National Center for Education Research

What National Center for Education Research does

The National Center for Education Research (NCER) is one of four federally chartered centers within the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the independent, non-partisan research, statistics, and evaluation arm of the U.S. Department of Education. IES was created by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA); its four centers — NCER, NCES, NCEE, and NCSER — together fund rigorous education research, evaluate federal programs, collect and report education statistics, and conduct scientific peer review spanning early childhood through adult education.

NCER's core product set includes the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) for independent systematic reviews of education research, the Education Resource Information Center (ERIC) digital library containing 1.6 million bibliographic records since 1966, and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) — known as "the Nation's Report Card" — which is the only nationally representative, continuing assessment of U.S. student achievement. Supporting infrastructure includes the Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) Grant Program (active in 41 states plus D.C.), ten Regional Educational Laboratories (RELs), and a suite of online analytical tools (Data Lab, IPEDS Data Explorer, NAEP Data Explorer, school locators). Longitudinal survey programs — ECLS, IPEDS, CCD, and the School Pulse Panel — underpin ongoing data collection.

Funding flows exclusively through congressional appropriations to the U.S. Department of Education; IES does not generate commercial revenue. All research outputs, datasets, reports, and tools are provided free of charge to education researchers, policymakers, educators, state agencies, and the public. Matthew Soldner currently serves as Acting Director of IES and Acting Commissioner of NCES, following his tenure as Acting Commissioner for NCEE from July 2018 to July 2025.

Name

National Center for Education Research

Legal name

Institute of Education Sciences (IES)

Website

https://ies.ed.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The National Center for Education Research (NCER) is a federally chartered center within the Institute of Education Sciences that funds education research, evaluates federal programs, and operates national assessment, data, and evidence-review systems serving researchers, policymakers, educators, and state agencies across the U.S.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Research Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (61), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Curriculum, Standards & Assessment Policy Research (EDADADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Standards Alignment & Curriculum Mapping Resources (State/NAEYC/Head Start) (EDACAJAN), Standards Alignment & Curriculum Mapping (State/National) (EDAJAFAD), In-Service Professional Development (Workshops/Institutes/Short Courses) (EDACAIAB)

Keywords

• Education research
• Education statistics
• Education program evaluation
• Education data systems
• Evidence-based education

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Federal Government Appropriations: IES is funded through federal appropriations from the U.S. Department of Education budget. IES was created by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA) and operates as the statistics, research, and evaluation arm of the U.S. Department of Education.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The National Center for Education Research (NCER), as part of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), funds rigorous education research, evaluates federal education programs, and operates national data collection and assessment systems spanning early childhood through adult education. Its core offerings include the What Works Clearinghouse evidence reviews, Regional Educational Laboratories providing regional support, and ERIC digital library, alongside major assessment and survey programs such as NAEP, IPEDS, CCD, and the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study.

Product overview

The National Center for Education Research (NCER), along with its parent organization the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), operates as a platform of research infrastructure, data collection systems, and evidence-building tools. The core offerings include the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) for evidence reviews, the Regional Educational Laboratories (RELs) for regional support, and the Education Resource Information Center (ERIC) digital library. Data products include the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), the Common Core of Data (CCD), and the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS). Online analytical tools include the Data Lab with regression maker tools, the IPEDS Data Explorer, and the NAEP Data Explorer. The Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) Grant Program supports state-level data infrastructure. These products work together to provide rigorous, independent education research, evaluation, and statistics for policymakers, educators, and researchers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)

Quantifiable outcome

• 41 states and DC receiving SLDS grants for longitudinal data infrastructure
• +2 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• U.S. Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2002IES is the statistics, research, and evaluation arm of the U.S. Department of Education, operating under the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002. Provides scientific evidence for education practice and policy.
• National Center for Education Research (NCER)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of four IES centers focusing on education research grants and development
• National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of four IES centers responsible for collecting and reporting education statistics including NAEP
• National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of four IES centers conducting large-scale evaluations of federal education programs
• National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of four IES centers focusing on special education research
• Northwestern UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts Summer RCT Institute for Established Researchers training program for randomized controlled trials in education research
• Carnegie Mellon UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with IES to deliver Data Science for Education (DS4EDU) training program for education practitioners
• Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCES participates in International Indicators of Education Systems (INES) program and various international assessments including PISA, PIAAC, TALIS
• International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganizes international assessments including TIMSS, PIRLS, and ICILS that NCES conducts for the United States
• Virginia Department of EducationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubAwardee on Virginia Literacy Act longitudinal policy analysis project examining literacy outcomes for K-8 students
• The College of William and MarymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAwardee conducting longitudinal policy analysis of Virginia Literacy Act for K-8 students
• North Carolina State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubAwardee on Virginia Literacy Act research project
• Michigan Department of EducationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborator on Statewide Free Meals study examining impact of universal free meals on student outcomes
• Nevada Department of EducationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with UNLV CREA on studying Nevada's Pupil-Centered Funding Plan impact on student outcomes
• State Education Agencies (41 states and DC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSLDS grant recipients building statewide longitudinal data systems covering preK-12 through workforce
• U.S. Government Publishing OfficeminorOthersNational Library of Education operates as a depository library under the Federal Depository Library Program

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• RAND Corporation: A nonprofit research institution conducting education policy research, program evaluations, and large-scale studies — comparable to NCER's rigorous, independent research function but operating as a private nonprofit with diverse federal contracts across multiple policy domains.
• Educational Testing Service (ETS): Operates large-scale educational assessments (SAT, NAEP contract administration) and conducts education research — comparable as a peer in the assessment and measurement space that NCER (via NAEP) and NCSER oversee.
• National Science Foundation (NSF): A federal research agency that funds basic and applied research across disciplines including education (NSF EHR) — analogous federal research-funding and peer-review operation with similar statutory authority and appropriations-based funding model.
• SRI International: An independent nonprofit research institute conducting education research, program evaluations, and survey work for federal agencies — comparable as an NCER-funded research performer and major peer in education R&D.

Direct peers

• WestEd: A nonprofit education research and development organization that provides technical assistance, conducts research, and develops assessments — closely comparable to the practitioner-facing support delivered by IES's Regional Educational Laboratories.
• American Institutes for Research (AIR): A major nonprofit behavioral and social science research organization with one of the largest U.S. education research practices, conducting program evaluations, large-scale assessments, and technical assistance closely paralleling NCEE and NCER's work.
• Mathematica Policy Research: A policy research firm specializing in rigorous impact evaluations, RCTs, and program evaluations for federal and state education agencies — directly comparable to NCER's research funding and evaluation mandate.
• REL Appalachia (Regional Educational Laboratory): One of the 10 Regional Educational Laboratories operated under IES — directly comparable as a sibling component delivering technical assistance, applied research, and evidence-based support to districts and state education agencies.

Others

• Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO): A nonpartisan education policy membership organization of state superintendents that works closely with NCER, NCES, and NCEE on standards, assessments, and data — comparable as an adjacent education policy and stakeholder coordination body, though not a research producer.

Emerging players

• Brown Center on Education Policy at Brookings: A think tank conducting independent education policy research and publishing widely cited analyses on U.S. education outcomes — comparable in the policy research domain but operating with thinner data infrastructure than IES/NCER.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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