Firewall with Bradley Tusk

Episode: Where Education Matters Most

Date: February 26, 2026
Guest: Elliot Ragenstein, author of Readiness: Preparing State Early Childhood Systems for a Brighter Future
Theme: The Evolution and Impact of Early Childhood Education in America

Episode Overview

This episode features a wide-ranging conversation between host Bradley Tusk and Elliot Ragenstein, a leading expert in early childhood education and the author of a new book on the subject. The discussion explores why early childhood education matters, its evolution in the U.S., political dynamics, comparisons with K-12 and higher ed systems, and practical lessons for policy and reform.

Elliot provides both historical insights and hard-earned policy lessons drawn from years working across the country. The conversation maintains a candid, policy-wonky tone and is aimed at listeners interested in the intersections of education, politics, and public policy.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Why Early Childhood Education Matters

[02:37]

• Early childhood education serves two main tracks:
  • Workforce Support: Modern American households increasingly require all adults to work, making quality childcare a necessity for the economy.
  • Child Development: The first five years are critical for brain development; early experiences deeply affect a child’s trajectory.
• Programs evolved to address these needs:
  • Head Start (1960s): Holistic program focusing on comprehensive child needs (education, nutrition, social).
  • Childcare Subsidies (1980s/90s): Supported parental employment through market-based childcare assistance.
  • Pre-K Expansion (2000s): Educational focus, with state agencies delivering coordinated, standards-based pre-K programs.
• The current landscape is “a hodgepodge of programs” difficult for families to navigate and with overlapping but inconsistent goals. (A, 05:44)

Elliot’s Path Into Education Policy

[06:04]

• Entered the field in 2004 after Bradley Tusk (then in Illinois government) recruited him for his political instincts, not education policy expertise.
• Experience working across early childhood, K-12, and higher ed at the state level gave him a unique, system-wide perspective.
• Has worked as a consultant with over half the U.S. states, witnessing political dynamics in many regions and both major parties. (A, 07:47)

Politics and Bipartisanship in Early Childhood

[08:08]

• Early childhood reforms have gained traction in red and blue states.
  • Scientific research on brain development resonated widely.
  • For Republican governors, investing in early childhood sometimes provided a way to support education reform without directly empowering unions.
  • Workforce support arguments have also appealed to business-minded conservatives.
• “Some of the leading states in early childhood today are states that are pretty red and that they've just made it part of their education reform initiatives.” (A, 09:34)

Comparison: Early Childhood vs. K-12 and Higher Ed

[09:34] – [14:53]

• Higher Ed and K-12: Large, entrenched systems with self-perpetuating interests, extremely resistant to change.
  • K-12 is likened to a failing factory where 4 out of 5 graduates aren’t “college-ready.” (B, 11:56)
  • Higher ed consumes massive resources but serves institutional interests over students (e.g., $1.83T student loan debt).
• Early Childhood: Newer, less calcified, more open to innovation and reform.
  • Fewer entrenched interests mean “possibility of changing and improving…seems much more real.” (A, 13:06)
  • Notable for actual progress and flexibility.

Quote

“In early childhood, because a lot of the things that are broken aren't as well established… the possibility of changing and improving them just seems much more real.” (A, 13:06)

Systemic Barriers and Unique Challenges

[14:53]

• Early childhood lacks strong, self-identifying constituencies (unlike local K-12 schools or higher ed alumni), making both advocacy and institutional inertia different.
• Parents often don’t even know who to advocate to or which agency is responsible.
• This lack of strong advocacy makes progress possible but creates challenges in mobilizing lasting support. (A, 16:33)

Lessons for Broader Education Reform

[17:54]

• “Mixed delivery system” in early childhood (public, private, informal/relative care) offers flexibility and choice, unlike the geographically-bounded K-12 system.
• Choice for families and service options is a key positive; some similar movement is occurring in K-12.
• However, early childhood is deeply underfunded, and its workforce is underpaid (often below jobs like Uber, Target, or Walmart).
• Investing in better pay and retention is crucial for quality improvement. (A, 19:25)

Quote

“Being a childcare worker or early childhood teacher is in the third percentile of income in America…they have lost staff to driving an Uber or working at Target or Walmart because those places pay better and you don't have to change diapers all day.” (A, 19:33)

The Quality Debate & Funding Dilemmas

[21:47]

