
International Symposium on Action Research, Seattle, 1991.
"Programmatic Concerns and Models of
Innovative Service Delivery". The Minnesota Department of
Education State Special Education Conferences (1982, 1985, and
1990).
"Least Restrictive Alternative Programming
in Early Childhood Special Education". Minnesota Council for
Exceptional Children Annual Conference, 1980.
"The Use of Observation as a Tool of
Classroom Instructional Evaluation". Rochester, MN ECSU
(Educational Cooperative Service Unit), 1979.
Grants, contracts, and consulations
(please note that a technical report is/was written for
each project for each year of the grant)
- Principal investigator, Pathways to Progress 21st
Century Grant; evaluation of impact of after-school programs
in nine elementary and middle schools on student
achievement, family-school relationships, and healthy
lifestyle choices; St. Paul Public Schools, 2000-2001.
- Co-principal investigator, Evaluation of Minnesota's
Fast Break to Learning Breakfast Program; evaluation of
state-wide breakfast program for the Department of Children,
Families, and Learning, assessing outcomes related to
student achievement and affective indicators; 2000-2001.
- Principal investigator, Evaluation of Minneapolis
Exemplary Staff Development Grants; evaluation of 14
Minneapolis schools' staff development activities and
outcomes related to exemplary strategies in reading
instruction K-12; Minneapolis Public Schools, 1999-2001.
- Principal investigator, Evaluation of Teacher Mentor
Program; evaluation of experimental model of a district-wide
teacher mentor program; Hopkins School District, 1999-2000.
- Principal investigator, Personal Digital Laptop Project;
evaluation of impact on teaching and learning of individual
laptop use by students in grades 3-12, for Eden Prairie
School District, 1999-2000.
- Principal investigator, Minnesota Educational
Effectiveness Program II (MEEP II); evaluation of the
state-wide training and implementation of standards-based
education in the Minnesota Graduation Rule and the Profile
of Learning, for the Minnesota Department of Children,
Families, and Learning, 1995-2000.
- Principal investigator, Minneapolis Public Schools'
Exemplary Staff Development Grants; evaluation of exemplary
practices for enhanced staff development, 1998-2000.
- Co-investigator, Arts for Academic Achievement
Evaluation; evaluation of impact of an arts-infused
curriculum on student achievement and student engagement.
Minneapolis Public Schools, 1997-2001.
- Principal investigator, School Start Time Study; an
impact evaluation study of the change all high schools made
to a later starting time; for the Minneapolis Public
Schools, 1997-2001.
- Principal investigator, Evaluating the Link Between
Staff Development and Student Achievement; evaluation of
processes and outcomes of professional development
activities, for the Minneapolis Public School District,
1998.
- Principal investigator, Roseville Change Initiatives
Study. A study of three major change initiatives instituted
at Roseville Area High School, 1998.
- Principal investigator, Evaluation of Staff Personal
Learner Goals System. A study of a new staff development
initiative for Hopkins Public Schools, 1998.
- Principal investigator, School Start Time Study; an
examination of the array of issues embedded in the
discussion of a potential change to the starting time of
area secondary schools; done under contract with 17 school
districts, 1997-1998.
- Principal investigator, Evaluation of From Access to
Application Program, development of a model teacher training
program for use of the Internet in instruction, funded by
the U.S. Department of Education, 1994-1997.
- Evaluation consultant, Evaluation of Student, Teacher,
and Parent Perceptions of the Programs for Gifted and
Talented, Hopkins Public Schools, 1995.
- Principal investigator, Evaluation of the Minnesota
Universal Breakfast Pilot Program, funded by the Minnesota
Department of Education, 1994-1997.
- Evaluation consultant, Evaluation of school-wide
implementation of Critical Thinking Curriculum, Burnsville
Public School District, 1994-1996.
- Principal investigator, Evaluation of the Implementation
of Problem-Based Learning, University of Minnesota College
of Veterinary Medicine, funded by the U. of Minnesota,
1993-1995.
- Principal investigator, Evaluation of the Implementation
of the Chicago Math Teacher Training Project, Edina Public
Schools, funded by the General Mills Foundation, 1991-1993.
Requested workshops/guest lectures (selected)
- "Evaluation Strategies for Technology Infusion in K-12
Education". Guest lecture for two courses in Educational
Policy and Administration, University of Minnesota, November
and March, 2001.
