J Jacob Kirksey

J. Jacob Kirksey, Ph.D.

Education Data & Policy Expert

Jacob Kirksey is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership Policy and Associate Director of the Center for Innovative Research in Change, Leadership, and Education.

About J. Jacob Kirksey, Ph.D.

Dr. Kirksey’s scholarship is broadly focused on issues at the nexus of education and other areas of public policy, which includes student absenteeism and truancy, inclusion and special education, immigration and education, and the workforce.

His work stresses a holistic approach to policymaking by drawing attention to knowledge gaps in how changes made in and outside of schools interact with dynamic educational contexts. The goal of his research is to foster data-driven decision making in local, state, and federal policy to forge win-win public policies that reduce inequity in schools.

Jacob has extensive experience working with school districts, nonprofit organizations, and universities across the U.S. He has led multiple research teams hired to conduct program evaluations and assist administrators with building capacity to better understand and analyze large datasets. With significant experience in working with large, complex datasets, Jacob’s analytic skills can serve as an asset to any research-driven organization. Learn more about Jacob and his team’s private consulting organization.