David Jacobson is the director of EDC’s First 10 initiative, which brings together schools, early childhood programs, and community agencies in local partnerships to improve outcomes for children ages birth through 10 and their families. Through a national network of First 10 partnerships, Jacobson has built a community of practice to share lessons learned and best practices. Jacobson brings deep experience in early childhood education, school improvement, applied research, strategic planning, and a commitment to addressing inequality to his work leading First 10.
Jacobson is the author of All Children Learn and Thrive: Building First 10 Schools and Communities, a 2019 report funded by the Heising-Simons Foundation, which presents findings on coordinated efforts to improve teaching, learning, and care during the first decade of children’s lives. He is also a nationally recognized expert in education reform and serves as a consultant and adviser on the First 10 model.
A widely published author, Jacobson has advanced the knowledge of community-school partnerships, bipartisan education priorities, building state P–3 systems, and professional learning communities.
Jacobson holds a BA in History and an MA in Philosophy from Brown University and a PhD in Sociology from the University of Chicago.