Management Analysis & Planning

What Management Analysis & Planning does

Management Analysis and Planning, Inc. (MAP) is a private education policy and school finance consulting firm founded in 1985 by James W. Guthrie and headquartered in Davis, California. The firm serves government clients — primarily state education departments, attorney general offices, and K-12 school districts — through eight core service offerings: school finance analysis and design, educator performance pay systems, litigation support, curriculum and professional development, performance appraisals of education agencies, policy analysis and development, program evaluation, and support for policymakers. MAP principals have contributed to school finance system design in 20 states and have analyzed or testified in more than three dozen court cases across approximately 25 states, including landmark decisions such as Serrano v. Priest, Bradley v. Milliken, and Skene v. Minnesota.

The firm's technical capabilities rest on computer-based financial analysis and simulation models for school finance formulas, tax and distribution redesigns, and demographic effects modeling of school district boundary reconfigurations. MAP also designed and operated the nation's only randomized field trial on educator performance pay and provides technical assistance to all federally funded Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) sites. The firm employs 11-50 people and is led by James R. Smith (President and CEO) and Gerald C. Hayward (Treasurer), with Guthrie serving as Chairman of the Board while holding an endowed chair at Vanderbilt University's Peabody College.

MAP operates as a reputation-driven, project-based professional services practice with revenue generated through negotiated consulting engagements. The firm has no disclosed external investment or funding, is not publicly listed, and is founder-controlled. Its client base is entirely within the public sector, with historical engagements extending internationally to Canada and Croatia. Marketing is conducted primarily through academic affiliations, professional networks, conference participation, and a basic informational website rather than active demand generation.

Name

Management Analysis & Planning

Legal name

Management Analysis and Planning, Inc.

Website

https://edconsultants.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Management Analysis and Planning is a private education policy and school finance consulting firm serving state education departments, attorney general offices, and school districts across 25 U.S. states through eight core professional services including finance system design, litigation support, and program evaluation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Policy Consulting

NAICS

Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Research, Evaluation & Program Effectiveness Reporting (EDADAIAM)

Keywords

• Education policy consulting
• School finance analysis
• Education litigation support
• Educator performance pay
• Program evaluation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Davis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services Consulting: MAP generates revenue through project-based consulting engagements with government agencies, state education departments, school districts, and attorney general offices. Engagements include policy analysis, program evaluation, litigation support, and school finance system design.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Management Analysis & Planning (MAP) is a professional consulting firm that provides education policy analysis, school finance system design, computer modeling, and objective decision-making support to state leaders and public sector agencies. The firm delivers services in school finance reform, litigation support and expert testimony, educator performance pay design, curriculum and professional development, performance appraisals of education agencies, policy analysis and program evaluation.

Product overview

Management Analysis & Planning (MAP) is an education policy consulting firm offering a portfolio of professional services focused on school finance, litigation support, and education policy analysis. The company operates as a consulting practice rather than a software platform, providing expertise through eight core service offerings: School Finance Analysis and Design, Educator Performance Pay systems, Litigation Support, Curriculum and Professional Development, Performance Appraisals, Policy Analysis and Development, Program Evaluation, and Support for Policymakers. These services are delivered by principals and associates who are recognized experts in education finance and policy, serving government officials, school districts, and state education agencies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• School Finance Analysis and Design
• Educator Performance Pay
• Litigation Support

Quantifiable outcome

• Designed school finance systems in 20 states
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers20 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

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Emerging players

• Battelle for Kids: Battelle for Kids is a nonprofit that partners with state education agencies on performance appraisal, leadership development, and education reform—partially overlapping with MAP's appraisal and reform engagements.
• Edunomics Lab (Georgetown University): Georgetown's Edunomics Lab provides research, technical assistance, and policy analysis on school finance, adequacy, and equity to state agencies—operating as an academic competitor with overlapping school finance expertise but a different funding model.

Broad incumbents

• McKinsey & Company (Education Practice): McKinsey's Education Practice serves state education agencies and districts on strategy, organization, and finance transformations—a broader incumbent competitor with multidisciplinary scale that competes for the same large state engagements MAP targets.

Direct peers

• RAND Corporation: RAND operates a major education policy research division producing statewide assessments, policy analyses, and litigation-relevant research for state agencies—overlapping significantly with MAP's statewide report and policy analysis offerings.
• Abt Associates: Abt Associates is a research and consulting firm with deep education practice providing program evaluation, policy analysis, and technical assistance to federal, state, and district education agencies—directly comparable to MAP's professional services model.
• Mathematica Policy Research: Mathematica conducts rigorous program evaluation and policy research for government clients, with a large education portfolio covering teacher effectiveness and school finance—directly comparable to MAP's evaluation and policy work.
• American Institutes for Research (AIR): AIR is a large nonprofit behavioral and social science research organization with a substantial education division providing program evaluation, policy analysis, and technical assistance to federal, state, and district clients—directly comparable to MAP's policy analysis and evaluation services.
• Bellwether Education Partners: Bellwether is a national nonprofit focused on education policy and practice, advising state agencies, districts, and foundations on finance, governance, and organizational effectiveness—overlapping with MAP's policy analysis and performance appraisal services.
• Public Impact: Public Impact specializes in education policy consulting with a focus on teacher and leader effectiveness, performance pay, and education workforce reform—closely aligned with MAP's performance pay and TIF-related work.
• WestEd: WestEd is a nonprofit research, development, and service agency that conducts program evaluation, policy analysis, and technical assistance for state education agencies and districts—directly comparable to MAP's core offerings, including school finance and statewide assessments.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Management Analysis & Planning