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In 2007, Dr. Aletha Huston—The Priscilla Pond Flawn Regents Professor of Child Development in the Department of Human Ecology at UT and former Associate Director of the Population Research Center—completed her two-year term as president of the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD), the world’s largest professional association dedicated to the study of human development. As president, Dr. Huston oversaw a membership of nearly 6,000 researchers and practitioners from over 50 countries, encouraging the exchange of information among scientists and other professionals from multiple disciplines as well as the applications of scientific research.In March 2007, Dr. Huston gave a presidential address at the SRCD biennial convention in Boston. In this address, she shared the wisdom that she has accumulated in her groundbreaking career about the interplay between scientific research on families and children and public policies targeting families and children. This address was recently published in SRCD’s flagship journal, Child Development. An abstract of this address is included below.
From: Huston, Aletha C. (2008). “From Research to Policy and Back.” Child Development 79(1): 1-12.
Although science policy and social policy have distinct cultures, there are overlapping influences on both. Science policy decisions across the spectrum of basic and applied research are influenced by perceived social utility and the potential for solving current social problems. With the advent of evidence-based policy requirements, social policymakers increasingly use scientific information, although it constitutes only 1 factor in a mix of ideology, interests, and institutional constraints. The spread of early childhood intervention programs in the United States and elsewhere is one example in which strong, cumulative evidence has contributed to a policy consensus. Developmental scientists can contribute to better science policy and better social policy by strengthening the scientific quality of their evidence and communicating research-based knowledge more effectively.
University of Texas users (and others with access to Blackwell Synergy) can download the published address here
Link to updated map to Pre-K availability in the US (discussed in address)