BARR Center
BARR Center is a St. Louis Park, Minnesota-based nonprofit that licenses the BARR (Building Assets, Reducing Risks) Model, an evidence-based coaching and training system for K-12 schools. It serves 450+ schools across 26 states and Washington, DC, reaching 430,000 students and 95,000 educators through multi-year implementation cycles.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersSaint Louis Park, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What BARR Center does
BARR Center is a St. Louis Park, Minnesota-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that developed and licenses the BARR (Building Assets, Reducing Risks) Model, an evidence-based coaching and training system designed to improve academic, social, and emotional outcomes in K-12 schools. The organization was founded in 1999 by Angela Jerabek, a former school counselor at St. Louis Park High School, and formalized as a nonprofit entity in 2016. The BARR Model combines relationship-building practices with real-time data monitoring across eight school-wide and individual strategies, and is delivered to schools through multi-year (typically three-year) implementation cycles that include onboarding, onsite coaching visits, weekly calls, and ongoing professional development support.
BARR Center's technology footprint is modest and conventional. The organization operates a web-based BARR Member Portal (member.barrcenter.org) that provides educators with access to training materials, resources, and professional development content via standard email/password authentication. The organization uses Google Analytics for web analytics and employs data-driven assessment tools for student monitoring within the BARR Model framework, but no proprietary AI/ML, native mobile applications, or public APIs are disclosed. Supplemented by the "Most Likely to Change the World" podcast for thought leadership and an annual in-person BARR National Conference in Rancho Mirage, California (~700 attendees), BARR's product surface emphasizes human-delivered coaching and community over software.
Revenue is generated through a hybrid model: (1) school and district implementation contracts on multi-year subscription cycles, (2) federal grants (notably three U.S. Department of Education i3 grants totaling ~$37 million across 2010-2016, the most recent of which validated the model's evidence base at the highest What Works Clearinghouse rating), (3) state education department grants (e.g., Maine DOE funding ~100 schools using American Rescue Plan funds), and (4) conference registration fees ($1,100-$1,625 per attendee). Program pricing for schools is not publicly disclosed. As of the most recent data, the BARR Model is implemented in 450+ schools across 26 states and Washington, DC, reaching approximately 430,000 students and 95,000 educators, with documented outcomes including a 40% average reduction in course failure rates after one year and a statistically significant reduction in chronic absenteeism (19% in BARR schools versus 22% in control schools in the i3 Scale-Up study).
BARR Center firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BARR Center
- Legal name
- BARR Center
- Website
- https://barrcenter.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- BARR Center is a St. Louis Park, Minnesota-based nonprofit that licenses the BARR (Building Assets, Reducing Risks) Model, an evidence-based coaching and training system for K-12 schools. It serves 450+ schools across 26 states and Washington, DC, reaching 430,000 students and 95,000 educators through multi-year implementation cycles.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
BARR Center industry classification
Industry- Product category
- K-12 Education Coaching & School Improvement Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)
Keywords
Where BARR Center is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Saint Louis Park
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
BARR Center business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- School Implementation Contracts: BARR Center generates revenue through partnership agreements with schools and districts for implementing the BARR Model over multi-year periods (typically 3-year implementation cycles).
- Federal Grants: Received three Investing in Innovation (i3) federal grants totaling approximately $37 million ($4.999M in 2010, $11.98M in 2013, $20M in 2016) for rigorous evaluation and scaling of the BARR Model.
- State Education Grants: State departments of education (e.g., Maine DOE) provide grants to schools for BARR implementation using federal funds such as American Rescue Plan funding.
- Conference Registration: Annual BARR National Conference generates revenue through attendee registration fees. Member rate: $1,100-$1,250; General rate: $1,475-$1,625.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Member Rate - Early Bird |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | General Rate - Early Bird |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
BARR Center product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BARR Center delivers the BARR (Building Assets, Reducing Risks) Model, an evidence-based coaching and training system that helps K-12 schools improve student, teacher, and school-level outcomes through relationship-building and data-driven strategies. The organization sells multi-year implementation partnerships (typically 3-year cycles) that include onboarding, intensive coaching visits, weekly calls, and access to a web-based member portal with training materials.
Product overview
BARR Center offers the BARR (Building Assets, Reducing Risks) Model as its core evidence-based coaching and training system for K-12 schools nationwide. The offering consists of the BARR Model (the primary product), supplemented by the BARR Member Portal for training delivery and access, the Most Likely to Change the World Podcast for thought leadership and outreach, and the annual BARR National Conference for professional development and community building. Together, these components provide a comprehensive system combining relationship-based coaching, data-driven practices, and ongoing support to improve outcomes for students and educators.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- BARR (Building Assets, Reducing Risks) Model An evidence-based coaching and training system that improves student, teacher, and school-level outcomes through relationship-building and data-driven approaches. The model helps schools operationalize strengths-based strategies to drive academic success. It consists of eight school-wide and individual strategies and is delivered through multi-year implementation partnerships (typically 3-year cycles) with K-12 schools and districts.
