Literacy Information and Communication System
LINCS is a federally funded national dissemination and professional development system operated by the U.S. Department of Education's OCTAE, providing free online courses, 727+ expert-reviewed instructional resources, and federal initiative materials to adult education practitioners, program administrators, learners, and state policymakers nationwide.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1980
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Literacy Information and Communication System does
Literacy Information and Communication System (LINCS) is a national dissemination and professional development system for adult education, operated by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE). It serves adult education practitioners, program administrators, adult learners, and state-level policymakers across the United States by providing free access to curated instructional resources, professional development courses, and federal initiative materials.
The platform's product surface comprises four interconnected offerings: a searchable Resource Collection of 727+ expert-reviewed multimedia instructional resources; LINCS Courses, a Moodle-based learning management system delivering 30+ self-paced and facilitated professional development courses with SCORM support and downloadable certificates; the LINCS Learner Center, a portal connecting adult learners to free educational resources; and a portfolio of 15+ federal initiatives including ESL Pro, STAR, TEAL, SIA 2.0, the IET Design Toolkit, and Teacher Effectiveness programs. Technical infrastructure is provided by CivicActions under Contract No. GS-35F-337BA-919990021F0017, with Login.gov handling user authentication (mandatory from December 11, 2025) and search.usa.gov powering resource discovery.
LINCS is funded entirely through federal appropriations under the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) and aligned with Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) requirements. All courses, resources, and tools are provided at no charge to users. State directors of adult education serve as the principal distribution channel for facilitated courses and local program adoption, while marketing and outreach occur through the Department of Education network, the LINCS website, email communications, and social media.
Literacy Information and Communication System firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Literacy Information and Communication System
- Legal name
- LINCS (Literacy Information and Communication System) - U.S. Department of Education
- Website
- https://lincs.ed.gov
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1980
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- LINCS is a federally funded national dissemination and professional development system operated by the U.S. Department of Education's OCTAE, providing free online courses, 727+ expert-reviewed instructional resources, and federal initiative materials to adult education practitioners, program administrators, learners, and state policymakers nationwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Literacy Information and Communication System is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Literacy Information and Communication System business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Government-Funded Public Service: LINCS is a free public service funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE). The system is maintained under contract with CivicActions under Contract No. GS-35F-337BA-919990021F0017. All courses, resources, and tools are provided at no cost to adult education practitioners and learners.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free access to all courses and resources |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Literacy Information and Communication System product offering
Product offeringCore offering
LINCS is the U.S. Department of Education's national dissemination and professional development system for adult education, providing free self-paced online courses (30+) via a Moodle-based LMS, a searchable Resource Collection of 727+ expert-reviewed multimedia instructional resources, a Learner Center portal connecting adult learners to free educational resources, and a suite of 15+ federally-funded initiatives covering ESL, reading, writing, integrated education and training, and workforce preparation. The platform serves adult education practitioners, program administrators, and adult learners nationwide.
Product overview
LINCS (Literacy Information and Communication System) is a national dissemination and professional development system maintained by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE). The platform comprises four interconnected offerings: (1) LINCS Resource Collection—a searchable database of 727+ peer-reviewed instructional resources; (2) LINCS Courses—a Moodle-based LMS offering 30+ self-paced and facilitated professional development courses; (3) LINCS Learner Center—a portal for adult learners; and (4) Federal Initiatives—a suite of 15+ specialized programs including ESL Pro, STAR, TEAL, SIA 2.0, and the IET Design Toolkit. The system is built and maintained by CivicActions under contract GS-35F-337BA-919990021F0017, using SCORM standards for course packaging and Login.gov for authentication.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- LINCS Resource Collection A searchable database of 727+ high-quality multimedia instructional resources for adult educators, informed by research and reviewed by subject matter experts, covering career pathways, English language acquisition, reading and writing, math, science, and program management.
- LINCS Courses A self-paced and facilitated online learning platform offering 30+ professional development courses for adult educators and program managers, powered by Moodle LMS with SCORM support and certificate of completion tracking, covering career pathways, English language acquisition, teaching and learning, integrating technology, learners with disabilities, and science.
- LINCS Learner Center A portal connecting adult learners to free online resources covering learning to read, math, science, English, job skills, citizenship, and health literacy to help adults reach their life goals.
- Federal Initiatives A suite of 15+ federally-funded programs advancing adult education priorities including ADVANCE IET, Advancing Innovation in Adult Education, Business-Adult Education Partnerships Toolkit, Employability Skills Framework, IET in Corrections, LINCS ESL Pro, Moving Pathways Forward, Power in Numbers, SIA Resources, STAR, TEAL, Teacher Effectiveness, Teaching Skills that Matter, Technology-Based Coaching, and Universal Design for Learning.
- Integrated Education and Training (IET) Design Toolkit A toolkit guiding users through a team-based approach to develop customized Integrated Education and Training (IET) solutions addressing adult learner and local business needs through four iterative phases: Research and Assess, Design and Plan, Develop and Implement, and Evaluate and Improve.
- Student Achievement in Reading (STAR) A federal initiative and facilitated course focused on evidence-based reading practices to support adult literacy development, providing instructional resources, the TEAL Just Write! Guide, and the 2024 STAR Research Review.
- TEAL (Teaching Excellence in Adult Literacy) A federal initiative providing the TEAL Just Write! Guide and project resources for improving writing instruction for adult learners, including research-based writing instruction, student-centered learning, self-regulated strategy development, and technology-supported writing instruction.
- Standards-in-Action (SIA) 2.0 A federal initiative providing classroom observation tools, curriculum review training, and professional development for implementing college and career readiness standards, including English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics modules, fulfilling instructional shifts, and boosting English learner instruction.
