National Conference of State Legislatures

With this pilot project, the National Conference of State Legislatures will create and provide training and development for state legislatures on negotiation in the legislative arena and related topics. Using negotiation materials developed by the Harvard Negotiation Project, the group will customize high-quality products and programs for state legislators and legislative staff. Negotiation training meets the mutual goals of the Hewlett Foundation and the grantee of strengthening the legislative institution, addressing partisanship, and providing lawmakers with effective tools to craft solid policy solutions for the people they represent. Moreover, this type of training exposes future members of the federal Congress to sophisticated concepts of negotiating and compromise.

The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) is a bipartisan organization that serves state legislators and their staffs, providing research, technical assistance, and opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on the most pressing state issues. This renewal grant will continue to build momentum for college- and career-ready outcomes among state legislators. These activities will be helpful to supporting state legislative capacity as deeper learning-related reforms shift from the national and federal levels to the states for policy reform implementation.