Prof. Stephen L. Jacobson is a University at Buffalo (UB) Distinguished Professor Emeritus. Over the course of his 35 year career in the Graduate School of Education at UB – State University of New York, he served as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Chair of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy (ELP) and Coordinator of Educational Administration programs in ELP.
Over the course of his career, his research interests expanded from teacher compensation and labor market behaviors (particularly teacher absence from the workplace), to the reform of school leadership preparation and practice, and finally, successful leadership in high poverty schools. His work on high poverty schools has examined successful leaders in primary schools the USA, early childhood education centers in New Zealand and a secondary school in Belize. Prof. Jacobson’s research has an international following and, in addition to six books and over 100 other publications, he has given invited presentations in countries around the world including: Albania, Australia, Austria, Barbados, Canada, China, Cyprus, England, Ethiopia, Germany, Ghana, Israel, Mali, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and Tanzania.
He is a past President of both the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) and the Association for Education Finance and Policy (AEFP). He is also the founding and senior co-editor of the Taylor & Francis international journal Leadership and Policy in Schools, lead editor of the Springer book series, Policy Implications of Research in Education, and a past UCEAAssociate Director for International Initiatives. In 2019 he was a Fulbright Teaching Scholar at Alexander Moisiu University in Durres, Albania.
Finally, Prof. Jacobson has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award (2021); the UCEA Master Professor Award (2020); the UCEA – Hanne Mawhinny Distinguished Service Award (2018); the Business First Pathfinders Award (2007); the Western New York Women in Administration Mentor Award (2002-2003); the UCEA – Jack A. Culbertson Award (1994) for Outstanding Contributions by a Junior Professor in Educational Administration; and the American Education Finance Association, American Association of School Administrators and National Education Association Jean Flanigan Dissertation Award (1987) for Outstanding Research in the Field of Educational Finance.