- "The Design and Implementation of Evaluation of
Innovation". An invited four-part workshop for doctoral
students in Educational Policy and Administration,
University of Minnesota, June, 2000.
- "Reflective Study Groups in Staff Development". An
invited workshop for a state-wide network of consultants for
the Continuous Improvement Project. Minnesota Department of
Children, Families, and Learning, 1999.
- "Using Data for Effective Educational Decisions". An
invited workshop for principals and district administrators
of Minnetonka Public Schools, 1998.
- "Using Action Research to Improve Teaching" A workshop
for teachers presented on numerous occasions as a staff
development presentation for school districts across the
state, 1991-97.
- "How to Do Action Research in Your School" (co-presented
with Jean King). The Metropolitan Teacher Center (co-sponsor
with Metro ECSU), October 1990.
- University of Minnesota "Using Action Research for
Instructional Improvement" - 1992-1996 "Action Research and
Its Role in Teacher Supervision" - 1991 "Considerations in
the Use of Qualitative Research Methods" - 1989 "The Use of
Paraprofessionals in the Schools" - 1978 "Behavior
Modification Techniques with Emotionally Disturbed Children"
- 1976
- "Issues, Concerns, and the Implementation of Least
Restrictive Programming in Early Childhood Special
Education". Presentation and consultation provided to seven
different metro-area school districts, 1984-1990.
- "Legislative Changes and Their Impact upon the Interface
between the Medical and Educational Communities" - St. Paul
Ramsey Hospital, Department of Pediatrics - department-wide
conference, 1985.
- "Fiscal Issues in Mainstreaming". -The East Metropolitan
Area Directors of Special Education, 1983.
- "Early Childhood Development and Therapeutic
Intervention Strategies" - Lakewood Community College, 1983.
- "School District Screening Practices to Detect
Developmental Delays in Preschool Children" - University of
St. Thomas, 1980.
- Consultant to 23 school districts around Minnesota who
sought to replicate the Junior Kindergarten Program which I
designed and implemented for North St. Paul District's
regular education program, 1984-1988.
- The Mille Lacs Indian Reservation Title IV Project -
served as consultant and trainer in the use of screening
techniques to detect high ability Native American children,
September - December, 1976.
Early publications
Wahlstrom, Kyla L. (1989). A Curriculum for
A Developmental Kindergarten. A scope and sequence of
task-analyzed classroom activities developed for district use in
the implementation of the Junior Kindergarten Program.
Wahlstrom, Kyla L. (1983). "Issues and
Policy Development in Early Childhood Special Education." A
position paper written at the request of the Minnesota State
Department of Education and delivered at a state legislative
hearing on the proposed legislation for early childhood special
education.
Wahlstrom (Joynes), Kyla L. (1975).
"Contingency Management for the Socially Maladjusted and
Emotionally Disturbed - A Group Program that Worked." A paper
used as required reading at the University of Minnesota for a
graduate course in special education
Professional memberships
- American Educational Research Association Association
for Supervision and Curriculum Development Phi Delta Kappa
Awards and honors
Professional
- Minnesota Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development - Awarded the 2000 National Leadership Award -
for research having national impact; January, 2001
- University of Minnesota - Named as recipient of the
Outstanding Professional Academic Award (chosen to be one of
five recipients for this award out of 3,000 employees), May,
2000
- Phi Delta Kappan - Named as guest editor of a
five-article special section for this journal, January 1999
- Fulbright Office, Washington, DC - named twice to be a
member of the 4-person faculty team that traveled to Russia
and Ukraine to provide cultural and programmatic orientation
to Russian and Ukrainian faculty scholars coming to America
for a year of study; June, 1997 and July, 1998.
- Phi Delta Kappa - Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation
Regional Award 1990
University of Minnesota (undergraduate)
- Mortar Board - Senior Women's Honorary
- Chimes - Junior Women's Honorary
- Alpha Delta Pi Sorority Award for Highest Scholastic
Achievement, 1969
- University of Minnesota Panhellenic Council - Vice
President
- Graduated with distinction (overall GPA must be greater
than 3.75)
Current professional licensure
Administrative
- Elementary principal
- Superintendent
- Director of special education
Teacher
- Elementary education (Grades 1-6)
- Learning disabilities (Grades K-12)
- Early childhood special education (Birth-age 6)
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