Florida Center for Reading Research

What Florida Center for Reading Research does

The Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR) is a multidisciplinary research center established in 2002 at Florida State University by the Florida Legislature and Governor Jeb Bush, with Joseph Torgesen as founding director. FCRR conducts basic and applied research on reading development, instruction, intervention, and assessment, drawing on faculty from psychology, social work, education, and communication sciences and disorders. The center serves four primary constituencies: K-12 schools and districts (most operationally prominent is Leon County Schools via the READ UP research-practice partnership), educators and practitioners (via professional development and the Florida K-12 Reading Endorsement pathway), families and caregivers, and educational researchers. It also runs the federally funded Florida Learning Disabilities Research Center (one of three national LDRCs) and leads the IES Regional Educational Laboratory Southeast covering six states.

FCRR's product and resource portfolio centers on the Resource Database (650+ evidence-based activities, infographics, videos, and assessments), FCRR Student Center Activities (Pre-K through grade 5 small-group classroom activities), The Academy online professional development platform, physical literacy kiosks deployed in schools, the Reading Program Repository and School Leader's Literacy Walkthrough Tool (Florida DOE partnerships), and The Village community engagement initiative. Quantitative methodology work is concentrated in the QMI division, including advanced latent change score and meta-analytic structural equation modeling. The Reach Every Reader collaboration with Harvard and MIT ($30M, CZI-funded) produced personalized diagnostics and gamified assessment prototypes that are now being commercialized through a Ventris Learning partnership.

FCRR operates as a grant-funded research unit within FSU's public university system — not a commercial enterprise. All resources and materials are provided free of charge; there is no product pricing. Cumulative funding exceeds $106 million across 120+ contracts and grants since inception, sourced from federal agencies (Institute of Education Sciences, NICHD, U.S. Department of Education), major foundations (William T. Grant, Spencer, Doris Duke), and philanthropy (Chan Zuckerberg Initiative). Leadership comprises Nicole Patton Terry (current Director), Barbara Foorman and Joseph Torgesen (Directors Emeritus), and senior faculty across QMI, IRD, and The Village divisions.

Name

Florida Center for Reading Research

Legal name

Florida Center for Reading Research

Website

https://fcrr.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Florida Center for Reading Research is a multidisciplinary research center at Florida State University that develops evidence-based reading instruction, intervention, and assessment tools serving K-12 schools, educators, families, and communities, funded entirely through federal and foundation grants and providing all resources free of charge.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Research Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Literacy & Reading Intervention Technology (EDAJAMAF)

Keywords

• Reading research
• Literacy instruction
• Reading assessment
• Educational research
• Teacher professional development

Headquarters

HQ city

Tallahassee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Federal Research Grants: Primary funding from federal agencies including Institute of Education Sciences, National Institutes of Health (NICHD), and U.S. Department of Education. Over $106 million in funding awarded since inception across 120+ contracts and grants.
2. Foundation Grants: Funding from private foundations including William T. Grant Foundation, Spencer Foundation, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and Chan Zuckerberg Initiative for specific research initiatives and programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

FCRR is a multidisciplinary research center at Florida State University that conducts reading research and disseminates evidence-based literacy instruction resources, assessments, and professional development programs to educators, schools, families, and communities. It operates The Academy online learning platform, the Resource Database with 650+ materials, Student Center Activities for Pre-K through 5th grade, Reading Endorsement credential pathways, and community engagement programs like The Village.

