[2] In 2020, he was elected to the National Academy of Education and was awarded the David N. Kershaw Award and Prize for contributions to the field of public policy analysis and management from the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM).

[3][4] In 2022 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences which honors the excellence and leadership of exceptional people from all disciplines and practices.

[1] In August, 2023, Jackson joined President Biden's three-member Council of Economic Advisers.

[7] Jackson began his teaching career as assistant professor in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University before moving to Northwestern in 2010.

[8] His research has focused on teacher labor markets and determinants of student success beyond test scores.