iEARN

What iEARN does

iEARN (International Education and Resource Network) is a US-headquartered non-profit founded in 1988 that operates the world's largest K-12 global collaborative learning network, connecting more than 30,000 schools and youth organizations across 140+ countries and 30 languages. Its core product is the iEARN Collaboration Centre, a dual-hub platform combining a PowerSchool-based Catalogue and Management Hub (registration, account management, reporting) with a Schoology-powered Collaboration Hub (discussion forums, project spaces, resource sharing). Structured international classroom partnerships known as Learning Circles — offered twice yearly with themed tracks such as Hello World, My Hero, Computer Chronicles, and Places and Perspectives — are the flagship engagement format, supported by an annual Project Book of curriculum-based collaborative projects aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The business model is non-transactional: iEARN generates no disclosed pricing or subscription revenue from participating schools, and participation is free for educators and students. Operating funds appear to flow from a mix of grants (Open Society Institute, MEPI, US State Department YES Program), foundation partnerships (Adobe Foundation via Adobe Youth Voices), government and ministry-of-education partnerships (Senegal, Uganda, Qatar via ROTA, Japan via JEARN), and US Embassy funding in select countries. Distribution relies on 150+ country coordinators who activate schools locally, complemented by an annual international conference (Morocco 2017, India 2016, USA 2018), global awareness events (Global Collaboration Day, MAD Day), self-serve web and mobile access via the Schoology app, and professional development courses.

Customer segments span K-12 teachers and students (primary), country coordinators and ministry partners (institutional), and returning Learning Circles participants (recurring). The organization maintains offices in New York (headquarters) and San Francisco (iEARN-USA), with a separately chartered iEARN Taiwan Resource Center in Taipei authorized by Taiwan's Ministry of Interior since 2001. Headcount is reported at 11-50 employees, consistent with a lean federation operating model in which country-level centers deliver most frontline activation.

Name

iEARN

Legal name

International Education and Resource Network

Website

https://iearn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

iEARN is a 1988-founded US non-profit operating the world's largest K-12 global collaborative learning network, connecting 30,000+ schools and 2 million students across 140+ countries through its Schoology-powered Collaboration Centre platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Global Collaborative Learning Platform

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Special Education (SPED), IEP & Accessibility/Assistive Technology (EDAJAMAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Communication & Family Engagement Platforms (Messaging, Portals, Translation) (EDAJAMAI)

Keywords

• Online collaborative learning
• Global education network
• Project-based learning
• Virtual exchange programs
• K-12 curriculum platforms

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Educational Network Services: iEARN operates as a non-profit educational network providing global collaboration services to schools and educators. Revenue appears to come from membership/sponsorship, with no explicit pricing found in public sources. The organization likely relies on grants, donations, and partnerships with educational organizations.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

iEARN operates the Collaboration Centre, a global online platform that enables K-12 students and educators in 140+ countries to participate in curriculum-based collaborative projects and structured Learning Circles. The platform combines a PowerSchool-powered Catalogue and Management Hub with a Schoology-powered Collaboration Hub, supporting project discussions, student/teacher account management, and resource sharing. All projects are aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and require participants to address how the project improves quality of life on the planet.

Product overview

iEARN is a global educational network offering a unified platform for online collaborative learning. The core offering is the iEARN Collaboration Centre — a dual-hub platform combining a PowerSchool-based Catalogue and Management Hub (for project registration, student/teacher account management, and reporting) with a Schoology-powered Collaboration Hub (for discussions, activities, and resource sharing). The primary programs are the iEARN Projects catalogue (published annually in the Project Book) and iEARN Global Learning Circles — structured 5–16-week international classroom partnerships with themed tracks including Hello World, My Hero, Computer Chronicles, My School, Global Issues, and Places and Perspectives. Supporting services include Online Professional Development Courses, an annual International Conference and Youth Summit, and the Adobe Youth Voices multimedia program. The SDG Alignment Feature connects project proposals to the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. A mobile app (via Schoology) enables mobile participation. All programs are accessible to schools and youth organizations in 140+ countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• iEARN Collaboration Centre The core online platform that enables K-12 students and educators worldwide to participate in global collaborative projects. Combines a PowerSchool-based Catalogue and Management Hub (registration and reporting) with a Schoology-powered Collaboration Hub (discussions, activities, resource sharing). Used by teachers and students in 140+ countries.
• iEARN Projects (Project Book) An annually published catalogue of curriculum-based online collaborative projects connecting youth globally across subjects including language arts, science, social studies, environment, arts, and technology. All projects are required to address the question 'How will this project improve the quality of life on the planet?' and are aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
• iEARN Global Learning Circles Structured international project partnerships forming teams of 6–8 classrooms worldwide. Offered twice yearly (September–January and January–May) with themed tracks including Hello World, My Hero, Computer Chronicles, My School, Global Issues, and Places and Perspectives, producing a published Circle product combining work from all participating classrooms.
• iEARN Online Professional Development Courses Online training courses for educators on telecollaborative project facilitation, including the Telecollaborative Projects in the EFL Classroom course, PEARL Journalism, and project-specific facilitator training. Delivered through the iEARN Collaboration Centre.
• iEARN International Conference and Youth Summit Annual in-person conference bringing together educators, youth, and country coordinators from around the world to share project experiences, attend workshops, and participate in youth summits. Hosted by different iEARN country centres each year (e.g., Morocco 2017, India 2016, Brazil 2015, USA 2018).

