Kagan

What Kagan does

Kagan Publishing & Professional Development, founded in 1989 by Dr. Spencer Kagan and Laurie Kagan and headquartered in San Clemente, California, is a privately held educational publishing and professional development company specializing in cooperative learning. Its core offering is a proprietary methodology built around "Kagan Structures" — over 200 named classroom engagement techniques organized by PIES principles (Positive Interdependence, Individual Accountability, Equal Participation, Simultaneous Interaction) — supported by complementary frameworks such as Win-Win Discipline and brain-based learning structures. The product portfolio spans physical teaching aids (SmartCards, Learning Chips, Team Pyramids, AnswerBoards, SwitchBoard, posters), subject-specific books and curriculum materials across mathematics, language arts, science, and social studies, desktop and interactive whiteboard software (SelectorTools, TimerTools, TeamTools, Instant Engagement, DecisionTools), iOS mobile apps, and accompanying hardware consumables.

The company monetizes through three primary revenue streams: one-time purchases of published materials and software (books $14-$149, software single-user $29-$49, site licenses $249-$399), professional development services including Summer Academy, Regional Trainings, Winter Academies, USA Tour, Live Online Workshops, Bring Kagan To You sessions, and onDemand self-paced modules, plus dealer/reseller bulk pricing for distributors and gift certificates. Go-to-market is multi-modal: event-driven (workshops and conferences), direct sales-led (KaganOnline.com e-commerce, phone orders, purchase orders), and community-led (Kagan Ambassador program, certified Kagan Trainers, Kagan Model Schools). Customers are K-12 teachers, school administrators, and school districts in the United States and Canada, with international expansion pursued through franchise arrangements rather than direct catalog shipping. The company operates with 51-100 employees, a family-controlled ownership structure (no institutional investment identified), and a 40-year brand track record including a 10-time OC Register Top Workplace recognition in 2025.

Name

Kagan

Legal name

Kagan Publishing & Professional Development

Website

https://kaganonline.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Kagan Publishing & Professional Development is a privately held educational publisher that sells cooperative learning books, SmartCards, classroom software, and mobile apps, and delivers professional development workshops and certification to K-12 teachers, schools, and districts in the United States and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Publishing & Professional Development

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Educational Support Services (611710), Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Curriculum, Lesson Planning & Instructional Content Platforms (EDAJAMAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Instructional Delivery & Pedagogy (School-Led) (EDAJAFAB), K–12 Digital Curriculum & Interactive Lessons (EDAGAEAA), K–12 Instructional Design & Curriculum Development Services (EDAGAKAA)

Keywords

• Cooperative learning
• Professional development
• Educational publishing
• Classroom engagement
• K-12 teaching resources

Headquarters

HQ city

San Clemente

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Published Educational Materials: Sale of books, SmartCards, Learning Chips, posters, spinners, manipulatives, and other teaching resources. One-time purchase model with products ranging from $4-$149. Includes reproducible blackline masters, activity guides, and curriculum materials.
2. Professional Development Services: Revenue from in-person workshops, coaching sessions, Summer Academy, Regional Trainings, and certification programs. Offers on-demand professional development and engagement support sessions for schools and districts.
3. Software Products: Sale of desktop software for timers (MegaTimer), student/team selection (SelectorTools, TeamTools), engagement activities (Instant Engagement, Instant Teambuilding, Instant Classbuilding), and DecisionTools. Single-user licenses and site licenses available.
4. Gift Certificates: Electronic gift certificates in denominations of $25, $50, $75, $100 and custom amounts, redeemable toward any catalog products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Kagan Publishing & Professional Development develops and sells K-12 cooperative learning methodologies (Kagan Structures), physical teaching tools (SmartCards, Learning Chips, AnswerBoards, posters), curriculum books, and supporting software, alongside live and on-demand professional development workshops for teachers, schools, and districts. The company monetizes an integrated ecosystem that pairs its proprietary cooperative learning IP with classroom-ready materials and certified trainer-led training services.

