Teaching and Learning Alliance

What Teaching and Learning Alliance does

Teaching and Learning Alliance (TLA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1990 as the Center for Applied Child Development at Tufts University and rebranded as an independent nonprofit in 2010. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, TLA delivers fee-for-service professional learning, coaching, and strategic planning engagements to PreK-12 public school districts, primarily across New England and Texas with a growing national presence. Its service portfolio spans system-level work (multi-year District Strategic Plans, Portrait of a Graduate/Learner frameworks, Needs Assessments), school-level work (Learning Walks, instructional and leadership coaching), and classroom-level work (Foundations of Reading certification prep across 13 states, Workshops & Institutes, Curriculum-Based Professional Learning). Delivery formats include in-person, virtual, and hybrid modalities using TLA's proprietary Inside-Out Approach and Theory of Change framework, grounded in the Science of Reading, improvement science, and transformational coaching methodology.

TLA's business model combines three revenue streams: professional services contracts with school districts (the primary revenue source), grant funding from foundations such as the Cummings Foundation ($30,000 over three years awarded in 2024), and individual/organizational donations. The organization is staffed by a small team (1-10 employees) of career educators — former teachers, instructional coaches, building leaders, and superintendents — supplemented by system strategy consultants and partnership directors. TLA holds Massachusetts DESE-approved provider status, participates in the IMplement MA Network and PRISM grant program, and holds a four-star Charity Navigator rating. Named district customers include Plymouth, Marshfield, Dartmouth, Newton, Nashua, Lawrence, El Paso ISD, Katy ISD, Everett, Hingham, Hull, Mashpee, and Weston Public Schools, with higher-education partnerships including CREC, Stonehill College, and Wake Forest University for teacher preparation.

Name

Teaching and Learning Alliance

Legal name

Teaching & Learning Alliance, Inc.

Website

https://teachinglearningalliance.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Teaching and Learning Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers fee-for-service professional learning, coaching, and strategic planning to PreK-12 public school districts across New England, Texas, and nationally, using a proprietary Inside-Out Approach grounded in the Science of Reading.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Education Professional Learning and Consulting Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Learning Strategy, Instructional Design & Content Development (BPACANAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

RTI/MTSS Framework Implementation & Tiered Supports (EDAJAGAD), Remedial & Academic Intervention Programs (Reading/Math Recovery) (EDAJAGAC)

Keywords

• K-12 professional learning
• Instructional coaching services
• District strategic planning
• Literacy coaching
• Teacher certification prep

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Learning Services: TLA generates revenue through fee-for-service professional learning contracts with school districts, including coaching, strategic planning, workshops, institutes, and literacy HQIM adoption support. Services are delivered at the classroom, school, and district levels.
2. Grants and Foundation Funding: TLA receives grant funding from foundations such as the Cummings Foundation ($30,000 over three years awarded in 2024). These grants support TLA's mission-driven work, particularly in underserved communities in Essex and Middlesex counties, Massachusetts.
3. Donations: TLA accepts donations from individuals and organizations to support its mission of transforming education in partnership with schools and districts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Teaching and Learning Alliance (TLA) is a PreK-12 education nonprofit that partners with school districts and individual schools to deliver professional learning, coaching, and strategic planning services. Core offerings include multi-year District Strategic Plans, Portrait of a Graduate/Learner frameworks, instructional and leadership coaching, learning walks, literacy HQIM adoption support aligned to the Science of Reading, needs assessments, workshops, and Foundations of Reading teacher certification exam preparation. Services are delivered in person, virtually, or hybrid at the system, school, and classroom levels using TLA's proprietary "Inside-Out Approach."

Product overview

Teaching and Learning Alliance (TLA) is a PreK-12 education nonprofit offering professional learning services that range from classroom-based instructional coaching to district-level strategic planning. TLA's integrated service portfolio includes: District Strategic Plan (comprehensive multi-year planning), Portrait of a Graduate/Learner (student trajectory framework), Learning Walks (collaborative inquiry processes), Instructional Coaching, Leadership Coaching, Literacy HQIM Adoption (Science of Reading-aligned), Needs Assessment, Workshops & Institutes, and Teacher Preparation: Foundations of Reading certification exam prep. TLA operates across system, school, and classroom levels using their 'Inside-Out Approach' to catalyze educational change.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• District Strategic Plan A comprehensive, actionable, multi-year strategic plan co-created with diverse stakeholders, grounded in data, and built to produce results for PreK-12 school districts.
• Portrait of a Graduate / Learner A trajectory of growth for students PreK-12 articulating skills, attributes, and dispositions that prepare them for their futures, and identifying priority actions for educators in partner districts.
• Learning Walks Collaborative, inquiry-driven, facilitated process to identify trends and design responsive support for initiatives including implementation of Science of Reading-aligned curricula in schools.
• Instructional Coaching Ongoing 1:1 or cohort-based professional learning for classroom teachers, instructional coaches, or building-based instructional leaders in PreK-12 schools.
• Leadership Coaching Ongoing 1:1 or cohort-based professional learning series designed specifically for role-alike school or district leaders in PreK-12 systems.
• Literacy HQIM Adoption End-to-end support for the planning, evaluation, selection, and long-term effective implementation of literacy high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) and instructional practices aligned with the Science of Reading for PreK-12 districts.
• Needs Assessment Stakeholder focus groups and classroom visits with a findings report and debrief, serving as a foundation for planning and implementing new initiatives in partner schools and districts.
• Workshops & Institutes Foundational knowledge-building and participatory shared learning experiences for any stakeholder group in partner districts and schools.
• Teacher Preparation: Foundations of Reading Support for pre-service and current teachers on waivers preparing for the required Foundations of Reading certification exam (Pearson #190) across 13 states (AL, AK, AZ, AR, CT, MA, MS, NH, NC, OH, RI, UT, WI).
• Curriculum-Based Professional Learning (CBPL) Professional learning approach designed specifically to support educators with effective use of High Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) in classrooms, aligned with curriculum-specific professional development and the Carnegie Foundation's Six Core Principles of Improvement Science.

