National Center on Education and the Economy

What National Center on Education and the Economy does

The National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research and policy organization founded in 1988 and headquartered in Washington, DC. For more than 35 years, NCEE has researched the world's top-performing education systems — including those of Singapore, Finland, Estonia, Switzerland, and South Korea — and translated those findings into frameworks, tools, and programs for U.S. state education leaders, policymakers, school districts, and practitioners. The organization operates through three sub-brands: the Center on International Education Benchmarking (CIEB) for comparative research, the National Institute for School and System Leadership (NISL) for leadership development (RAND-validated), and Educurious for project-based learning curriculum.

NCEE's core intellectual property is anchored by the NCEE Blueprint, a comprehensive framework covering four pillars of system design; NCEE Policy Levers, which translate the Blueprint into actionable state-level strategies; the Educurious project-based learning curriculum for middle school science and social studies; and the NISL leadership program. Recent additions include the Framework for AI-Powered Learning Environments (2024), Developing Agency for Life and Work (2026), Designing PBL Framework (2026), and Teaching, Learning, and Leading in an AI-Augmented World (2026). The organization supports these offerings with an extensive research library (seminal publications include "A Nation Prepared" (1989) and "America's Choice" (1990)) and a network of National Facilitators and Regional/State Directors across multiple U.S. states.

NCEE's business model blends philanthropic/foundation grant funding — consistent with its nonprofit structure — with revenue from professional learning services delivered to states and districts. GTM is consultative and partnership-driven: NCEE co-designs statewide redesigns (most notably the Blueprint for Maryland's Future), delivers the NISL program through state education agency partnerships (e.g., Kentucky Department of Education, which graduated 70 educators in 2025–2026), and engages districts directly through System Design Benchmarking and the Superintendents Academy. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, reflecting the grant- and contract-driven nature of engagements. Customer concentration sits primarily in state education departments and large urban/rural school districts, with state directors embedded in California, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, and regional coverage in the West and Southwest.

Name

National Center on Education and the Economy

Legal name

National Center on Education and the Economy

Website

https://ncee.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NCEE is a Washington, DC-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that researches top-performing global education systems and translates findings into research-based frameworks, leadership development programs (NISL), policy tools, and project-based learning curriculum (Educurious) for U.S. state education agencies and school districts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Policy Research & Consulting

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Subject-Specific Standards & Curriculum Councils (EDADAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Standards Alignment & Curriculum Mapping (State/National) (EDAJAFAD), Education Systems & Skills Technical Assistance (BPADAEAI), Digital Literacy, ICT & Computer Science Standards Authorities (EDADAEAK)

Keywords

• Education policy research
• Curriculum design services
• Leadership development programs
• International education benchmarking
• Education system consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants and Philanthropy: NCEE operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that relies on foundation grants and philanthropic support to fund its research, programs, and operations.
2. Professional Learning Services: Educurious offers curriculum-based professional learning programs, including the Project-Based Learning Design Institute (three-day hands-on experience) and ongoing coaching support for educators implementing PBL.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research and policy organization that produces research-based frameworks (including the NCEE Blueprint and Policy Levers), leadership development programs (NISL), project-based learning curricula (Educurious), and education system consulting services. Its core work involves benchmarking the world's highest-performing education systems and translating findings into actionable tools, professional learning, and policy guidance for U.S. state education agencies and school districts.

Product overview

NCEE is a non-profit education research and policy organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of research-based frameworks, curriculum programs, and professional development services. The core offerings include the Blueprint framework for education system design, the NISL leadership development program, and the Educurious project-based learning curriculum brand. The portfolio also includes policy guidance tools (NCEE Policy Levers), research publications (including Thinking Differently About... series and books by Marc Tucker), professional learning programs, and education system consulting services through programs like the Superintendents Academy and System Design Benchmarking. These offerings work together to serve education leaders, policymakers, and practitioners seeking to transform education systems based on insights from top-performing global systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• National Institute for School and System Leadership (NISL): A leadership program developed by NCEE for school and system leaders, proven by RAND to positively affect instructional practices and student outcomes.
• Educurious
• Center on International Education Benchmarking (CIEB)

