New, ongoing research by Rik Lamm, a doctoral student, and Julio Caésar, an alumni, both of the Department of Educational Psychology’s quantitative methods in education (QME) program, was highlighted in a recent article by K-12Dive. The article, “Study links later middle, high school start times to better student achievement,” shared information from a presentation the two gave at the 2021 American Educational Research Association (AERA) annual meeting.

Using Minnesota Student Survey data, the researchers found changes in school start times have a “significant effect” on the amount of sleep and reported grade point averages of students.

“At a time when school budgets are tight, this is an inexpensive option to increase academic outcomes, as well as the physical and mental health of students, that’s fairly easy to implement,” Caésar, now a research scientist in the evaluation and assessment department at Bloomington Public Schools, told K-12Dive.

The project is part of the Minnesota Youth Development Research Group (MYDRG) which explores methodological and substantive challenges in youth development, relying on the tenets of positive psychology, ecological perspectives of youth development, and the translation of research to practice. MYDRG was initiated by Michael C. Rodriguez, interim dean in the College of Education and Human Development and professor of educational psychology, in 2007. The group consists of faculty members, graduate students, and researchers from different institutions in the U.S. and Canada.

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