Stephanie M. Jones

Stephanie M. Jones is the Gerald S. Lesser Professor of Early Childhood Development at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she is Director of the EASEL Lab and co-Director (with Nonie Lesaux) of the Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative. Jones is a developmental psychologist trained in child development, prevention science, and social policy. Her work is transactional and translational, using rigorous studies of learning settings, family systems, and the practices and policies that shape child wellbeing from infancy through early adolescence to build knowledge of human development in context, and then applied research to transform the settings in which children learn and play.

Jones’ specific developmental and experimental research investigates the causes and consequences of social and emotional problems and competencies; strategies for altering the pathways that shape children's social and emotional development; and programs, interventions, and pedagogy that foster social and emotional competencies among children, adults, and environments. Broadly, her work is designed to connect foundational information about social, emotional, and behavioral development to effective strategies and practices for use in learning settings around the globe. By conducting rigorous, longitudinal studies of such strategies and practices she engages in an evidence-action cycle that is intended to grow knowledge about social, emotional and behavior development in context.

Jones serves on numerous national advisory boards and expert consultant groups related to social-emotional development, early childhood education, and child and family anti-poverty policies, including as a member of the Council of Distinguished Scientists for the Aspen National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development. She consults to program developers and practitioners and has conducted numerous evaluations of programs and early education efforts, including Reading, Writing, Respect and Resolution, Resolving Conflict Creatively, SECURe, SEL Kernels, and the Head Start CARES initiative. Her research is published in academic and educational journals as well as in trade publications, and she regularly presents her work to national and international academic, policy, and practitioner audiences. 

Jones is a recipient of the Grawemeyer Award in Education for her work with Edward Zigler and Walter Gilliam on A Vision for Universal Preschool Education (Cambridge University Press, 2006) as well as the Joseph E. Zins Early-Career Distinguished Contribution Award for Action Research in Social and Emotional Learning. Jones holds a BA from Barnard College and a PhD from Yale University where she trained with Edward Zigler.