21st Century Partnership for STEM Education

What 21st Century Partnership for STEM Education does

21st Century Partnership for STEM Education (21PSTEM, Inc.) is a Pennsylvania-incorporated nonprofit research and action organization founded in September 2007 by the leadership team of the Math Science Partnership of Greater Philadelphia. The organization designs STEM curriculum, assessment systems, and teacher professional development programs for K-12 school districts, higher education institutions, and government education agencies in the United States and internationally. Its current portfolio includes seven software platforms: the ME-SBG App (standards-based grading for grades 6-9), Virtual Math Teams (collaborative math problem-solving environment integrating GeoGebra and Desmos), EnCoMPASS (online teacher professional development community built with Drexel and Temple), PARLO Tracker (proficiency-based assessment), MathematicalThinking.org, Mathematical Thinkers Like Me (equity-focused collaborative problem-solving), and the MEKTEBIM Schools Curriculum Platform (Turkey). Technology is built primarily on Ruby on Rails and React stacks by a small in-house software team.

21PSTEM operates a grant-funded business model, securing competitive awards from federal agencies (USAID, NSF, U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences and EIR program) and private foundations (Walton Family Foundation, Barra Foundation), supplemented by international organization contracts (UNESCO-IBE). Cumulative funding exceeds $60 million across 18 years. The organization functions as a fiscal agent and curriculum/assessment sub-awardee on most projects, partnering with prime contractors such as World Learning, Save the Children, and lead universities including University of Pennsylvania, Drexel, Temple, Villanova, Brown, and Rutgers. Its go-to-market is relationship-driven, relying on academic publications, conference presentations at venues such as the American Educational Research Association, and referrals through a network of approximately 40 collegiate, nonprofit, and for-profit partners.

The organization's primary customer segments are Government Education Agencies (US federal agencies plus international ministries, including Egypt's Ministry of Education), Higher Education Institutions (research and teacher-preparation partnerships), and K-12 School Districts (62 districts and 364 schools reached to date, serving 3,727 teachers). Its value proposition rests on dual expertise: conducting rigorous randomized controlled trials to generate evidence of efficacy while simultaneously implementing large-scale reform projects at the district and national level. Notable outcomes include a 0.33 standard deviation improvement in student mathematics performance from the PARLO program and engagement of 740 teachers across 180 middle schools in the CogSci Center study. 21PSTEM holds no commercial customers and does not disclose pricing for its grant-funded services.

Name

21st Century Partnership for STEM Education

Legal name

21PSTEM, Inc.

Website

https://21pstem.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

21st Century Partnership for STEM Education (21PSTEM) is a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit that designs STEM curriculum, assessment systems, and teacher professional development for U.S. school districts, higher education institutions, and international government education agencies, operating through federal grants from USAID, NSF, and the U.S. Department of Education.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

STEM Education Research and Services

akta.pro primary industry

STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG)

Keywords

• STEM education
• Curriculum design
• Teacher professional development
• Education research
• Assessment systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Conshohocken

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Federal Grant Funding: Primary revenue source from competitive federal grants including USAID, NSF, and Department of Education awards for education research and implementation projects
2. Foundation Grants: Funding from private foundations including Walton Family Foundation, Barra Foundation for specific education initiatives
3. International Organization Contracts: Contracts with UNESCO-IBE and other international bodies for curriculum development and education reform projects

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

21PSTEM is a nonprofit research and action organization that partners with governments, universities, and school districts to transform STEM education. It designs integrated STEM curricula, proficiency-based assessment systems, and teacher professional development programs, supported by a portfolio of proprietary online learning and collaboration platforms (e.g., ME-SBG, Virtual Math Teams, EnCoMPASS, PARLO Tracker).