Product overview

Kagan Publishing & Professional Development is an educational publishing company offering a comprehensive ecosystem of cooperative learning resources. The portfolio centers on Kagan Structures—a proprietary set of student engagement techniques—supported by physical products (SmartCards, Learning Chips, Team Pyramids, AnswerBoards, Poster Sets), professional development services (workshops, certifications, coaching), and supplementary software tools. The core offering is the Kagan Cooperative Learning methodology, supplemented by subject-specific books across mathematics, language arts, science, and social studies, higher-level thinking question collections, and technology tools including iOS apps and desktop software for interactive whiteboards. Products are designed as an integrated system where physical teaching aids, professional development, and software tools work together to implement the Kagan engagement model.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kagan Structures: Proprietary cooperative learning methodology and classroom engagement techniques developed by Dr. Spencer Kagan
• Win-Win Discipline
• Kagan Summer Academy
• Kagan Charitable Foundation

Products and services

• Kagan Cooperative Learning Book (Newly Revised) The foundational reference book on Kagan's cooperative learning methodology covering PIES principles, 6 Key Concepts, and comprehensive guidance on implementing Kagan Structures in K-12 classrooms.
• SmartCards (33+ titles) Laminated quick-reference cards summarizing Kagan teaching methodologies, structures, and classroom strategies across cooperative learning, classroom management, discipline, brain-based learning, emotional intelligence, and subject-specific topics.
• Learning Chips Durable plastic chips with prompts that get students interacting over learning topics; available in sets including Appreciation, Celebration, Discussion, Processing, Lesson Review, Thinking, and Story Chips.
• Team Pyramids Three-dimensional pyramid tools for classroom management, including Rotating Reading for reading comprehension roles and Rotating Roles for team cooperation roles (Focus Keeper, Encourager, Materials Monitor, Quiet Captain).
• Poster Sets Extra-large classroom posters on teamwork, engagement, and management themes, including Managing Teamwork, Inspiring Teamwork, Talking Teamwork, and the Everyone Engaged 4 Poster Set.
• AnswerBoards Double-sided dry-erase boards (8.5" x 11") for student responses, with one lined side for writing and a grid side for drawing or graphing; used with Showdown, Numbered Heads Together, and other Kagan Structures.
• SwitchBoard Switchable write-n-wipe pouch with 8 inserts (Venn Diagram, Draw & Explain, Grid, Lines, Multiple Choice, Response Board, Sequence, 5W Star) for quick changes between graphic organizers.
• Showdown Mathematics Two books containing approximately 1,000 quiz cards each that turn independent math practice into high-energy team-based learning games covering Number Sense, Fractions, Algebraic Thinking, Geometry, and Data and Statistics.
• Quiz-Quiz-Trade Mathematics Interactive quizzing game where students pair up, quiz each other on math skills, and trade cards to find new partners; available for Elementary and Middle School levels in multiple volumes.
• Cooperative Learning & Mathematics Series Comprehensive book series applying Kagan Cooperative Learning Structures to mathematics instruction, with titles for Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, and High School Mathematics.
• Cooperative Learning & Grammar Grammar activity books using Kagan Structures to make grammar engaging for Grades 3-5 and K-2, covering antonyms, synonyms, parts of speech, punctuation, and sentence structure.
• Higher-Level Thinking Questions Series Series of question books across subjects (Biology, Chemistry, Developing Character, Intermediate Literature, Language Arts, Life & Earth Science, Personal & Social Skills, Physical Science, Primary Literature, Secondary Mathematics, Social Studies, Spanish) providing hundreds of reproducible questions in card format.
• Cooperative Learning for Language Arts Two-book series for Grades 7-12 covering English/Language Arts curriculum with 190+ ready-to-use blacklines and activities aligned with NCTE and IRA standards.
• Kagan Mobile Apps (NameSelector, TimerTools, StudentSelector, Selector Spinners) iPhone and iPad apps for classroom management that handle random student selection, timer functions, and spinning selectors, supporting Kagan Structures like Numbered Heads Together.
• Instant Engagement Software Three desktop programs (Pair, Team, Class) using game-like structures for review, thinking, discussion, idea generation, and problem solving, including Quiz-N-Show, Mix-Pair-Share, ThinkTank, Timed Pair Share, and RallyRobin; available for PC, Mac, and Interactive Whiteboards.
• Instant Teambuilding & Classbuilding Software Ready-to-use software for leading teambuilding and classbuilding activities featuring Spotlight, Timed RoundRobin, Mix-Pair-Share, and Travel-N-Tell structures with 20 question sets per program; for PC, Mac, and Interactive Whiteboards.
• SelectorTools Software Projectable desktop selector suite with 15 tools including Name Selector, No Repeat Selector, Color Selector, Number Selector, Partner Picker, and Spinners; available as single-user and site licenses.
• TimerTools Software Software timer suite with Countdown, Stopwatch, Turn Timer, Seconds Up, Seconds Down, and Interval Timer; presets for common timer uses with large display for classroom projection.
• TeamTools Software Team formation software that creates effective cooperative learning teams based on class size, gender balance, and ability levels, handling up to 8 different classrooms with 6 ways to form teams and pairs.
• Professional Development Workshops Instructor-led Kagan training including Summer Academy, Regional Summer Trainings, Winter Academies, USA Tour, Live Online Workshops, onDemand self-paced modules, and Bring Kagan To You custom on-site sessions for schools and districts. Includes Kagan Trainer Certification, School Trainer Certification, District Trainer Certification, and Coaching Certification pathways.

