Empirical Education

What Empirical Education does

Empirical Education Inc. is a private education research firm founded in 2004 and headquartered in Berkeley, California. The firm conducts impact evaluations for K-12 educational programs, products, and policies using rigorous quantitative methodologies including randomized controlled trials (RCTs), quasi-experimental designs, and Hierarchical Linear Models (HLM) executed in a SAS environment. Over 20 years, the firm has completed 35+ RCTs and dozens of quasi-experiments across diverse content areas, grade levels, and school contexts.

The firm serves three primary customer segments: (1) federal agencies, particularly the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences through competitive grant programs including EIR (Education Innovation and Research), SEED (Supporting Effective Educator Development), and i3 (Investing in Innovation); (2) state and local education agencies such as the Alabama, Arkansas, and Texas departments of education, as well as Regional Educational Laboratories; and (3) edtech companies and their investors (including IXL, Carnegie Learning, McGraw-Hill, EVERFI, Kami, and Learning A-Z) seeking ESSA-compliant evidence of product efficacy. The firm also offers an Observation Engine tool deployed statewide in Oklahoma and Arkansas for observer certification, and provides "Evidence as a Service" quick-turnaround impact studies.

Revenue is generated primarily through federal research grants and professional services contracts. The go-to-market motion is relationship-driven, leveraging conference presence (SREE, AERA), publications, and partnerships with research organizations such as WestEd and AIR. The firm is led by Chief Scientist Andrew Jaciw following founder Denis Newman's retirement, with a small team of 11-50 employees including PhD-level researchers and project managers.

Name

Empirical Education

Legal name

Empirical Education Inc.

Website

https://empiricaleducation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Empirical Education is a Berkeley-based education research firm that conducts rigorous impact evaluations, including 35+ RCTs over 20 years, for federal agencies, state education departments, and edtech companies seeking evidence of K-12 product efficacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Research Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Curriculum & Instruction Effectiveness Analytics (Content Efficacy, A/B Testing) (EDAFAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Assessment, Testing & Analytics Platforms (Formative/Summative) (EDAJAMAC), Assessment Analytics & Item/Question Intelligence (IRT, Item Banks, Diagnostic Insights) (EDAFAFAG)

Keywords

• Education research services
• Impact evaluation studies
• Randomized controlled trials
• Edtech efficacy research
• K-12 program evaluation

Headquarters

HQ city

San Mateo

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. Federal Research Grants: The company generates revenue primarily through competitive federal grants from the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences, including EIR (Education Innovation and Research), SEED (Supporting Effective Educator Development), and i3 (Investing in Innovation) programs. Grants fund impact evaluations of education programs, products, and policies.
2. Research Services for Edtech Companies: Provides fast turnaround and cost-effective impact studies for edtech companies and their investors, helping them evaluate product efficacy and meet evidence standards under ESSA.
3. Government and Foundation Contracts: Conducts evaluations for Regional Educational Laboratories (REL), state departments of education, and foundations supporting education initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Empirical Education provides research services and context-relevant evaluations of K-12 education programs, products, and policies. The firm conducts rigorous impact evaluations — including EIR/i3 and SEED grant evaluations for the U.S. Department of Education, randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental designs, and faster-turnaround efficacy studies for edtech companies. Specialized tools such as the Observation Engine support teacher evaluation, while published EdTech Research Guidelines establish methodological standards for the industry.