Product overview

21st Century Partnership for STEM Education (21PSTEM) offers a portfolio of interconnected educational technology products focused on STEM education reform. The core offerings include the ME-SBG App for standards-based grading, Virtual Math Teams for online collaborative mathematics learning, EnCoMPASS for professional teaching communities, PARLO Tracker for proficiency-based assessment, and Mathematical Thinkers Like Me for equity-focused collaborative problem-solving. These products work together to support curriculum design, teacher professional development, formative assessment, and student engagement in mathematics education. The organization also developed the MEKTEBIM Schools Curriculum Platform in partnership with UNESCO for international STEM education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ME-SBG App A web application for Mathematics Empowerment through Standards-Based Grading that enables students in grades 6-9 to take active control of their mathematics learning through formative assessment and reassessment for full credit after further study.
• Virtual Math Teams An online collaborative learning environment where students and teachers solve mathematical problems and communicate their thinking with others, incorporating GeoGebra and Desmos into real-time collaboration with replay capability.
• EnCoMPASS An online professional teaching community platform that enables teachers and students to collaboratively review student work and generate feedback using the Notice and Wonder approach for mathematics assessment.
• PARLO Tracker A proficiency-based assessment and reassessment system of learning outcomes that allows students multiple opportunities to demonstrate mastery of mathematics concepts.
• Mathematical Thinkers Like Me An online collaborative problem-solving and storytelling platform that supports Black, Latinx, and low-income students in developing their identity as mathematical thinkers, integrating executive function practices with Desmos tools.
• MEKTEBIM Schools Curriculum Platform An online platform hosting a competence-based STEM curriculum for MEKTEBIM Schools in Turkey, developed in collaboration with IBE-UNESCO.
• MathematicalThinking.org A web-based platform for mathematical thinking development, part of the 21PSTEM Services ecosystem referenced in the Terms of Service.
• STESSA (STEM Teacher Education and School Strengthening Activity) A STEM education program in Egypt that expands model STEM high schools to additional governorates and develops integrated STEM teacher preparation programs at Egyptian universities.
• Bootstrap Project A professional development program that integrates computing and mathematics education by preparing teachers to use Bootstrap curriculum combining algebra and computer science concepts.
• ENABLE BiH A program supporting development of national K-12 STEM curriculum and teaching standards in Bosnia Herzegovina, implemented with Save the Children.
• Greater Philadelphia STEAM Initiative An initiative developing an integrated STEAM curriculum framework and place-based STEAM high school curriculum for the Greater Philadelphia region, partnering with local organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• PARLO program improved student performance by 0.33 SD, equivalent to 36-45% of a year's learning
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• World LearningcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2012Prime awardee for Egypt ECASE project; 21PSTEM serves as STEM implementation partner designing curriculum and assessment systems for Egyptian STEM schools.
• University of PennsylvaniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing research partner; co-founded 21PSTEM; collaborated on Cog Sci Center ($10M IES grant), PRIME teacher instability study, and multiple other projects. UPenn provides research expertise and graduate student involvement.
• Temple UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in EnCoMPASS project developing online professional teaching communities. Provides faculty expertise in mathematics education.
• Drexel UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead partner on EnCoMPASS project; collaborating on online mathematics teacher professional development platform development.
• University of PittsburghcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in Cog Sci Center project testing cognitive science interventions in middle school science.
• The Franklin InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner in Egypt STEM School Project and Greater Philadelphia STEAM Initiative. Contributed to international STEM education reform.
• TIES (Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-implementer of Egypt ECASE project ($25M USAID) and STESSA extension project ($24M). Partners on STEM school development.
• WestatminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerResearch partner on I3 (Innovation through Institutional Integration) project, providing research methodology and analysis support.
• Villanova UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-PI on PARLO project ($2.4M NSF grant) examining proficiency-based assessment in secondary mathematics.
• Save the ChildrencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrime awardee for ENABLE BiH project in Bosnia Herzegovina; 21PSTEM provides STEM curriculum development expertise.
• Rutgers UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner on Mathematical Thinkers Like Me project, contributing faculty expertise in mathematics education and executive function research.
• Brown UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead organization for Bootstrap professional development project; partners on research for integrating computing and mathematics education.
• North Carolina State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner on Technology-Rich Units project for future secondary mathematics teachers.
• IBE-UNESCOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partner for MEKTEBIM Schools competence-based STEM curriculum development in Turkey, providing official curriculum framework and oversight.
• Research for Better SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional educational laboratory partner in Cog Sci Center project, providing research coordination and dissemination support.
• Arcadia UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHigher education partner contributing to Egypt STESSA project and past MSPGP initiatives.
• La Salle UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal founding partner and PI institution for MSPGP ($14M NSF grant); collaborated on multiple Philadelphia-area STEM initiatives.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• WestEd: WestEd is a nonprofit education research, development, and service agency that conducts rigorous RCTs and program evaluations in STEM and other subjects. Comparable to 21PSTEM in its research-driven approach to K-12 education improvement, federally funded evaluation work, and partnerships with school districts and universities.
• Illustrative Mathematics: Illustrative Mathematics is a nonprofit that develops and disseminates high-quality, problem-based mathematics curricula for K-12. Both organizations develop mathematics curricula grounded in research, work with school districts, and operate in the standards-based, equity-focused math education reform space.
• American Institutes for Research (AIR): AIR is a major nonprofit behavioral and social science research organization that conducts large-scale education program evaluations, RCTs, and policy analysis for federal agencies. Like 21PSTEM, AIR is a frequent recipient of NSF, IES, and Department of Education grants and operates at the intersection of rigorous education research and large-scale implementation.
• Education Development Center (EDC): EDC is a global nonprofit that designs, delivers, and evaluates programs to improve education, health, and economic opportunity. Like 21PSTEM, EDC secures major federal grants (NSF, USAID, Department of Education) to conduct STEM education research and implementation work, serving as a prime contractor on large-scale national and international education reform projects.
• Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM (TIES): TIES is a STEM education nonprofit that designs and operates STEM schools and curricula, and is 21PSTEM's implementation partner on the $49M+ USAID Egypt STEM School Project and STESSA contract. Both organizations focus on integrated STEM curriculum design, teacher preparation, and school development in K-12 contexts.

Emerging players

• Desmos: Desmos provides free, widely-used online math tools (graphing calculator, geometry, activities) and is a technology integration partner in 21PSTEM's Virtual Math Teams platform. Both organizations target K-12 mathematics education with research-aligned, student-centered approaches.
• Carnegie Learning: Carnegie Learning is an edtech company that provides AI-driven mathematics instructional software and adaptive learning products for K-12 schools. It represents a commercial, product-led approach to improving math outcomes that parallels 21PSTEM's research-based instructional focus, with greater scale and commercial reach.
• Open Up Resources: Open Up Resources is a nonprofit that develops high-quality, standards-aligned open educational resources for K-12 mathematics and ELA. Comparable to 21PSTEM's curriculum design work but with a primary focus on making OER curricula freely accessible to school districts nationwide.

Broad incumbents

• RAND Corporation: RAND is a major research institution with substantial K-12 education research, including RCTs and program evaluations funded by NSF and IES. It serves as a broader incumbent competitor in the federal education research market where 21PSTEM operates, with much larger scale and broader policy engagement.
• Mathematica Policy Research: Mathematica is a large, established research organization that conducts program evaluations and policy analysis for federal agencies across education, health, and social programs. As a larger incumbent in the federally funded education research space, it competes with 21PSTEM for similar evaluation contracts and represents an institutional alternative for funders.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/21Pstem
• Facebookfacebook.com/21PSTEM
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/21pstem
• Instagraminstagram.com/21pstem

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about 21st Century Partnership for STEM Education