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November 24, 2014鈥擨n early October, President Obama announced several intended nominees for key administration posts鈥攁nd the 鈥檚 Dr. was on the list. Phillips will serve as a member of the Board of Directors of the .

The 15-member board oversees the research efforts of the Department of Education, helping to establish funding priorities and data collection activities about the overall status of education in the United States. The board also issues an annual report to Congress on the effectiveness of the Department of Education鈥檚 research endeavors.

鈥淚t helps set the path for where the department should be focusing its research and what it should be doing with the results,鈥� explained Phillips.

While the appointment is a thrilling opportunity for her both personally and professionally, Phillips says the real opportunity exists for her field and areas of specialization: early childhood education and early childhood development.

鈥淯ntil two years ago, we鈥檇 never heard the words 鈥榚arly education鈥� in a State of the Union address,鈥� Phillips said. 鈥淭his is a case where the bully pulpit is a very important role. And [President Obama] has signaled to the nation that this is an issue of public concern and interest. It鈥檚 a very unique moment.鈥�

This means Phillips will have a chance to advocate for what priorities should be emphasized in education. 鈥淎ny time you鈥檙e advocating for little children, it鈥檚 an uphill battle,鈥� Phillips said. A well-versed early childhood education expert, Phillips has worked in a variety of environments, including the National Association for the Education of Young Children, Capitol Hill, and the National Academy of Sciences.

鈥淢y career has been focused on the same set of issues from different vantage points, and each position has allowed me to really get to know the whole array of perspectives that bear on these issues of early education,鈥� Phillips said.

Early childhood education is so crucial because it parallels early childhood development. The most rapid period of synaptic brain development鈥攖he forming of connections within the brain鈥攐ccurs in the first five years of life, Phillips says. These connections allow our brains to learn how to think, plan, and organize information.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not that these connections are laid down in cement,鈥� Phillips explained, 鈥渂ut they do provide either a strong foundation or a weak foundation for everything that follows.鈥� Additionally, Phillips says, these foundations are important because the 鈥渁chievement gap鈥� emerges by 18 months of age. Achievement gaps refer to the disparity of educational measures and academic performance between groups of students; closing these gaps has been on the national radar for several years.

“The role of early education in this country鈥攁s it is for all education鈥攊s to create equal opportunity for all children, regardless of where they鈥檙e born, what their circumstances are, whether they are 鈥渢ypically developing鈥� or have disabilities, what language they speak, or what country their parents are from,鈥� Phillips said.

A key to improving early childhood education is understanding and recognizing the role of its workforce. Often misunderstood as 鈥渆asy鈥� or 鈥渕othering鈥� positions, the job of an early childhood educator is extremely important in shaping the trajectory of students鈥� learning capabilities.

鈥淏rain development is a hard concept to grasp because so much of what goes on is not immediately obvious. So a child who is very stress-reactive as a result of sitting in a classroom may seem to be okay, but isn鈥檛 absorbing a thing. It鈥檚 very hard to see, and the skill of the teachers is to see those things underneath [the] surface,鈥� Phillips explained.

Phillips hopes to see changes in the way early educators are compensated. 鈥淲e鈥檝e recognized the importance of early education, yet somehow we鈥檝e failed to recognize the importance of those who provide the education,鈥� she said.

But issues like these are precisely the reason that Phillips is excited to begin her work with the board. Around the country, numerous referendums have been passed to dedicate more funds to preschool education, which Phillips says is an 鈥渆xtremely promising trend.鈥� Many cities are actively trying to improve their early education systems, and the growing recognition of early education itself has led to increased resources for professional development and coaching for educators.

鈥淚 think the time has come,鈥� Phillips said. 鈥淭he country is very much heading toward a day when four year olds will be part of the education system. And hopefully, it will be a system infused with all that we know about childhood development.鈥�

For her part, Phillips will bring her passion for these issues to her position as a board member.

鈥淭here will be people who represent various forms of education, people from a variety of political persuasions, people who want to see funds going to institutions in their own states,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here will be some level of debate, and that鈥檚 appropriate. As the 鈥榣ittle kids鈥� advocate, I鈥檒l be ready to speak extra loudly.鈥�

More about Deborah Phillips

Earlier this month, Deborah Phillips and her colleagues Marcy Whitebook and Carollee Howes the comprehensive report, . Published in conjunction with the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, the report compares today鈥檚 early childhood teaching workforce to what it was 25 years ago.

Phillips has also received funding from Georgetown鈥檚 Reflective Engagement Initiative, through which she and Dr. work to bring together researchers and decision-makers from cities and states that are building or expanding their pre-K education systems. With the group鈥檚 ideas and feedback, Phillips and Johnson hope to generate a collective body of evaluation evidence that will help improve pre-K education systems in the coming years.