What Education First does

Education First Consulting, LLC is a Seattle-headquartered, privately held education policy and strategy advisory firm founded in 2006 by Jenn Vranek. The firm employs between 101 and 250 people organized into Partner, Principal, Senior Consultant, Principal Consultant, Associate Consultant, and Consultant tiers, and is structured as an LLC with no external funding rounds, parent company, or subsidiaries on record. Its services are delivered exclusively through custom, multi-year consulting engagements with foundations, state education agencies, school districts, and education nonprofits across all 50 US states, with no publicly disclosed pricing.

The firm's service portfolio is anchored by proprietary methodologies including the AIxCoherence Framework and the Coherence Framework (four elements: build focus and coordination, cultivate trusting relationships, change behaviors at scale, and adopt equitable ways of working), supported by structured programs such as the AIxCoherence Academy (launched 2025 with 11 districts) and the Coherence Lab Academy. Education First also produces a steady stream of publications and toolkits (Rethinking the Test Pile, Equitable Decisionmaking Toolkit, Multilingual Learning Toolkit, chronic absenteeism research) and incubates larger initiatives that it later spins off — EdReports (built in 15 months, now used by 1,785+ districts educating 18M+ students), the Stay in the Game! Attendance Network in Ohio (transitioned to Battelle after reaching 150+ districts and 400,000 students), the Emerging Bilingual Collaborative in California (deployed over $10M for multilingual learners), and the Limitless Learning Network in Washington state (transitioned to Education Northwest).

Commercially, Education First operates a sales-led, enterprise field sales motion with multi-year contracts, targeting three primary segments: foundations and philanthropists (100+ served, including Gates, Walton, Sobrato, Heising-Simons, Chan Zuckerberg, Hewlett, NoVo), education leaders at the state and district level (Indiana DOE, Ohio DOE, Chicago Public Schools, NYC Public Schools, LAUSD), and education nonprofits and networks. Marketing is conducted primarily through thought leadership content, publications, conferences (notably the National Forum on the Future of Assessment and Accountability with 300 attendees from 30 states), and client case studies, with distribution handled entirely through direct engagement rather than intermediaries.

Name

Education First

Legal name

Education First Consulting, LLC

Website

https://education-first.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Education First is a Seattle-based education policy consulting firm advising foundations, state agencies, and school districts in all 50 US states on strategy, AI adoption, coherence, and initiative incubation through custom multi-year engagements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

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

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Education First generates revenue through consulting engagements with education leaders, funders, and organizations seeking strategy design, facilitation, research, coaching, and implementation support services. Services are tailored to client context and delivered by education experts.
2. Funder Advisory Services: Provides advisory services to foundations and philanthropists, helping them align funding strategies, facilitate funder collaborations, and measure impact across education investments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Education First is a mission-driven education policy and strategy consulting firm that helps foundations, state education agencies, school districts, and education nonprofits design implementation-ready strategies, conduct research, lead networks and convenings, and incubate new initiatives. Services are delivered through custom consulting engagements using proprietary frameworks such as the Coherence Framework and the AIxCoherence Framework, supported by a team of former district, state, nonprofit, and foundation executives.

Product overview

Education First is an education consulting firm offering advisory, strategy, research, and facilitation services rather than a unified software product. Their service portfolio includes structured frameworks (AIxCoherence Framework, Coherence Framework), programs (AIxCoherence Academy, Coherence Lab Academy, Limitless Learning Network), toolkits (Multilingual Learning Toolkit, Equitable Decisionmaking Toolkit), and research publications (Rethinking the Test Pile, Chronic Absenteeism Resources, SEL publications). They also incubate and launch initiatives including EdReports, Stay in the Game! Attendance Network, and Emerging Bilingual Collaborative. Services are delivered through consulting engagements, facilitated convenings, communities of practice, and published resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Coherence Lab Academy
• AIxCoherence Academy
• Funder Collaboration Services
• Communities of Practice
• EdReports
• Stay in the Game! Attendance Network
• Emerging Bilingual Collaborative
• Limitless Learning Network
• Innovating Assessments with Equity
• Multilingual Learning Toolkit

Quantifiable outcome

• EdReports reviews used by 1,785+ school districts educating 18M+ students over 10 years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered major.

