Research and expertise

Research centers and labs (Web sites and contact information.)

Guide to college expertise (Locate a faculty expert.)

ResearchWorks (Read about continuing research.)

Driven to Discover (Read how CEHD is contributing to the University's mission.)

Research grants and awards (organized by department or center)

Outreach and service

Featured research

The 2007 Tucker Center Research Report, Developing Physically Active Girls: An Evidence-based Multidisciplinary Approach

• The 2007 Tucker Center Research Report summarizes the most recent research pertaining to the physical, psychological, social and cultural benefits girls derive from participation in sport and physical activity, the barriers that prevent them from reaching their full potential and the kinds of environments in which girls learn how to develop and foster the best parts of themselves both on and off the playing fields. [View video release and interviews.]
• Results of the study will be discussed at the Borghild-Strand Distinguished Lecture, which will join the study’s four authors to summarize the report’s key findings and recommendations. It is free and open to the public.

Uncovering the cognitive causes of reading difficulty

The percentage of struggling readers has scarcely decreased over the last decade despite extensive research and interventions undertaken to help them. Educational psychology professor Paul van den Broek and assistant professors Kristen McMaster and David Rapp (now at Northwestern University) set out to reverse this trend with an innovative approach that zeroes in on the specific cognitive challenges that can trip up struggling readers.
[Continue reading ResearchWorks]

U of M researchers find novel ways to engage students

A significant measure of success for students is the extent to which they’re participating in critical fields like science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) — areas that are increasingly important to Minnesota’s global competitiveness. [Continue reading Head of the Class.]

Students with disabilities do better after receiving same diploma as classmates

In a study of the nation's high school graduation requirements and diploma options, the University of Minnesota has found that some graduation policies may prevent students with disabilities from pursuing the same educational and life opportunities that their classmates have. A report on the study, "Revisiting Graduation Requirements and Diploma Options for Youth with Disabilities" [.pdf] from the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO), recommends that schools nationwide reassess the underlying assumptions of their graduation requirements and ensure that students with disabilities have sufficient opportunities to learn the material presented on state exit exams.

The science of motion sickness

Tom Stoffregen's Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory (APAL) research on motion sickness is featured in an article on the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) Web site, sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

Men and women manage family businesses differently

If you're a family business owner, how you run that business may well depend on whether your baby blanket was pink or blue. [Continue reading "See how they run," UMNews]

Student research

The fall 2007 issue of Connect! featured two articles on student research: Early opportunities and Out of the lab, into the world.

Learning communities support first-generation students

The positive effects of a college diploma are many—from increased income, professional mobility, and improved quality of life, to good health. Yet for students whose parents’ highest level of education is high school or less, finishing college is a challenge. [Continue reading ResearchWorks]

Early-childhood intervention improves well-being through young adulthood

Minority preschoolers from low-income families who participated in a comprehensive school-based intervention fared better educationally, socially and economically as they moved into young adulthood, according to a report by University of Minnesota professors Arthur Reynolds and Judy Temple. [Continue reading UMNews]

New assessments show real progress

Federal mandates such as No Child Left Behind and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act require schools to demonstrate adequate annual progress from all students, regardless of ability. How to provide that proof for students who often don’t read, aren’t verbal, or who face other hurdles has been a challenge. Educators have struggled for years to find consensus regarding the progress that should be expected of students with significant cognitive disabilities and how to monitor such progress. [Continue reading ResearchWorks]