David Jacobson designed and leads EDC’s First 10 initiative, which supports a national network of school-early childhood-community partnerships. These partnerships work to improve outcomes for children ages birth through 10 and their families. Jacobson brings deep experience in early childhood education, school improvement, applied research, strategic planning, and addressing inequality to his work leading First 10.
Jacobson is the author of a 2019 report funded by the Heising-Simons Foundation, All Children Learn and Thrive: Building First 10 Schools and Communities, which presents findings on coordinated efforts to improve teaching, learning, and care during the first decade of children’s lives. Nationwide, he provides consultation and serves as an 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.