Quantifiable outcome

• Improved leadership clarity, educator self-efficacy, and student outcomes year over year (based on TLA's Theory of Change)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

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

• Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTLA is a DESE-approved provider and participates in the IMplement MA Network and PRISM grant program. TLA serves as a DESE-approved PRISM Curriculum & Instruction Coach for Massachusetts districts seeking to adopt and implement high-quality instructional materials and literacy curriculum.
• CREC Excellence in EducationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCREC Excellence in Education is a teacher preparation partner in TLA's Foundations of Reading program, supporting pre-service and current teachers preparing for the required certification exam (Pearson #190).
• Stonehill CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStonehill College is a teacher preparation partner in TLA's Foundations of Reading program, supporting pre-service and current teachers preparing for the required certification exam (Pearson #190).
• Wake Forest UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWake Forest University is a teacher preparation partner in TLA's Foundations of Reading program, supporting pre-service and current teachers preparing for the required certification exam (Pearson #190).
• Carnegie Foundation / Carnegie Corporation of New YorknotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerTLA's methodology maps to the Carnegie Foundation's Six Core Principles of Improvement Science. TLA staff attended Learning Forward pre-conference sessions led by Jim Short of Carnegie Corporation of New York, focusing on The Elements framework for curriculum-based professional learning.
• Learning ForwardnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerTLA participates in Learning Forward events and pre-conference sessions. TLA's curriculum-based professional learning approach aligns with Learning Forward's published standards and frameworks for effective professional learning.
• Holdsworth CenternotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerTLA participated in the inaugural Outcomes Based Contracting (OBC) K-12 Provider Summit at the Holdsworth Center in Austin, TX, joining curriculum providers, ed tech firms, tutoring providers, professional learning organizations, funders, and researchers to learn about outcomes-based contracting.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• TNTP (The New Teacher Project): TNTP is a large nonprofit that partners with school districts on teacher recruitment, instructional improvement, and strategic planning. It is directly comparable to TLA in mission and service mix but operates at significantly greater national scale.
• Education Resource Strategies (ERS): ERS is a nonprofit that works with school district leaders on strategic resource allocation, transformation, and improvement. Directly comparable to TLA's strategic planning and leadership coaching services for district central offices.
• Public Impact: Public Impact is an education consulting nonprofit that partners with districts on staffing, leadership, and organizational redesign. Comparable to TLA's system-level strategic and leadership coaching work for PreK-12 districts.
• WestEd: WestEd is a nonprofit research, development, and service agency serving K-12 districts with professional learning, evaluation, and improvement science. Comparable in mission and customer base, though much larger in scope.

Broad incumbents

• Learning Forward: Learning Forward is the leading professional association for effective professional learning, setting standards that TLA's CBPL methodology aligns to. It is a TLA partner but also a broader incumbent shaping the standards against which TLA competes.
• Education Development Center (EDC): EDC is a large global nonprofit that designs and delivers programs addressing education, health, and economic opportunity. It overlaps with TLA on K-12 professional learning and literacy work but serves a much broader portfolio.
• Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching: Carnegie is an improvement science funder whose Six Core Principles and Elements framework TLA's methodology maps to. It is a strategic partner but also a thought leader whose frameworks shape the competitive landscape.
• ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development): ASCD is a membership-based nonprofit providing professional learning, resources, and advocacy for educators and district leaders. Comparable audience to TLA but operates more as a content/subscription organization than district-embedded consultant.

Regional players

• Holdsworth Center: Holdsworth Center is a Texas-based nonprofit dedicated to developing public school leaders. It co-hosted the inaugural OBC K-12 Provider Summit that TLA attended, making it a thematic peer in district leadership development.

Emerging players

• Teaching Channel: Teaching Channel provides video-based professional learning and coaching resources for educators. It overlaps with TLA's instructional coaching and professional learning services but uses a more tech-enabled delivery model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/teachingandlearningalliance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/teaching-and-learning-alliance
• Instagraminstagram.com/teachinglearningalliance

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Teaching and Learning Alliance