Product overview

Empirical Education Inc. is an education research firm that provides research services and context-relevant evaluations of programs, products, and policies for K-12 schools. The company's offerings center on impact evaluations (EIR/i3 and SEED evaluations), research services including RCTs and quasi-experiments, and specialized tools like the Observation Engine for teacher evaluation. They offer Evidence as a Service for fast-turnaround edtech impact studies, along with published research guidelines for the EdTech industry. The company has conducted 35 RCTs and dozens of quasi-experiments across various content areas and grade levels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EIR / i3 Evaluations Impact evaluations for U.S. Department of Education's Education Innovation and Research (EIR) and Investing in Innovation (i3) grant programs. Assesses the efficacy and effectiveness of educational programs and interventions for federal funders and program officers.
• SEED Evaluations Evaluations for Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) grant program projects, focusing on educator effectiveness and professional development programs for federal, state, and partner organizations.
• Research Services Comprehensive research services ranging from rigorous randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to shorter district studies, assisting partners with data collection and evaluations supporting evidence-based decisions for K-12 programs and products.
• Evidence as a Service Quick-turnaround research reports offering impact and outcomes analysis for specific student subgroups for edtech companies and their investors, with methodology flexible but rigorous enough to meet ESSA evidence standards.
• EdTech Research Guidelines Published guidelines for conducting and reporting EdTech impact research in U.S. K-12 schools, sponsored by SIIA's Education Technology Industry Network, establishing methodological standards for the edtech research industry.
• Observation Engine A web-based tool developed to improve teacher evaluation, implemented statewide for certification of classroom observers in states like Oklahoma and Arkansas.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% teacher survey return rate achieved through proprietary methodology
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Stanford UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2004Co-development agreement with Stanford University in 2004. Stanford assisted in developing statistical analysis processes for school data, including models and procedures in the SAS environment. Edward H. Haertel from Stanford's School of Education served as principal investigator for Stanford's effort.
• Georgia State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through CREATE (Collaboration and Reflection to Enhance Atlanta Teacher Effectiveness) teacher residency program evaluation. CREATE is a GSU College of Education program, and Empirical serves as independent evaluator.
• WestEdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in multiple evaluations including Making Sense of SCIENCE program (validated by WestEd) and FRACTAL EIR development project. Also collaborated on SEERNet digital learning platform research.
• AIR (American Institutes for Research)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on REL Southwest studies including Arkansas postsecondary readiness predictive modeling and Texas Grow Your Own program evaluation.
• EVERFI from BlackbaudcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for WORD Force early literacy program evaluation (K-2). Second project with EVERFI, building on 20 years of RCT experience. Also worked on earlier EVERFI certification research.
• Digital PromiseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on SEERNet project tracing historical precedents for digital learning platforms. Published paper 'Looking Back to Move Forward' illustrating network's technical and organizational foundations.
• REL Southwest (Regional Educational Laboratory)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership with REL Southwest for applied research projects. Conducted Arkansas literacy communication RCT, predictive modeling studies, and Texas Grow Your Own evaluation.
• KatabasiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in FRACTAL (Furthering Rural Adoption of Computers and Technology through Artistic Lessons) EIR project. Katabasis co-designs curriculum with teachers for rural middle school CS education.
• Reach CapitalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInvestor in education technology with which Empirical has worked on impact evaluations for portfolio companies.
• New Schools Venture FundminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEducation philanthropy organization that invests in education innovation. Empirical has collaborated on projects including CREATE.
• BloomBoardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on educator training and professional development calibration. Dr. Lynne Johnson from NCDPI referenced BloomBoard-Empirical partnership as innovative approach.
• Atlanta Neighborhood Charter Schools (ANCS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal i3 development grant partner for CREATE teacher residency program. Empirical began evaluation under ANCS subcontract in 2015.
• IMPAQ InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Reading Apprenticeship i3 evaluation. Cheri Fancsali (formerly of IMPAQ) presented RCT results.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Abt Associates: Large research and consulting firm with a dedicated education practice conducting K-12 RCTs and impact evaluations for federal clients; broader portfolio and greater scale than Empirical.
• RAND Corporation: Large, established research institution with a substantial education division conducting K-12 impact evaluations; broader scope and significantly larger scale than Empirical.
• NORC at the University of Chicago: Independent research institution with a substantial education and workforce practice conducting federally funded K-12 impact evaluations; broader scope and significantly larger scale than Empirical.

Direct peers

• WestEd: Nonprofit research and development agency providing K-12 evaluation services; both a competitor for federal/state evaluation contracts and an active Empirical partner on FRACTAL EIR and Making Sense of SCIENCE evaluations.
• SRI International: Independent nonprofit research institute with an active education research division conducting federally funded K-12 evaluations and edtech efficacy studies.
• Mathematica: Policy research firm with one of the largest K-12 evaluation practices in the U.S.; competes for IES and U.S. DOE impact evaluation contracts with substantially larger bench capacity.
• American Institutes for Research (AIR): Large nonprofit behavioral and social science research organization with a major K-12 evaluation practice; competes with Empirical on REL Southwest and federal impact evaluation contracts.
• Child Trends: Nonprofit research organization with a K-12 education evaluation practice that conducts impact studies and program evaluations for federal and foundation clients.
• McREL International: Nonprofit education research and development organization providing K-12 evaluation services; comparable size and focus to Empirical and a former employer of several Empirical team members.
• IMPAQ International (now part of AIR): Policy and evaluation research firm with a strong K-12 practice; existing Empirical partner on Reading Apprenticeship i3 evaluation and direct competitor for federal efficacy studies.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/empiricaled
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/empiricaleducation
• Facebookfacebook.com/empiricaleducation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/empirical-education

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Empirical Education