Center for School Transformation

What Center for School Transformation does

Center for School Transformation (CST) is a private U.S. professional services and training company founded in 2009 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of LifeTrek, Inc. (an Ohio corporation established in 1998). Headquartered in Williamsburg, Virginia, CST trains coaches, teachers, school leaders, mentors, program directors, and educators in the Evocative Coaching Model, a person-centered, no-fault, strengths-based methodology built on the LEAD framework (Listen, Empathize, Appreciate, Design). The methodology integrates four established bodies of knowledge — Story Listening, Expressing Empathy, Appreciative Inquiry, and Design Thinking — and is visually represented as a Human Möbius strip to convey its iterative, expansive conversational process. The model is codified across a portfolio of books published by Corwin/Jossey-Bass, including Evocative Coaching (2010, 2nd Ed.), Evoking Greatness (2017), Trust Matters (2004, 2nd Ed.), and Becoming an Evocative Coach.

The company generates revenue through four streams: (1) a tiered Evocative Coaching Training Program delivered virtually and on-site in three progressive modules (Introduction, Advanced Coaching Practice, Certification) plus specialized Teacher Coach and Leader Coach tracks; (2) Systems Change consulting engagements including strengths-based planning (SOAP methodology), leadership coaching, and trust-building initiatives; (3) customized workshops and keynote presentations at conferences and school sites; and (4) book and resource sales via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Corwin, and Wiley. Training delivery is channeled primarily through an exclusive partnership with Lead Learner Associates, which handles registration, virtual classroom hosting, and certification — making it the principal go-to-market path for the flagship product. CST sells to a hybrid customer mix spanning individual educators (open enrollment), school districts and state departments of education (dedicated cohorts and consulting), and international government buyers (notably the Ontario Ministry of Education). Leadership is founder-controlled by CEO Bob Tschannen-Moran (IAC Master Certified Coach, past president of the International Association of Coaching) and Chief Academic Officer Megan Tschannen-Moran (William & Mary professor, trust-in-schools researcher), supported by a small executive team (COO, CIO, Director of Business Development). No external institutional capital has been disclosed.

Name

Center for School Transformation

Legal name

Center for School Transformation

Website

https://schooltransformation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Center for School Transformation is a private U.S. education professional services firm that trains school coaches, teachers, and leaders in the proprietary Evocative Coaching methodology (LEAD framework), delivering tiered virtual training, certification, and systems-change consulting to K-12 districts, state education agencies, and universities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Professional Development Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

After-School Academic Support Programs (Centers & Clubs) (EDAJALAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Virtual Test Prep & Online Supplemental Instruction (K–12) (EDAJADAI)

Keywords

• Coaching training programs
• Professional development services
• School transformation consulting
• Instructional coaching certification
• Leadership coaching workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Williamsburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Evocative Coaching Training Programs: Revenue generated from training programs including Level 1 (The Evocative Coaching Model), Level 2 (Advanced Coaching Skills), and Certification modules. Programs are delivered in virtual classrooms, on-site, or hybrid formats with open enrollment cohorts and dedicated group cohorts.
2. Systems Change Consulting Services: Fees for facilitating whole-system transformation initiatives including strengths-based planning processes, leadership coaching, and trust building initiatives for schools and organizations.
3. Workshops & Presentations: Revenue from inspirational speakers and trainers for conferences, convocations, and site-based events.
4. Books & Publications: Sales of featured books including Evocative Coaching (2nd Ed.), Evoking Greatness, Trust Matters (second edition), and Becoming an Evocative Coach, published by Corwin/Jossey-Bass.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Center for School Transformation delivers person-centered, no-fault, strengths-based coaching training and whole-system transformation services for K-12 schools, districts, and educational organizations. Its core offering is the Evocative Coaching Training Program, which teaches the LEAD framework (Listen, Empathize, Appreciate, Design) through multi-module virtual or on-site cohorts, supported by systems-change consulting, leadership coaching, trust-building initiatives, and published books.

Product overview

The Center for School Transformation offers a unified portfolio centered on the Evocative Coaching Training Program, a comprehensive professional development system teaching the person-centered, no-fault, and strengths-based LEAD (Listen, Empathize, Appreciate, Design) coaching methodology. The core training consists of three progressive modules: Introduction to Evocative Coaching, Advanced Coaching Practice, and Certification, delivered via virtual classroom or on-site formats for individual enrollment (Open Enrollment) or dedicated groups (Dedicated Cohorts). Supporting the training are specialized tracks for Teacher Coach Training and Leader Coach Training. Complementary service offerings include Systems Change initiatives (Strengths-Based Planning, Leadership Coaching, Trust Building, and Workshops & Presentations) that apply the Evocative Coaching principles to whole-system organizational transformation. The product ecosystem is supported by resource materials including downloadable Guides & Tools, scholarly Articles & Publications, Media Resources, and four published books (Evocative Coaching 2nd Edition, Evoking Greatness, Trust Matters, and Becoming an Evocative Coach).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Evocative Coaching Training Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 600+ educators trained through the Evocative Coaching Training Program
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Lead Learner AssociatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary training partner that delivers the Evocative Coaching Training Program in partnership with the Center for School Transformation. Lead Learner Associates handles registration, course delivery in virtual classrooms, and certification processes. The partnership offers open enrollment cohorts and dedicated group training options. The collaboration enables certification as a 'Certified Evocative Coach' through their combined program.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Solution Tree: Major K-12 professional development and publishing company offering workshops, conferences, books, and training for teachers and school leaders on instructional improvement. Highly comparable to CST in customer base (districts and educators), delivery model (on-site and virtual PD), and product mix (books + training).
• Wellcoaches: Coach training organization with a school-focused division offering certification and training programs for educators and coaches. Comparable in coach credentialing for school-based practitioners and overlapping target customer (instructional coaches and school leaders).
• McREL International: Nonprofit education research and professional development organization providing consulting, training, and coaching for school improvement. Directly comparable in delivering research-backed coaching PD to K-12 districts and state agencies.
• Lead Learner Associates: Strategic training delivery partner that runs the Evocative Coaching Training Program cohorts and certification alongside CST. Highly comparable in K-12 coaching PD content and overlapping customer base, with whom CST has a co-development relationship.
• Learning Forward: National professional learning association serving K-12 educators with standards, training, and certification for effective professional development. Closely comparable as a competing provider of structured PD frameworks targeting school leaders and instructional coaches.

Broad incumbents

• Corwin (SAGE Publishing): Leading K-12 publisher and PD provider offering books, on-site PD, and coaching services across many methodologies. Comparable as both a publisher of CST's books and a broader competitor with deeper resources and wider methodology portfolio.
• International Coaching Federation (ICF): Global non-profit organization setting standards and credentialing for professional coaches across industries. Comparable in the coach training/credentialing space, including overlapping educational coaching segments and tiered credentialing model.
• Center for Creative Leadership (CCL): Leadership development organization offering coaching, training, and research for leaders across sectors including education. Comparable in leadership coaching methodology and credentialed coach network.
• ASCD: Established association for curriculum, instruction, supervision, and leadership development serving K-12 educators worldwide. Comparable audience (school leaders, instructional coaches) and overlapping PD offering across books, conferences, and workshops.

Emerging players

• BetterLesson: K-12 professional development provider focused on personalized coaching for teachers through virtual workshops and 1:1 coaching. Comparable in virtual K-12 teacher coaching and PD delivery, with a more technology-native and broader-coverage approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Gr8Schools
• YouTubeyoutube.com/evocativecoaching
• Facebookfacebook.com/CenterforSchoolTransformation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/center-for-school-transformation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Center for School Transformation