• Cleveland Browns FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner in Stay in the Game! Attendance Network, a statewide campaign to boost attendance in Ohio schools. Public-private partnership driving attendance improvement across 150+ districts.
• Ohio Department of Education and WorkforcemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState education agency partner for Stay in the Game! initiative and statewide attendance task force. Education First served as backbone organization for intensive collaboration.
• Harvard's Proving GroundmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner for chronic absenteeism and attendance initiatives, providing data analytics and progress monitoring expertise for Stay in the Game! network.
• EdReportsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation First partnered with national funders to build EdReports from concept to launch in 15 months. EdReports now reviews instructional materials used by 1,785+ districts serving 18M+ students.
• Emerging Bilingual CollaborativemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide initiative launched by Education First in partnership with five funders to improve outcomes for multilingual learners in California through landscape scanning, strategy development, and Multilingual Learning Toolkit.
• Stay in the Game! Attendance NetworkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide attendance campaign incubated by Education First, now transitioned to permanent home at Battelle. Reaches 150+ districts and 400,000 students in Ohio.
• Indiana Department of EducationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState education partner for high school redesign efforts and state assessment redesign (Assessment to Action initiative).
• Chicago Public SchoolsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor urban district partner for AI curriculum integration assessment and multiple reform initiatives.
• Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization of state education chiefs; partner on education reform and policy initiatives.
• National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Center for Innovation in College Admission initiative to improve postsecondary transitions.
• BattellemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPermanent home for Stay in the Game! Attendance Network following transition from Education First incubation.
• Education NorthwestmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner selected to manage Limitless Learning Network following Education First's incubation role in Washington State.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bellwether Education Partners: National education-focused nonprofit consulting firm that advises philanthropy, policymakers, and education leaders on talent, strategy, and systems improvement. Most direct comparable given shared client base (foundations, state agencies, districts) and nonprofit policy consulting model.
• FSG (now part of Foundation Strategy Group): Social impact consulting firm advising foundations and nonprofits on strategy, evaluation, and collective impact. Direct comparable in foundation advisory work; one of Education First's principals (Brad Bernatek) previously worked at FSG.
• Bridgespan Group: Strategy consulting for nonprofits, philanthropists, and education/social sector leaders. Comparable in serving foundation clients on strategy, growth, and impact - especially in education equity and postsecondary access.
• Education Resource Strategies (ERS): National nonprofit helping school district leaders use resources strategically to improve student outcomes. Highly comparable as a mission-driven K-12 strategy partner working with superintendents and chiefs on system redesign.
• Tyton Partners: Education-focused strategy consulting and investment bank advising investors, foundations, and education companies. Comparable education-domain focus; differs in serving more edtech/investor clients alongside foundations.

Broad incumbents

• WestEd: Nonprofit research, development, and service agency working with education agencies, districts, and policymakers across the country. Comparable K-12 policy and improvement focus; broader scope including research and professional development at larger scale.
• Huron Consulting Group: Large management consulting firm with a dedicated education practice serving universities, districts, and education companies. Comparable in education advisory work but as part of a much broader consulting portfolio at significantly larger scale.
• Public Consulting Group: Large consulting firm serving public-sector education agencies on policy, operations, and program management. Comparable state/district client base; much larger scale and broader K-12 service portfolio.
• RAND Corporation: Major research institution conducting education policy research for federal, state, and foundation clients. Comparable in serving education policymakers and foundations with research-driven insights; differs as a much larger research organization rather than an advisory firm.

Emerging players

• Results for America: Nonprofit focused on evidence-based policy and use of data/evaluation in government decisions, including education. Comparable in working with state and local education leaders on evidence-based improvement; smaller scale and more advocacy-oriented than Education First.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/education-first-consulting
• Xx.com/ed1stconsulting

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Education First