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2 million students and 50,000 educators are connecting in global project-based learning activities
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Adobe FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdobe Youth Voices (AYV) is Adobe's global philanthropic initiative that empowers youth worldwide to comment on their world using multimedia and digital tools. iEARN is one of five founding non-profit partners who helped launch Adobe Youth Voices in 2006, and currently administers AYV programs in 23 countries. AYV enables students to create media projects addressing social issues.
• SchoolNet UgandacoreStrategic or Co-development PartneriEARN-Uganda is part of SchoolNet Uganda, which manages over 40 schools and youth organizations in Kampala and other areas. SchoolNet Uganda also facilitates wireless technology piloting in rural areas and Adobe Youth Voices program implementation.
• Ministry of Education (Senegal, Palestine, Jordan, UAE, Syria, etc.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartneriEARN works closely with ministries of education in multiple countries to bring schools online, conduct teacher training, and integrate online project-based learning into national curricula.
• Varkey FoundationminorOthersVarkey Foundation runs the annual Global Teacher's Prize. iEARN Argentina teacher Silvana Carnicero was nominated as a candidate in 2018.
• iEARN-AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartneriEARN-Australia was one of the founding members of iEARN, established early in the network's history. Hosts annual conferences and maintains active management team.
• iEARN-Japan (JEARN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartneriEARN-Japan (JEARN) started in 1998, founded as NPO in 2003. Coordinates Natural Disaster Youth Summit (NDYS) and Kotolympic projects, hosting annual gatherings and youth summits.
• JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJEARN (iEARN-Japan) Annual Gathering held at JICA Kobe Center, supporting international education exchange.
• UNESCOminorStrategic or Co-development PartneriEARN-Indonesia works with UNESCO-sponsored Associated Schools Project to connect schools throughout the country and conduct teacher professional development.
• Global Nomads GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartneriEARN-Iraq partnership for video-conference events connecting Iraqi students with partners abroad.
• Ministry of Education (Qatar) via ROTAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartneriEARN-Qatar facilitated by ROTA (Reach Out To Asia), a Qatari NGO founded under auspices of Qatar's heir apparent.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• PenPal Schools: PenPal Schools connects K-12 classrooms globally through project-based learning and virtual exchange, directly overlapping with iEARN's core offering of curriculum-based international student collaboration.
• Empatico: Empatico (backed by the Emerson Collective) facilitates live video exchanges and activities between K-12 classrooms across countries, serving the same virtual exchange use case as iEARN's Learning Circles.
• Generation Global (Tony Blair Institute): Generation Global provides online facilitated dialogue programs for youth across cultures and faiths, operating a similar global youth-to-youth engagement model with curriculum-based structured programs.
• Global Nomads Group: Global Nomads Group connects youth across borders through virtual exchange programs and video conferences — explicitly listed as an iEARN partner for Iraq programs and operating in the same global citizenship education space.

Emerging players

• TakingITGlobal: TakingITGlobal is a non-profit social enterprise engaging youth in global citizenship and social action through online community and project tools, overlapping with iEARN's mission-driven global youth engagement.
• GLOBE Program (NASA / NSF): The GLOBE Program is a worldwide K-12 science and education program enabling students to collaborate on environmental data collection — comparable to iEARN's themed Learning Circles but focused on scientific observation.

Broad incumbents

• Participate Learning: Participate Learning (formerly VIF) operates global education programs including teacher exchanges and virtual exchange, targeting K-12 schools with similar cross-cultural learning offerings to iEARN.
• Outschool: Outschool is a venture-backed marketplace for online K-12 classes and small-group learning, representing the broader EdTech competitive landscape where iEARN operates its structured learning offerings.
• ePals (Cricket Media): ePals, now part of Cricket Media, historically operated the largest K-12 classroom collaboration network globally and represents a historical direct competitor to iEARN's pen-pal style project model.

Others

• Adobe Youth Voices Program: Adobe Youth Voices is a founding iEARN partner program empowering youth multimedia creation globally; it represents an ecosystem enabler whose direction influences iEARN's product strategy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/12925611903
• Xx.com/iearnusa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iearn-usa---international-education-and-resource-network

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 iEARN