Five on Fridays: Maurice Elias, Ph.D.

Welcome to our new blog series, “Five on Fridays”! Our first interview is with Maurice Elias, Ph.D., a psychology professor at Rutgers University, the Director of the Rutgers Social-Emotional and Character Development Lab, and Co-Director of the Academy for SEL in Schools and SEL4US.

We asked Dr. Elias the following questions to get a glimpse inside his world of social-emotional and character development (SECD).

1. Who or what is a source of inspiration for you these days?

My three grandchildren, Harry, Isaac, and Maia, are a constant source of inspiration for me. I want them to live in a positive, caring, kind, supportive world. I also want them to go to schools similarly oriented. I view my research, writing, consultation, etc., as working toward those goals. And because I understand the importance of networks of peer relationships, I want the same outcomes for their friends, for other kids in my family, the kids of friends and their friends, and on it goes. I am inspired by the possibility, and urgency, of making a constructive difference in the lives of children.

2. What is a piece of advice or wisdom that you carry with you? Who gave it to you, and in what context?

A dear mentor, Bernie Novick, always would say, “The system is perfectly designed to produce the outcomes it is producing.” He would invoke this when I would discuss with him a difficult meeting at schools, education policies that appeared to make no sense, and systems that appeared, to me, to be dysfunctional. His wisdom has always guided me to start with the people involved in systems, and their values. That is a better starting point than tinkering with systems.

3. What is a scientific concept related to prosocial education that you wish was better understood and/or applied in education systems?

You can’t take social-emotional learning (SEL) out of schools. SEL refers to a set of skills that enable all of us, from infancy through seniorhood and every moment in between, to function in the world. The idea of taking SEL out of schools makes as much sense as taking oxygen out of the air—and will be equally unsuccessful. You won’t find a parent that does not want his or her child to have a set of skills for success in school and life. We should not be able to find any educators opposed to this idea, either.

4. What new research in the world of prosocial education are you excited about these days?

I believe that visual and performing arts educators are the secret weapon in bringing social-emotional and character development (SECD) to all students. Research is growing in this area, led by Scott Edgar and May Yuan. In New Jersey, arts educators and SEL folks have created a complete crosswalk between Arts Education standards and SEL Core competencies and sense of purpose (selarts.org). They understand that arts education depends on students’ SECD (as does success in other academic subject areas).

5. How do we make systemic change to include prosocial education in all aspects of the education system?

I think the way forward in this area is one school at a time, with supportive organizations in each state to nurture progress and create networks of mutual sharing and help. At this point, SEL4US.org is the location of one such organization, and there are over 20 affiliated state alliances (e.g., SEL4NJ, SEL4SC, SEL4CO, SEL4CA, SEL4NC, SEL4IL, SEL4NM). The scope of interest of these organizations is best thought of as larger than SEL, including character development, prosocial education, life skills, emotional wellness, and resilience.

Because our current education system is so state focused, I think it makes the most sense to have a state-focused strategy, and to measure progress by school, rather than by district.