Research

Population-Level Early Childhood Development Measurement

Monitoring early childhood development (ECD) at scale is essential for identifying disparities and evaluating interventions, yet valid, feasible measurement tools have been lacking. I contribute to the development and psychometric validation of caregiver-reported instruments designed for population-level surveillance of children’s cognitive, motor, language, and socio-emotional development. My work focuses on establishing measurement validity, dimensional structure, and cross-cultural applicability of these tools. As lead psychometrician, I have conducted item-level analyses and validation studies demonstrating that brief caregiver-report instruments can reliably track developmental milestones and identify children at risk. These contributions have informed measurement efforts by the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and state-level surveillance systems in the United States.

Key publications:

  • Waldman, M. R., et al. (2025). Validation of the Kidsights Measurement Tool. PLoS ONE. DOI
  • Waldman, M. R., et al. (2024). Psychometrics of psychosocial behavior items under age 6 years. Infant Mental Health Journal. DOI
  • Waldman, M. R., et al. (2021). Validation of motor, cognitive, language, and socio-emotional subscales using the CREDI. International Journal of Behavioral Development. DOI
  • van Buuren, S., …, Waldman, M. R., et al. (2024). Enhancing comparability in early child development assessment with the D-score. International Journal of Behavioral Development. DOI

Statistical Methodology for Behavioral Research

Modern behavioral research increasingly relies on latent variable models to identify subgroups and understand heterogeneity in populations. However, missing data—ubiquitous in longitudinal and survey research—poses challenges for these methods. I develop and evaluate statistical approaches for handling missing data in the context of latent class and latent profile analysis. My methodological work addresses the gap between multiple imputation techniques and mixture models, providing researchers with practical guidance for maintaining valid inference when data are incomplete. This work has implications for applied researchers using person-centered analytic approaches across psychology, education, and public health.

Key publications:

  • Waldman, M. R. (2020). Multiple Imputation Methods for Latent Profile Analysis in Education and the Behavioral Sciences. Doctoral dissertation, Harvard University. ProQuest
  • Waldman, M. R. (2019). Advancing multiple imputation for latent profile analysis. Multivariate Behavioral Research. DOI
  • Waldman, M. R. (in preparation). Information criteria for multiply-imputed data: A principled approach for complete-data replication.

Software Development

I develop open-source statistical software to make advanced optimization methods accessible to applied researchers.

  • arcopt – An R package for robust local optimization via adaptive regularization with cubics (in preparation).

Bayesian Methods for Biomarker Research

I am extending Bayesian latent growth curve modeling approaches for repeated blood assay measures, with the goal of addressing measurement error inherent in biomarker research.

Key publications:

  • Waldman, M. R., Hagen-Lillvik, S., Bosma, G., Schmiege, S., & Hernandez, T. (in preparation). Bayesian latent growth curve modeling for repeated blood assay measures.

Education Policy Evaluation

My work in education policy examines the causal effects of policy interventions on child development and educational outcomes, using quasi-experimental designs and advanced statistical methods.

Key publications:

  • Bright, M. A., Lynne, S. D., Masyn, K. E., Waldman, M. R., Graber, J., & Alexander, R. (2019). Association of Friday school report card release with Saturday incidence rates of agency-verified physical child abuse. JAMA Pediatrics, 173(2), 176-182. DOI
  • Waldman, M. R., Raikes, A., & Fritz, L. (in preparation). Quasi-experimental evidence for average treatment on the treated effects of Colorado’s Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program.
  • Murnane, R. J., Waldman, M. R., et al. (2017). The consequences of educational voucher reform in Chile. NBER Working Paper No. 23550. DOI