Using Behavioral Science to Better Serve the American People

On September 15, 2015, President Obama released an executive order to promote the use of behavioral sciences to better design government policies for the American people. The president cites a growing body of evidence that behavioral economic and psychology sciences have improved outcomes for the individuals, families, communities, and businesses through constructing better designed policies and practices.

The Wing Institute sees this executive order as an important development for education. Along with previous U.S. Department of Education initiatives such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) which contained over 100 references to using evidence from “scientifically-based research” and the establishment of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) within the Department of Education, this order is another notable step in the right direction better enabling education decision-makers reach decisions that produce results.