Gary Jacobs

Abstract: 

Designing a New Student Centered Charter School

In a traditional high school, the classroom teacher is the keeper of all knowledge. The student sits dutifully in his / her seat and takes notes, memorizes and shows on a test that he / she has learned what the teacher knows. Yet today, content is everywhere, instantly accessible via the internet most likely more up to date than what the teacher knows. So how does one design a new school which is student centered where the educator is more a facilitator, helping students find and validate original content while at the same time meeting standards.

Bio:

Mr. Gary Jacobs founded Jacobs Investment Company, a company that participates in investment activities throughout the United States, Israel and abroad. He serves as chairman of the board for DermTech International, Nutrinia Ltd., and Next Generation Technologies, and is a director of GEO2 Technologies, Bio2 Technologies, Motus GI Technologies, M.S.T – Medical Surgical Technologies, and Fallbrook Technologies. Mr. Jacobs owns the Lake Elsinore Storm Professional Baseball team. Mr. Jacobs is Chairman, Board of Trustees of High Tech High charter high schools and a board member of the HTH Graduate School of Education. He chairs the Dean’s Advisory Council for the Social Sciences at University of California, San Diego. He and his wife, Jerri-Ann, created the Gary and Jerri-Ann Graduate Fellowship in Social Sciences Endowment and the Jerri-Ann and GaryJacobs Chair in Social Sciences. They have endowed the Jerri-Ann and Gary JacobsTeen Director position and Senior Department at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, Jacobs Family Campus. Mr. Jacobs is on the boards of the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center and Jewish Community Centers Association; and also the UCSD Athletic Board; UCSD Board of Overseers and UCSD Foundation Board. The Gary and Jerri-Ann Jacobs International Teen Leadership Institute (JITLI) brings together Jewish teens from San Diego and Israel and Arab teens from Israel and Gaza for a year-long program studying historical and current Muslim/Jewish relations. Mr. Jacobs graduated in 1979 from the University of California at San Diego with a B.A. in Management Science. He lives in Del Mar with his wife Jerri-Ann, son Adam, daughters Sara, Beth, and Mara, and their dogs Goldie and Sunny.