• There’s been long debate over whether more funding improves outcomes (K-12 experience suggests money alone isn’t enough).
• A new focus: Define and pay for “actual quality”—measured by classroom experience and outcomes, not just inputs or bureaucratic requirements.
• States like Louisiana and Virginia now fund based on tangible results in children’s development, using rigorous classroom observation—not paperwork—for quality ratings. (A, 22:55)

Quote

“The folks in Louisiana and Virginia have turned that on its head and said, no, actually, like what we're going to pay for is for the child to have a good experience…focusing on what's really going on in those adult-child interactions.” (A, 23:20)

Political Success and Advocacy Models

[25:09]

• Early childhood reform has made major progress over last 25–50 years, mainly via top-down advocacy.
• Politicians like supporting early childhood; it polls well and looks good.
• But, “screwing over early childhood really doesn’t have a negative effect”—there is no strongly organized bottom-up movement because the main beneficiaries have little political power. (A, 25:52)

Lessons for Childcare Advocacy

[27:44]

• Major political wins have come by linking early childhood/childcare to business and workforce needs.
• Business leaders have been critical advocates in states as varied as Vermont, North Dakota, and Virginia—sometimes even asking legislatures to increase their taxes to support child care.
• Success stems from strategic coalition-building and campaigning, not just advocacy from within the field. (A, 27:44)

Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

• Systemic flexibility in early childhood:

  “The level of change you've seen in [early childhood] in the last 20 years would be really hard to replicate in either K12 or higher ed.” (A, 13:06)

• Lack of constituency:

  “With early childhood, in many cases, [parents] don’t even know who to advocate to…It's not the same level of community infrastructure…as with schools and school boards.” (A, 16:33)

• On funding and accountability:

  “If you give money to people without, you know, with sort of all the wrong supports and incentives, you're not going to get great results.” (A, 21:47)

• Political coalition success:

  “…it was literally a coalition of business leaders who, thanks to some very talented organizers, went to the legislature and said…tax us to pay for [childcare].” (A, 28:30) on Vermont

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:37] – Why early childhood education is critically important
• [06:04] – Elliott’s entry into education policy and his unique bird’s-eye view
• [08:08] – Bipartisanship and political evolution of early childhood programs
• [11:56] – Candid critique of K-12 and higher education systems vs. early childhood
• [14:53] – Why early childhood avoids typical system inertia
• [17:54] – Lessons from early childhood for broader education reform
• [19:25] – Funding, choice, and the underpaid workforce
• [21:47] – Why more money doesn’t always equal better outcomes—and how to change that
• [27:44] – Advocacy, business coalitions, and lessons for childcare movements
• [29:54] – States that are “getting it right” in early childhood and K-12 (Virginia, Mississippi, Tennessee, etc.)
• [35:47] – Why New York’s higher education system is different from the Midwest/West
• [37:53] – What if the US Department of Education was abolished?

States and Strategies “Getting it Right”

[30:12]

• K-12: Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee—focus on early literacy and embedding early childhood as part of broader reform.
• Early Childhood: Virginia, Louisiana—emphasis on quality, unified governance, and bipartisan administrative continuity (e.g., Jenna Conway leading through both Democratic and Republican administrations).
• Notable example: Tennessee's willingness to revise a failing pre-K program based on research instead of abandoning the idea altogether. (A, 31:45)

The Role and Potential Loss of the Federal Dept. of Education

[37:53]

• Department’s core role is supporting the most vulnerable students (civil rights, Title I, special ed).
• There is need for honest debate about what the federal role should be, rather than simply defending or abolishing the Department as-is.

Book & Further Reading

[39:59]

• Readiness: Preparing State Early Childhood Systems for a Brighter Future by Elliot Ragenstein—available via P&T Knitwear, major booksellers, and Harvard Education Press (currently on backorder).
• Event: March 9 at P&T Knitwear, NYC, featuring Elliot Ragenstein.

Episode Takeaways

• Early childhood education, although fragmented, is more open to rapid, meaningful reform—the lack of entrenched self-interests is both blessing and curse.
• Political and policy progress depends on clever coalition-building—often outside the usual education constituencies.
• Funding must be tied to child experience and measurable impact, not bureaucracy or political convenience.
• Lessons from early childhood reform—choice, flexibility, and relentless focus on quality—can inform broader education debates.
• Despite measurable success, the field remains politically fragile; lasting progress requires continued advocacy, public engagement, and careful policy innovation.

For more:

• Attend the March 9 event at P&T Knitwear, NYC.
• Order the book or follow developments via Harvard Education Press and P&T Knitwear.
• Connect with Bradley Tusk on Substack or email with questions/suggestions.