Products and services

• The NCEE Blueprint Comprehensive framework distilling nearly four decades of research on the world's top education systems, providing insights into key elements of successful systems for education leaders and policymakers to design future-ready education systems.
• NCEE Policy Levers Actionable strategies designed to help state leaders transform education systems aligned with the NCEE Blueprint core components, prepared for long life learning, economic opportunity, and civic engagement.
• National Institute for School Leadership (NISL) Leadership development program proven by RAND to positively affect instructional practices and student outcomes, focusing on strategic leadership, data-informed decision making, and transforming schools.
• Educurious Curriculum Project-based learning curriculum brand featuring inquiry-driven courses for middle school science and social studies, designed to connect academic content to real-world problems and careers.
• Educurious Professional Learning Flexible, research-based professional learning experiences including Curriculum-Based Professional Learning Program aligned with Learning Forward Standards and Project-Based Learning Design Institute.
• Middle School Science Curriculum Hands-on, real-world investigation science courses for middle school students featuring project-based learning methodology.
• Middle School Social Studies Curriculum Project-based social studies courses covering Ancient Civilizations, Medieval & Modern Eras, and Early U.S. History, examining multiple perspectives and real-world connections.
• Developing Agency for Life and Work Framework Framework defining skills, habits, and mindsets that enable individuals to thrive academically, professionally, and personally, organized around Core Skills, Contemporary Skills, Habits of Learning and Well-Being, and Community Skills.
• Research & Publications Extensive library of research reports, case studies, books, webinars, and blogs exploring education systems worldwide, including Thinking Differently About... series on math, time, career-connected learning, and strategic staffing.
• Education Systems Consulting Advisory services including System Design Benchmarking (SDB) program, state policy partnerships, and direct engagement with schools, districts, and states for education system transformation.
• Superintendents Academy Professional development program introducing superintendents to research on top-performing education systems and facilitating application of global best practices to district leadership.

Quantifiable outcome

• NISL program proven by RAND to positively affect instructional practices and student outcomes
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Kentucky Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCEE partners with KDE to deliver the NISL (National Institute for School Leadership) leadership development program. The partnership graduated 70 Kentucky educators during the 2025-2026 school year. KDE actively recruits new cohorts for the program.
• Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCEE is a longstanding research partner of the OECD, collaborating on education benchmarking research and hosting joint webinars on PISA results and international education policy analysis.
• Maryland State Department of EducationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCEE co-designed the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, a comprehensive statewide education system redesign. This represents one of NCEE's most significant state-level transformation partnerships.
• Center on International Education Benchmarking (CIEB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIEB, housed within NCEE, conducts international comparative research on education systems, producing benchmark studies on top-performing countries like Switzerland, Singapore, China, Finland, and others.
• International Advisory BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCEE's International Advisory Board includes education experts from Hong Kong, Stanford, Finland, Singapore, New Zealand, Switzerland, UK, and other top-performing education systems. Members provide thought partnership and guidance on research and strategy.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• New America: New America is a think tank with a prominent education policy program focused on early childhood, K-12, and higher education reform—comparable to NCEE as a policy-oriented education think tank producing frameworks and recommendations.
• Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE): CRPE is an education policy research center focused on system redesign, school choice, and portfolio strategies—overlapping with NCEE's school choice research and education transformation consulting.
• Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching: Carnegie Foundation is a philanthropic education research and improvement organization that, like NCEE, develops frameworks for systemic education improvement and works with networks of schools and systems.
• Education Resource Strategies (ERS): ERS is a nonprofit that partners with school districts and states to transform education systems through resource reallocation and strategic staffing—comparable to NCEE's System Design Benchmarking and policy consulting work.

Direct peers

• WestEd: WestEd is a nonprofit education research, development, and service agency that works with state education agencies, districts, and schools on system improvement—directly comparable to NCEE's state-level consulting and research mission.
• American Institutes for Research (AIR): AIR is a major nonprofit behavioral and social science research organization with a large education division serving states, districts, and federal agencies—directly comparable to NCEE's education policy research and consulting work.
• Learning Forward: Learning Forward is the professional association for educator learning and development, focused on standards-aligned professional learning—directly comparable to NCEE's NISL program and Educurious professional learning offerings.

Others

• Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO): CCSSO is the membership organization for state education chiefs and a key ecosystem player that NCEE partners with; it shapes national policy direction that NCEE's frameworks are designed to align with.

Broad incumbents

• ASCD: ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) is a broad educator membership organization that publishes curriculum frameworks, professional development resources, and books (including Marc Tucker's 'Leading High-Performance School Systems')—overlapping with NCEE's PD and publishing mission.
• RAND Corporation: RAND Corporation is a large, broad-scope policy research organization whose education division conducts rigorous education research (including the validation study of NCEE's NISL program)—a broader incumbent with overlapping education policy research capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-center-on-education-and-the-economy
• Xx.com/ctredecon
• Facebookfacebook.com/thencee

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 National Center on Education and the Economy