Product overview

Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR) is a multidisciplinary research center at Florida State University offering a portfolio of evidence-based educational products and programs focused on reading research, assessment, and literacy instruction. The core offerings include the FCRR Student Center Activities (evidence-based instructional activities for pre-K through 5th grade), The Academy (online professional development platform), and the Resource Database (repository of 650+ research materials). These are complemented by the Reading Program Repository (evidence-based program selection tool), School Leader's Literacy Walkthrough Tool (classroom observation instrument), Florida K-12 Reading Endorsement program (educator credential pathway with five competencies), Literacy Kiosks (physical resource distribution units for schools), READ UP Partnership (research-practice partnership with local schools), and Literacy Coach Endorsement Program. The portfolio serves educators, families, school leaders, and communities through a combination of digital platforms, physical resources, professional development programs, and community engagement initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FCRR Student Center Activities Evidence-based student center activities designed for small-group classroom instruction in Pre-K through 5th grade, providing games that encourage development of foundational reading skills. Includes Spanish and ESE adaptations; for educators and schools.
• The Academy Online training platform providing professional development courses for educators, including the Reading Foundations and Evidence-Based Instructional Practices Pathway for the Florida K-12 Reading Endorsement with five competency modules.
• FCRR Resource Database Digital repository containing over 650 research- and evidence-based materials across formats including activity pages, infographics, videos, blog articles, and research studies, searchable by resource type, project, and audience.
• Reading Program Repository Repository of evidence-based reading programs developed in partnership with the Florida Department of Education to help educators select programs aligned to evidence standards.
• School Leader's Literacy Walkthrough Tool Evidence-based walkthrough tool designed for school leaders to observe, reflect, and ensure high-quality literacy instruction, aligned to Florida's B.E.S.T. K-5 ELA standards.
• Florida K-12 Reading Endorsement Program Professional development pathway developed with the Florida Department of Education, consisting of five competencies that support educators in earning the Florida K-12 Reading Endorsement.
• Literacy Coach Endorsement Program Professional development programming developed with the Florida Department of Education to support literacy coaches in gaining Florida's Literacy Coach Endorsement.
• READ UP Partnership Research-practice partnership with Leon County Schools to improve reading achievement and student success through shared research agenda development and community engagement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $106 million in funding awarded across 120+ contracts and grants since 2002
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• Institute for Governance and Civics at FSUmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 November 2025FIREWORKS250 initiative to enhance civics education and literacy instruction in Grade 5 with $2.9 million grant from U.S. Department of Education.
• Ventris LearningmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 June 2025Partnership to move new tools into elementary school classrooms that will help teachers identify children at risk for reading difficulties. FSU researchers working with Wisconsin-based Ventris Learning.
• Boys Town North FloridaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2022Partnership for 3rd Annual Book Fair and Book-Nic event providing books and literacy activities for youth in foster care and family services.
• Florida A&M UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 May 2022Partnership with FSU researchers, Leon County Schools, and FAMU Developmental Research School to address educational disparities through research-practice partnerships.
• ScholasticmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 August 2020Corporate partner supporting PLEASE READ project to provide books, activities, and resources to families during COVID-19 pandemic learning loss prevention efforts.
• Florida Grade Level Reading CampaignminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 August 2020Statewide literacy initiative partner supporting PLEASE READ summer learning efforts to combat COVID-19 learning loss.
• Leon County SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 March 2020Three-year READ UP research-practice partnership to develop and enact shared research agenda to improve reading achievement and student success. Focus areas include early learning, exceptional student education, and instruction.
• Leon County LibrariesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 March 2020Book Nook Bundles available at all Leon County libraries as part of The Village community engagement initiative.
• University of Colorado Learning Disabilities Research CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020One of three federally funded LDRC projects designed to broaden scientific and practical understanding of learning disabilities. FSU holds grant for Florida center.
• The Texas Center for Learning Disabilities at University of HoustoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020One of three federally funded LDRC projects. Collaborative network of three national centers advancing learning disabilities research.
• Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 October 2019REL Southeast Post-Secondary Success at HBCUs partnerships produce rigorous research and resources to inform institutional initiatives to increase student outcomes at HBCUs in the southeast.
• Harvard Graduate School of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2018$30 million Reach Every Reader project with FSU and MIT to improve early childhood literacy through personalized intervention. FSU researchers lead development of personalized diagnostics while Harvard aligns assessments to newly developed interventions.
• MIT Integrated Learning InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2018$30 million Reach Every Reader project developing new technologies for assessment purposes and leveraging MIT's science and engineering strengths alongside FSU's literacy expertise.
• Institute of Education Sciences (IES)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017$27.8 million five-year contract for Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Southeast serving 6 southeastern states. FCRR leads REL Southeast which conducts applied research, provides training and technical support, and disseminates findings to bridge research, policy, and practice in education.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Really Great Reading: Commercial provider of structured literacy intervention programs and assessments aligned with the science of reading. Competes for the same school district literacy budgets as FCRR-aligned programs, with a paid-licensing model.
• Lexia Learning: Commercial K-12 reading intervention product suite (now part of Cambium Learning) focused on foundational literacy, assessment, and professional learning. Comparable end-user focus with FCRR resources but opposite business model — paid SaaS licenses rather than free federally funded outputs.

Broad incumbents

• RTI International: Large nonprofit research institute that operates the National Center on Improving Literacy. Directly competes with FCRR for IES literacy and education research dollars and shares the federally funded research-to-practice model at much greater scale.
• International Literacy Association (ILA): Largest global professional membership organization for literacy educators; produces research journals, standards, and teacher resources. Overlaps with FCRR's educator and family resource ecosystem but is broader (literacy beyond reading research) and operates on membership rather than grant revenue.
• WestEd: Large nonprofit that operates one of the U.S. Department of Education's Regional Educational Laboratories and serves many of the same school districts and state agencies as FCRR via REL contracts. Same federal contract operating model, broader preK-12 portfolio beyond reading.
• Education Development Center (EDC): Nonprofit research and development organization working in preK-12 literacy, math, and health education. Comparable as a federally funded education R&D nonprofit that develops evidence-based curricula, professional development, and practitioner resources.

Direct peers

• National Center on Improving Literacy (NCIL): Federally funded national center focused on evidence-based literacy research and resources for children with reading difficulties. Directly comparable to FCRR in mission, federal funding model (IES), and evidence-based dissemination focus. FCRR also serves as a deputy host for NCIL through Yaacov Petscher.
• Texas Center for Learning Disabilities at the University of Houston: One of three federally funded Learning Disabilities Research Centers, a tri-center network that explicitly includes FCRR. Same funding source (NICHD), same research portfolio on reading difficulties, dyslexia, and intervention.
• Haskins Laboratories: Yale- and UConn-affiliated research institute specializing in the science of reading, language, and learning disabilities. Directly comparable in being a long-standing, federally funded reading/language research center producing evidence-based resources for educators.
• University of Colorado Learning Disabilities Research Center: The third federally funded LDRC alongside Texas and Florida. Identical grant mechanism (NICHD), shared research mission on learning disabilities and reading, with structured cross-center collaboration that makes them a near-perfect peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheFCRR
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/FCRRFSU
• Facebookfacebook.com/thefcrr
• Instagraminstagram.com/thefcrr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/florida-center-for-reading-research

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Florida Center for Reading Research