Companies that use Literacy Information and Communication System
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Literacy Information and Communication System technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Feature3 records
Literacy Information and Communication System partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- CivicActionscoreCivicActions maintains the LINCS System under contract with the U.S. Department of Education, OCTAE, under Contract No. GS-35F-337BA-919990021F0017. They provide technical infrastructure, web development, and system maintenance services.
- Login.govcoreLogin.gov provides the authentication service for LINCS Courses, enabling secure sign-in for course enrollment and access. Starting December 11, 2025, Login.gov became the required authentication method for LINCS Courses.
- U.S. Department of Education - OCTAEcoreThe Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) funds and oversees LINCS as the national dissemination and professional development system for adult education under the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA).
- LINCS Technical Assistance CentercorePartners with states to offer facilitated online courses from the LINCS Training Catalog. States can request, use, and customize LINCS trainings and resources to develop state and local topical experts. Coordinates professional development and training activities.
- MoodlecoreMoodle is the learning management system (LMS) powering LINCS Courses, providing the platform for course delivery, progress tracking, SCORM support, and certificate generation.
- What Works ClearinghouseminorThe What Works Clearinghouse provides evidence reviews and practice guides featured in the LINCS Resource Collection, including career pathways and adult education strategies.
- American Institutes for Research (AIR)minorAIR developed the Integrated Education and Training Design Toolkit featured in the LINCS Resource Collection, co-developed with Safal, supporting IET program design.
- StandardsWork, Inc.minorProduced the Standards-in-Action (SIA) 2.0 English Learner Training Institute under contract with OCTAE, providing professional development for adult educators on standards-based instruction.
- National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)minorNCES conducts the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) referenced in LINCS resources, providing data on adult literacy measurement.
- State Directors of Adult EducationcoreState directors serve as key distribution partners, coordinating access to LINCS resources and facilitated courses for adult education providers within their states.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Literacy Information and Communication System competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Reading Horizons: Reading Horizons provides literacy instructional materials and professional development for adult and K-12 educators. It is comparable to LINCS in addressing adult reading instruction and educator training, but operates commercially while LINCS provides free federally-funded resources.
- Cambridge English: Cambridge English provides English language assessment and learning resources for adult learners globally. It overlaps with LINCS ESL Pro in adult ESL content and assessment, though Cambridge operates commercially and internationally while LINCS serves U.S. adult educators and learners under federal mandate.
- Rosetta Stone: Rosetta Stone is a commercial language-learning platform with significant adult ESL offerings. It is comparable to LINCS ESL Pro in the language-learning domain for adults, but operates on a paid subscription model rather than as a free government-funded resource.
Direct peers
- ProLiteracy: ProLiteracy is a national nonprofit membership organization supporting adult literacy and education programs. It is directly comparable to LINCS in serving adult education practitioners and learners through professional development, resources, and advocacy across the U.S. adult literacy ecosystem.
- GED Testing Service: GED Testing Service delivers high-school equivalency test preparation and credentialing for adults, closely overlapping with LINCS's adult learner segment. Both serve adults pursuing foundational education, workforce preparation, and secondary credentials under adult education funding streams.
- USA Learns: USA Learns is a free, government-funded online learning platform for adult English language learners and basic skills development. It is directly comparable to LINCS as a federally-supported resource serving adult learners seeking free educational content for literacy, job skills, and citizenship preparation.
Broad incumbents
- Khan Academy: Khan Academy provides free online learning content across a wide range of subjects. It is comparable to LINCS's Learner Center in offering free adult-accessible learning resources, but Khan Academy's scope spans K-12 through college while LINCS focuses on adult literacy, ESL, and workforce skills.
- edX: edX is a large online education platform founded by Harvard and MIT offering university-level courses. It overlaps with LINCS in delivering free or low-cost adult learning content, but operates at a much broader academic scope rather than specializing in adult literacy and practitioner professional development.
- Coursera: Coursera is a major online learning platform offering adult-facing courses across professional and personal development topics. It is broadly comparable to LINCS as a scalable adult learning platform, though Coursera operates commercially while LINCS is government-funded and focuses exclusively on adult literacy and practitioner professional development.
Others
- Safal Partners: Safal Partners is a consulting firm that co-developed the Integrated Education and Training Design Toolkit featured in the LINCS Resource Collection. It is thematically related as an ecosystem partner supporting adult education program design and OCTAE-funded initiatives.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Customer concentration
Literacy Information and Communication System social profiles
Digital presenceLiteracy Information and Communication System financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Literacy Information and Communication System leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Literacy Information and Communication System subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Literacy Information and Communication System funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Literacy Information and Communication System M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Literacy Information and Communication System
What does Literacy Information and Communication System do?
LINCS is the U.S. Department of Education's national dissemination and professional development system for adult education, providing free self-paced online courses (30+) via a Moodle-based LMS, a searchable Resource Collection of 727+ expert-reviewed multimedia instructional resources, a Learner Center portal connecting adult learners to free educational resources, and a suite of 15+ federally-funded initiatives covering ESL, reading, writing, integrated education and training, and workforce preparation. The platform serves adult education practitioners, program administrators, and adult learners nationwide.
Is Literacy Information and Communication System a public or private company?
Literacy Information and Communication System is a public company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Literacy Information and Communication System founded?
Literacy Information and Communication System was founded in 1980.
Where is Literacy Information and Communication System based?
Literacy Information and Communication System is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does Literacy Information and Communication System make money?
One revenue line is on record: government-Funded Public Service.
Who are Literacy Information and Communication System's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Reading Horizons, Cambridge English and Rosetta Stone. Direct peers are ProLiteracy, GED Testing Service and USA Learns. Broad incumbents are Khan Academy, edX and Coursera. Safal Partners is listed as an others.
Does Literacy Information and Communication System have an API?
No public API is recorded for Literacy Information and Communication System.