- BARR National Conference An annual in-person professional development conference for educators, administrators, and civic leaders featuring keynote speakers, workshops, breakout sessions, and networking. The conference draws nearly 700 attendees from multiple states. Registration fees: Member rate $1,100-$1,250 (Early Bird); General rate $1,475-$1,625 (Early Bird).
Quantifiable outcome
- 40% average reduction in failure rates after one year of implementation
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use BARR Center
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
BARR Center technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
BARR Center partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Maine Department of EducationflagshipMaine DOE provided grants to implement BARR across nearly 100 schools statewide. Commissioner Pender Makin serves as keynote speaker at BARR National Conference and advocates for BARR expansion.
- Education Commission of the StatescoreBARR founder Angela Jerabek received the James Conant Bryant Award from ECS in 2024. ECS promotes state-level adoption of effective education policies.
- The Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort & SpaminorVenue host for the annual BARR National Conference in Rancho Mirage, California.
- National Governors AssociationcoreNGA selected Maine as one of five states for student and educator wellbeing initiative supporting BARR implementation. NGA is supporting BARR expansion in other states through technical support.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
BARR Center competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Panorama Education: Panorama provides K-12 social-emotional learning, student success, and wellbeing software and coaching to schools and districts. Like BARR, it focuses on evidence-based strategies to improve student outcomes and serves educators and administrators, though it is a venture-backed for-profit with a stronger technology platform orientation.
- CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning): CASEL is the leading national nonprofit advancing SEL frameworks in K-12 schools through research, district partnerships, and the SELect program. BARR overlaps directly in addressing student wellbeing and SEL through structured school-wide approaches, and both target district and state-level adoption.
- Communities In Schools: Communities In Schools places trained coordinators inside K-12 schools to identify at-risk students and connect them with wraparound supports. BARR shares the same wraparound, risk-reduction, and relationship-driven ethos for at-risk K-12 students, though CIS focuses on case management while BARR focuses on school-wide coaching models.
- City Year: City Year places AmeriCorps members in K-12 schools to provide attendance, behavior, and coursework support. Like BARR, it works at the school level to reduce chronic absenteeism and course failure through relationship-based, near-peer interventions with measurable outcomes.
- Turnaround for Children: Turnaround for Children partners with under-resourced K-12 schools to build whole-child educational systems grounded in developmental science. It is comparable to BARR in targeting school-wide transformation in high-need schools with research-backed, coaching-intensive models.
- Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence (RULER Approach): RULER is an evidence-based SEL framework developed at Yale that trains educators and school leaders in emotional intelligence. It is directly comparable to BARR in offering a structured, evidence-based model for SEL and wellbeing improvement in K-12 settings.
- Search Institute: Search Institute researches and promotes the Developmental Assets framework for youth thriving, partnering with schools and communities. It overlaps with BARR's strengths-based, relationship-driven approach to student success and serves a similar K-12 audience.
- Institute for Student Achievement (ISA): ISA partners with underperforming K-12 schools and districts to improve graduation rates and college readiness through coaching, curriculum, and leadership development. Like BARR, ISA focuses on evidence-based, multi-year school partnerships targeting student success outcomes.
Emerging players
- Character Lab: Character Lab is a research-backed nonprofit partnering with K-12 schools to advance character development in students. It is comparable to BARR in the SEL/character space but is more narrowly focused on character strengths rather than whole-school improvement.
- Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility: Morningside Center provides K-12 SEL and restorative practices training to educators in partnership with schools and districts. It overlaps with BARR in delivering relationship-driven, evidence-informed SEL programming to school staff.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
BARR Center social profiles
Digital presenceBARR Center financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BARR Center leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
BARR Center funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
BARR Center M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about BARR Center
What does BARR Center do?
BARR Center delivers the BARR (Building Assets, Reducing Risks) Model, an evidence-based coaching and training system that helps K-12 schools improve student, teacher, and school-level outcomes through relationship-building and data-driven strategies. The organization sells multi-year implementation partnerships (typically 3-year cycles) that include onboarding, intensive coaching visits, weekly calls, and access to a web-based member portal with training materials.
Is BARR Center a public or private company?
BARR Center is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was BARR Center founded?
BARR Center was founded in 1999. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is BARR Center based?
BARR Center is headquartered in Saint Louis Park, United States, in the North America region.
How does BARR Center make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. School Implementation Contracts are the primary driver. The others are federal Grants, state Education Grants and conference Registration.
Who are BARR Center's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Panorama Education, CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning), Communities In Schools, City Year, Turnaround for Children, Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence (RULER Approach), Search Institute and Institute for Student Achievement (ISA). Emerging players are Character Lab and Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility.
Does BARR Center have an API?
No public API is recorded for BARR Center.
What industry is BARR Center in?
BARR Center's product category is K-12 Education Coaching & School Improvement Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGADAB, K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.