Quantifiable outcome

• 26.8% academic gain over traditional methods (meta-analyses)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Kagan Charitable FoundationminorOthersRelated charitable foundation providing grants for teachers and schools. Supports educator access to Kagan programs through funding.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Responsive Classroom: Provides teacher professional development, books, and curriculum resources focused on classroom engagement and SEL, closely aligned with Kagan's cooperative learning and classroom management offerings for K-12 educators.
• Conscious Discipline: Offers books, workshops, and teacher training centered on classroom management and student engagement; directly competes for the same school and district PD budgets as Kagan's Win-Win Discipline and engagement workshops.
• Marzano Resources: Delivers research-based professional development, books, and instructional strategies to K-12 educators; comparable in combining practitioner-led PD, proprietary frameworks, and a publishing arm similar to Kagan's catalog.
• BetterLesson: Provides K-12 teacher professional development via coaching, workshops, and online learning, targeting similar teacher and administrator personas with engagement and instructional strategy content.
• Ron Clark Academy: Operates a teacher training methodology and professional development programs for K-12 educators, including workshops and conferences; comparable as a methodology-led PD brand in the engagement space.

Broad incumbents

• Corwin (SAGE Publishing): Major educational publishing imprint focused on teacher PD books and resources across many instructional topics; broader catalog than Kagan but directly competes for K-12 PD book and resource budgets.
• Scholastic Education: Large K-12 publisher and PD provider with extensive curriculum and teacher resource offerings; overlaps with Kagan's teacher-facing products and professional development footprint at a much larger scale.
• Renaissance Learning: Large K-12 EdTech company providing assessment and instructional tools; relevant as a broader incumbent competing for the same school improvement and engagement budgets as Kagan.

Others

• ASCD: Professional association publishing books, journals, and PD programs for educators and administrators; adjacent to Kagan as a content and PD provider in the same K-12 ecosystem.
• Learning Forward: Professional learning association providing standards, training, and resources for K-12 PD; relevant ecosystem participant influencing district PD purchasing decisions alongside Kagan.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/KaganOnline
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/kaganvideo
• Facebookfacebook.com/KaganOnline
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kagan-publishing-and-professional-development
• Instagraminstagram.com/kaganonline
• TikToktiktok.com/@kaganonline

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Kagan