Educational attainment is the bedrock on which American social and economic prosperity are built. As an educational researcher, my target is to ensure all children develop optimally and flourish throughout the life span. To do so, I seek to understand the conditions under which children cultivate foundational skills and physical wellbeing in early childhood. Skills and physical wellbeing upon which children build, over the course of the life span, to improve the prospect of social and economic prosperity. These skills encompass cognitive skills (e.g., cognitive flexibility) and behavioral skills (e.g., behavioral regulation). Development of early skills and physical wellbeing is important as they set the trajectory toward later school success and optimal labor market outcomes.

In my work, I employ advanced research designs and methods to empirically test theoretical models of complex transactions of child, time, and context. These transactions result in the acquisition of developmentally appropriate competencies. Specifically, I use multiple sources of information (e.g., classroom teachers and observational measures) and multiple equations to identify risk factors impeding optimal skill and physical development. With this in mind, I work to identify protective factors associated with positive skill and physical development for children exposed to risk factors. This work identifies the origins of skill and physical wellbeing disparities and assesses the efficacy of protective factors in mitigating the negative impact of risk factors. Effective protective factors serve as candidates for evidence-based interventions and policies. The interventions and policies are designed to nurture human skill and physical wellbeing formation and reduce the effects of risk exposure on skill and health development.