Dr. Reuben Jacobson

Director, Education Policy and Leadership American University

Dr. Reuben Jacobson has worked at the intersection of education research, policy, and practice for nearly 20 years. He is committed to educational change and equity and has substantial experience designing and implementing strategies that bring stakeholders together to work on common challenges. Reuben served as the Deputy Director for the Coalition for Community Schools at the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) where he helped grow and strengthen community schools by mobilizing national partners and local leaders. He has researched and written about the growing field of school and community partnerships for organizations such as the Brookings Institution and the Center for American Progress. Reuben worked at the American Institutes for Research as an education research analyst and spent two challenging and wonderful years teaching fifth and sixth grade students in D.C. Public Schools as a D.C. Teaching Fellow. He is an alumnus of the Education Pioneers Fellowship and IEL’s Education Policy Fellowship Program.

Books and Publications:

• How 2020 might be the year of community schools, the Hill, February 2020.
• Community Schools: People and Places Transforming Education and Communities, 2019.
• States lead the way on community school innovation, Brookings Institute, August 2019.
• Achieving Results Through Community School Partnerships, Center for American Progress, January 2012.
• Scaling Up School and Community Partnerships: The Community Schools Strategy, September 2011.
• A Coordinated Effort: Well-Conducted Partnerships Meet Students’ Academic, Health, and Social Service Needs, 2009.

Keywords: Community schools, Public education, Education policy