John Jacobs is a Senior Technical Assistance Specialist with the Culturally Responsive & Equitable Systems team. He delivers professional learning, technical assistance, coaching, consultation, and develops research and evidence-based tools, guides, and comprehensive equity audits. This work supports state education agencies, district and school-based leaders, and educators in creating culturally responsive and equitable systems, practices, dispositions, and environments.
Jacobs is a skilled facilitator in the areas related to culture & identity (e.g. race, ability, gender, social class) and an experienced collaborator who has worked to embed equity & cultural responsiveness throughout district and state level policies and programs (e.g. Coaching, MTSS, PBIS, SEL).
Prior to joining WestEd, Jacobs provided technical assistance in partnership with the New York State Education Department’s Office of Special Education, spending time with New York University’s Metropolitan Center on Research and the Transformation of Schools and Bank Street College’s Center for Culture, Race, and Equity. He has also served as a member of Fairfax County Public School’s inaugural Equity and Cultural Responsiveness team and is a former middle school and young adult literacy teacher.
Jacobs holds a BA in secondary education with a concentration in social studies (5-adult) from Marshall University and an MA in educational leadership, politics, and advocacy from New York University.