Science Paves the Way for
Bipartisan Policymaking

Washington State Legislators Find Common Ground
on Early Childhood Issues

One such partner was state Representative Gigi Talcott, who had been opposed to the legislation prior to the “Breakthroughs in Early Learning” seminar. With a background in early childhood development, however, Talcott found the scientific ­arguments ­compelling, and quickly threw her support behind the legislation when it was formally introduced several months later. “With my educational background, clearly this is where my heart lies—in early education—and the science speaks to me. … And when I read the bill and saw that it was going to include a research-based public-private partnership, it was something that I could support enthusiastically.”

Indeed, “Thrive by Five,” the public-private partnership organization formed by the bill, is a unique feature of the legislation, and further underscores the important role that science is beginning to play in early childhood policy. “Thrive by Five” is funded with public money and with funds from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Boeing Company, and the Talaris Institute (among others), all of whom are firm believers in the relevance of science for policy and guiding outcomes. Their support for the science was key to the passage of the legislation. The Talaris Institute was founded to translate developmental and brain science into practice, and was instrumental in bringing the research to Washington legislators.

The Expanding Role of Science in Policy Decisions

Washington is not the only state in which science is bringing lawmakers together to make wise decisions about early childhood policy. Council scientists are currently advising legislators in a number of states, including North and South Carolina, Tennessee, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Oregon. Nebraska passed legislation in 2005 doubling its support of early education programs after the testimony of Jack P. Shonkoff and other scientists underscored the importance of investing in early development. (For more, see Perspectives: “Nebraska Policymakers Reach Consensus.”) In Arizona, legislators have invited researchers to discuss the science of early development and its relevance to issues in their state. According to the National Conference of State Legislators, lawmakers in 36 states considered early learning legislation in 2005.

As science continues, at a breathtaking pace, to uncover new facts about the importance of developing early brain architecture, scientific research will play an even larger part in informing political decision making. According to Steffanie Clothier, Program Director of the Child Care and Early Education Project for the National Conference of State Legislatures, “Legislatures face a real information challenge because they are constantly bombarded with so much data and information, and sorting through that information is something they have to do every day. There’s a very important role for science to play, especially around early childhood, in helping legislators prioritize their decisions. If you provide them with science, they can then use it in all of the policy contexts they can identify as relevant. It helps them evaluate policies and make good decisions based on what’s best for children in ways that other kinds of service data just can’t accomplish.”

The Talaris Institute’s Meersman agrees that science will continue to play an important role in forming legislative consensus around early childhood policy. “Science is an unexpected messenger. Whatever your views are, liberal or conservative, there are certain scientific facts that everyone can agree on: the plasticity and growth of the brain, the influence of the environment, the concrete results of exposure to language in the first few years of life on numbers of vocabulary words by kindergarten—there are just certain things that are indisputable. … The facts are the facts and that creates a huge common ground for people to say, first, ‘Isn’t this amazing,’ and second, ‘Isn’t it interesting that we can all agree on something?’.”

As relevant and important as their research is, scientists need legislative partners to help carry the message. According to Representative Talcott, “You’ve got to have a member of the legislature who’s going to advocate, who’s going to make it their legacy and their identity….There are several forces at work in the legislature—policy, politics, and personalities. Any time you can get research-based information injected into the discussion at any of those levels, you will get better decisions.”

Writer Marcy Ray has worked with a number of interdisciplinary research networks. She served as Administrator and Director of Communications for the Research Network on Early Experience and Brain Development, and holds an M.A. in Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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