SEDL

What SEDL does

SEDL was a private, nonprofit education research, development, and dissemination (RD&D) corporation headquartered in Austin, Texas, founded in 1965. For nearly 50 years it operated as the Regional Educational Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences, serving a five-state southwestern region (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas) with research, technical assistance, and professional development for K-12 educators, administrators, and policymakers.

The organization's core intellectual property centered on the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM), a diagnostic framework for monitoring and guiding the implementation of educational innovations, comprising three tools: the Stages of Concern Questionnaire (35 items), Innovation Configuration Maps, and the Levels of Use interview protocol. CBAM originated from research collaborations with the University of Texas at Austin in the 1970s-1980s. SEDL also maintained a Reading Assessment Database covering 80 early reading assessment tools for grades PreK-3 and a Cognitive Framework of Reading, alongside periodicals including SEDL Letter (1995-2010), SEDL Insights (2013-2015), Issues...about Change, and policy briefings.

SEDL's revenue model combined federal Regional Educational Laboratory contract funding (under contracts ED 01C00009 and RJ 96006101), free online resource distribution (CBAM PDFs and databases), paid physical publications, and fee-based professional development and CBAM certification training delivered through direct contact. In 2015, SEDL merged with the American Institutes for Research (AIR), after which its website became a static archive of legacy projects and resources; SEDL no longer operates as an independent entity.

Name

SEDL

Legal name

Southwest Educational Development Laboratory

Website

https://sedl.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

SEDL was a nonprofit education research and development corporation that operated the Regional Educational Laboratory for the U.S. Southwest (1965-2015), providing K-12 educators, administrators, and policymakers with diagnostic implementation tools (CBAM), reading assessment databases, and professional development before merging with AIR in 2015.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Research and Professional Development Services

NAICS

Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Staff Training, Coaching & Professional Development (SEL/Mental Health) (EDAKAMAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

School-Based SEL Curriculum & Instructional Programs (EDAKAMAA)

Keywords

• Education research services
• Professional development training
• Reading assessment tools
• Educational change management
• Policy research briefs

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Publication Sales: SEDL sold publications including CBAM manuals and other research products. Many resources were available for free online download, while physical publications had prices (e.g., CBAM manuals).
2. Professional Development Services: SEDL provided training sessions and certification for CBAM tools, including Levels of Use interview certification. Contact-based training sessions offered for a fee.
3. Regional Educational Laboratory Contract: SEDL operated under Regional Educational Laboratory contracts (1996-2006) funded by the Institute of Education Sciences under contract numbers ED 01C00009 and RJ 96006101.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

SEDL conducted education research, development, and dissemination for K-12 educators, administrators, and policymakers across a five-state southwestern U.S. region (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas). The organization developed proprietary diagnostic frameworks, assessment databases, and research-based resources to support school improvement, reading instruction, and educational change management. It also delivered professional development, technical assistance, and policy briefings through publications, training, and federal Regional Educational Laboratory contracts.

Product overview

SEDL (Southwest Educational Development Laboratory) was a private not-for-profit corporation specializing in education research, development, and dissemination. The organization developed and provided access to educational assessment tools, frameworks, and professional resources. The core offerings included the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) with its three diagnostic components (Stages of Concern Questionnaire, Innovation Configurations, and Levels of Use) for understanding and guiding educational change implementation. Additionally, SEDL provided the Reading Assessment Database for Grades PreK-3 covering 80 reading assessment tools, the Cognitive Framework of Reading, and various periodicals including SEDL Letter, SEDL Insights, Issues ...about Change, and Insights on Education Policy, Practice and Research. These resources supported educators, parents, community members, and policymakers in improving teaching and learning. SEDL merged with the American Institutes for Research (AIR) in 2015, and this is now an archived website.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Oklahoma research showed students in alternative education programs improved on grades, attendance, courses failed, and disciplinary referrals compared to similar students not enrolled
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• American Institutes for Research (AIR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015SEDL merged with the American Institutes for Research (AIR) in 2015. This archived website contains the work of SEDL legacy projects and resources from the past 50 years. The merger combined SEDL's educational research expertise with AIR's broader research capabilities. AIR now manages the CBAM tools, professional development, and continues publishing SEDL resources.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• American Institutes for Research (AIR): SEDL's merger partner and parent organization. AIR is a large nonprofit behavioral and social science research organization that absorbed SEDL in 2015, providing a direct comparison for the scale and scope SEDL operated within after merger.
• RAND Corporation: Large nonprofit research organization with a substantial education policy division. While much broader in scope, RAND's education R&D work, federally-funded research model, and policy-oriented outputs parallel SEDL's mission.
• Mathematica: Nonpartisan research organization that conducts education policy and program evaluation research. Mathematica's federal contract base, education research focus, and dissemination to policymakers overlap directly with SEDL's role as a Regional Educational Laboratory.
• SRI International: Nonprofit research institute with an education division conducting R&D for federal agencies. SRI's education research, technical assistance model, and federal contract structure make it a comparable peer.

Direct peers

• WestEd: One of the Regional Educational Laboratories (serving the West region). WestEd is a nonprofit education R&D organization with similar structure, federal contract model, K-12 professional development focus, and dissemination role as SEDL.
• Education Development Center (EDC): Nonprofit education R&D organization that operates across curriculum, professional development, and school improvement. EDC's federal contract model and K-12 research/dissemination focus closely parallel SEDL's core business.
• Council for Exceptional Children: Professional association providing research, professional development, and publications for special education and general education. CEC's PD/training, publication, and K-12 educator support model mirrors SEDL's dissemination approach.
• Learning Forward (formerly National Staff Development Council): Professional association focused on K-12 professional development and school improvement. Learning Forward's PD resources, publications, and educator training focus parallel SEDL's professional development and SEDL Insights work.

Emerging players

• WIDA Consortium: Education research consortium focused on language development standards and assessment for multilingual learners. WIDA's federally-backed model, K-12 assessment focus, and resource development parallel SEDL's Reading Assessment Database work.
• Center for Applied Linguistics: Nonprofit organization conducting research and providing resources on language education, assessment, and policy. CAL's federal contract work, K-12 educator resources, and educational research/dissemination overlap with SEDL's offerings.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SEDLtweets

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 SEDL