He teaches graduate courses on public finance, policy analysis, program evaluation, and quantitative research methods. Jacob's broader research agenda involves the application of organizational theories developed in public administration, economics, and political science to the study of public education finance and policy. His research has appeared or is in press in such journals as The American Review of Public Administration, Research in Higher Education, Economics of Education Review, Education Finance and Policy, and The Teachers College Record. He received his PhD in Public Administration in 2010 from the Martin School of Public Policy and Administration at the University of Kentucky.