Dr. Tamara L. Jacobson has over 30 years of experience supporting children throughout the United States as an expert and a consultant.
Tamara previously taught English as a second language, Theater arts, History, Public Speaking, and language arts for over 18 years. She served as the head of curriculum and instruction for five years and as supervisor, then as Assistant Principal for four years. She holds lifetime and praxis certificates in administration and supervision K-12, ESL/Bilingual Education/Dual Language K-12, History K-12, Communication arts (public speaking, debate, forensics) K-12, early childhood education PreK-3, and elementary education K-6.
Tamara worked as an Educational Consultant for Total Training Solutions, Ask the Educators, and East Coast Special Needs and is currently the executive director of East Coast Educational Consulting LLC. She has conducted hundreds of workshops for teachers, teacher-aides, therapists, administrators, boards of directors, parent associations, and private community organizations on topics including 1) Looping, 2) Curriculum Design, 3) DEI, 4) Unconscious Bias, 5) Protecting Marginalized Communities, 6) Positive Partnerships in Special Education, 7) Special Needs Communication, 8) Child Study Team Organization, 9) Individual Educational Plan (IEP), 10) Goal Writing, 10) CRT, 11) Funds of Knowledge, 12) Authentic Leadership, 13) Pedagogy v. Andragogy, 14) Critical Thinking Skills, 15) English as a Second Language Learning, 16) Resume Building, and 17) 5 Aspects of Grief.
Tamara is the mother of three daughters, one of whom lives with severe significant physical and cognitive developmental delays. Her daughter inspires her daily to make a difference in the educational landscape of practice.
Combining her interests in education and theater, Tamara has an acting and theater arts and MFA in Directing. She has owned and directed Stars Theater and Dance Academy for many years. In 2011, she was profiled in Cambridge’s Who’s Who as a successful businesswoman.
Tamara holds a Post-Graduate Certificate in Administration & Supervision with a concentration in Urban Studies and completed her EdD in Learning & Organizational Change at National University in Spring 2025.
In 2012, Tamara graduated from the “Partners in Policymaking in the State of NJ” program, a non-partisan advocacy group that looks at legislation affecting marginalized communities. She is affiliated with the following organizations and conferences: American Education Research Association, Council for Exceptional Children, Academy for Educational Studies Critical Questions in Education Symposium, Carnegie Project on Special Education Doctorate, Southeastern Universities Graduate Research Symposium (SUGRS), Baylor Education Research Conference (BERC).
Tamara has authored four published pieces: Navigating Special Education (Slack Inc.), A Different Kind of Wonderful (Xlibris), Understanding the Andragogical Learning Experiences of High School Students with Severe Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) During the COVID-19 Pandemic (IGI Global), and Sofia Makes her Mark (Elite Journal, Vol. 3, No. 1, June 2021).
As seen on…
— Conversations Lead to Consensus: Building a High Performing Team One Conversation at a Time, Available Now!
“Conversations Lead to Consensus illustrates the vital journey from conversations to consensus, emphasizing the importance of open dialogue where every team member feels heard and valued. In the quest for productivity, teams often encounter challenges in reaching consensus; however, the 5-C Model of Communication provides a versatile and transformative tool applicable across diverse industries. This framework details the interconnected elements of Conversations, Collaboration, Cooperation, and Compromise that pave the way for achieving Consensus. It is crafted to enhance effective communication skills, foster strong partnerships, and cultivate corporate buy-in, steering teams toward collaborative success. Unlock the potential of your team with this essential guidebook that empowers individuals to co-create solutions and navigate differences effectively.”
“This timely and innovative roadmap for parents, educators, and administrators highlights the importance of effective communication methodology, appropriate correspondence, and data collection recommendations. Effective communication is often missing from the IEP team’s conversation. Navigating Special Education provides a foundation for building positive partnerships that lead to 21st-century best practices for special needs students.
The 5C Model of Communication: Conversations, Collaboration, Cooperation, Compromise, and
Consensus presented in Navigating Special Education helps to build strong partnerships between school districts and families by forging trusted alliances.
Navigating Special Education draws upon the authors’ 60-plus years of combined experience by
using: Anecdotal, evidence-based real-life scenarios
Templates for letter writing and extensive data collection”
— Navigating Special Education: The Power of Building Positive Parent-Educator Partnerships, Available Now for Pre-Order! Visit the book’s website!
“It is important to highlight the main challenges that students with ASD face while learning virtually and explore how best practices can be implemented to offer the best educational experience for them online. The detrimental, albeit necessary, shift to virtual learning has been a key issue for students with severe autism and other key stakeholders in special education since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic”
— Dr. Tamara L. Jacobson, EdD, Understanding the Andragogical Learning Experiences of High School Students With Severe Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) During the COVID-19 Pandemic (For Purchase)
“There are many parents around the world who, at some point in life, are surprised to recognize or discover, and forced to admit that their children are different from others. … What should they do? Authors Tamara Jacobson and Lori Eichler provide enlightenment and important insights regarding this issue through their book, ‘A Different Kind of Wonderful.’”
— “A Different Kind of Wonderful” (For Purchase)
“This narrative study centers around Sofia, a twenty-one-year-old Columbia University graduate and Master of Science candidate at Columbia and a proud Hispanic woman in STEM who understands and articulates barriers associated with her educational experiences due to her complex identities. … In analyzing CRT, FOK, Cultural Capital, and Critical Multicultural education, research findings by Banks & Banks (2016), Freire (1993), Creswell(2018), Moll & Gonzalez (2004), Yosso (2005), Delpit (2020), Ortiz & Telles (2012), andKubik-Huch (2020) overlap with many of the themes observed through Sofía. These themes include linguistic diversity, gender bias, and implicit bias.”
— Dr. Tamara L. Jacobson, EdD, Sofia Making her Mark: Bridging the Cultural Divide, Elite Journal, 2021