ConnectEd

What ConnectEd does

ConnectED: The National Center for College and Career is a Berkeley, California-based nonprofit organization founded in 2006 that partners with K-12 school districts, communities, and state education agencies to implement the Linked Learning approach — a systemic methodology that integrates academics, career technical education, work-based learning, and student supports within career-themed pathway systems. The organization serves as a national convener for college and career pathway adoption, with active engagements spanning school districts from Boston to Portland, including flagship sites such as North Kansas City Schools, Gallup-McKinley School District, Porterville Unified, and Detroit.

ConnectED's product portfolio centers on the Linked Learning methodology, supported by ConnectED Studios — a pathway management platform with modules for planning (OPTIC), quality certification, student planning (ECCCO), and blended instructional lessons. The organization also delivers coaching and professional development services (including Reciprocal Coaching and certified coach networks), publishes research syntheses and implementation toolkits, and runs the annual National Pathway Day celebration. The leadership team combines expertise from WestEd, Envision Schools, Stanford SCALE, and major urban districts.

As a nonprofit, ConnectED's revenue derives from grants, donations, and district partnership contracts rather than product sales; specific pricing is not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is direct: long-term district partnerships, on-site coaching, professional development workshops, and self-service resources through the Studios platform. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors chaired by Sri Ananda, PhD (former Chief Program Officer at WestEd), and is currently led by President and CEO Julie Koenke, appointed September 2025.

Name

ConnectEd

Legal name

ConnectED: The National Center for College and Career

Website

https://connectednational.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ConnectED is a Berkeley-based nonprofit that partners with K-12 school districts and communities nationwide to implement Linked Learning, a systemic approach integrating academics with career-themed pathways, supported by coaching services and the ConnectED Studios platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Other Schools and Instruction (6116)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Virtual CTE & Career Pathways Programs (K–12) (EDAJADAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mentoring, Coaching, Alumni Networking & Peer Support Platforms (EDAFAMAN)

Keywords

• Career pathway education
• Linked learning implementation
• School district consulting
• Work-based learning programs
• College career readiness

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ConnectED is a nonprofit organization that partners with K-12 school districts and communities to implement the Linked Learning approach, transforming high schools into career-themed college and career pathway systems. It delivers coaching, professional development, and the ConnectED Studios platform to support pathway design, work-based learning, and instructional design across districts nationwide.

Product overview

ConnectEd: The National Center for College and Career operates as a non-profit organization offering a comprehensive suite of services, platforms, and resources to support Linked Learning pathway implementation. The core offering is the Linked Learning approach, a systemic methodology for integrating academics with career-themed pathways. This is supported by ConnectED Studios, a management platform for pathway design, quality assessment, and instructional implementation. The organization provides coaching services (including Reciprocal Coaching and certified coach networks), professional development resources (rewindED, Webinars, Experiential Site Visits), and toolkits (District, Pathway, Work-Based Learning) for implementation. Additional components include OPTIC for pathway planning, Linked Learning Certification for quality validation, ECCCO for student career planning, and Blended Lessons for instructional delivery. National Pathway Day serves as an annual celebration program to promote pathway education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Linked Learning

Quantifiable outcome

• Students in Linked Learning pathways graduate better prepared to succeed in college, career, and civic life
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• North Kansas City SchoolsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerConnectED partnered with NKC Schools to transform four comprehensive high schools into career-themed 'Schools of' learning communities. The partnership includes district-wide pathway system design, coaching, and implementation support. NKC Schools serves as a model site for ConnectED's experiential site visits.
• Gallup-McKinley School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSystems-level college and career pathways partnership involving pathway design and implementation support for the district in New Mexico.
• Great Lakes College & Career Pathways PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partnership spanning multiple communities in the Great Lakes region, co-led by ConnectED to build college and career pathway systems across district and state boundaries.
• Porterville Unified School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-time partner district that pioneered Linked Learning pathways with proven gains. Porterville's work led to the establishment of National Pathway Day on the official calendar.
• Linked Learning AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership to promote and advance Linked Learning approach nationally. Listed as a supporter of National Pathway Day.
• NAF (National Association for Business Education)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting college and career pathways. Listed as a supporter of National Pathway Day and collaborative initiative partner.
• WestEdminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConnectED Board Chair Sri Ananda previously served as Chief Program Officer at WestEd, a renowned educational research organization with 17 offices across the US.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• NAF (National Academy Foundation): National non-profit that brings career-focused academies into K-12 schools, working with districts, educators, and industry partners — the closest comparable in mission and is also a current ConnectED collaborator.
• Jobs for America's Graduates (JAG): National non-profit delivering career pathways and graduation support to at-risk high school students across multiple states, with similar district-partnership and outcomes-driven model.
• Big Picture Learning: Non-profit network that supports interest-based, work-based, and project-based learning in high schools, sharing a school-transformation, district-partnership approach with ConnectED.
• Envision Schools: Network of project-based high schools with a college and career focus, sharing pedagogical DNA with Linked Learning; multiple ConnectED leaders have Envision background.
• New Tech Network: Non-profit supporting K-12 school transformation through project-based learning, distributed leadership, and a network membership model — a comparable systems-change partner to districts.

Broad incumbents

• KIPP Foundation: Large national K-12 charter network with significant capacity and brand authority, often working on college and career outcomes; a broader incumbent in K-12 transformation that competes for the same funder and district mindshare.
• WestEd: National education research and development non-profit where ConnectED's Board Chair previously served as Chief Program Officer; comparable in mission (improving education outcomes) but operates at much larger scale as a research organization.

Emerging players

• Year Up: Workforce development non-profit bridging education and careers for young adults, with a workplace-anchored training model that overlaps Linked Learning's work-based learning philosophy at the older end of the youth spectrum.
• Cristo Rey Network: National network of Catholic college-prep high schools integrating corporate work-study, with overlapping work-based learning and college-and-career-pathway elements.
• XQ Institute: Non-profit focused on redesigning American high schools, funding and supporting innovative schools — comparable in driving systemic high school transformation toward college and career readiness.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/connectedorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/ConnectEdCalifornia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/connected-the-california-center-for-college-and-career

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ConnectEd