Creative Learning Exchange
Creative Learning Exchange is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 1991 that designs systems thinking curriculum, books, and simulation tools (including the Splash! app) for K-12 educators and students, primarily in the United States, with international reach through its biennial conference and partnerships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1991
- HeadquartersActon, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Creative Learning Exchange does
Creative Learning Exchange is a small U.S.-based 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 1991 by systems dynamics pioneer Jay W. Forrester and John Bemis, with an originating partnership with the MIT System Dynamics Group. Its mission is to advance systems thinking education at the K-12 level through curriculum design, instructional publications, professional development, and community convening. The organization serves primarily K-12 educators, school districts, and students in the United States, with evidence of international reach through its biennial conference and practitioner network spanning the UK, Turkey, and Singapore.
The organization's product surface includes printed curriculum books (e.g., Model Mysteries by Anne LaVigne and Lees Stuntz; Kids Insight and other elementary-level texts priced $17.50–$26.50), free downloadable educational materials, the Splash! mobile simulation app, the Hunting Season Game, and a 2020-introduced micro-lessons program. Underlying technology leverages the Stella/iThink simulation platforms through a longstanding partnership with isee systems (established 2010), which provides the computational modeling backbone for teaching feedback loops, stocks and flows, and dynamic systems behavior. Community engagement is sustained through the biennial Creative Learning Exchange Conference, the K-12 Listserve, and collaborations with the Waters Center for Systems Thinking and Creative Learning Solutions.
Revenue mechanics are characteristic of a small educational non-profit: book and curriculum material sales (single-digit to low-twenties USD per item), biennial conference registration fees, and donations. Go-to-market is primarily direct-to-educator via the website, the conference, and word-of-mouth through the practitioner community, supplemented by partnerships that extend distribution into complementary systems thinking tools and curricula. Three named K-12 implementation sites — Innovation Academy Charter School, Catalina Foothills School District, and Milton PA Public Schools — illustrate the deployed footprint, with a much larger long tail of individual educator consumers using the materials independently.
Creative Learning Exchange firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Creative Learning Exchange
- Legal name
- Creative Learning Exchange
- Website
- https://clexchange.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1991
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Creative Learning Exchange is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 1991 that designs systems thinking curriculum, books, and simulation tools (including the Splash! app) for K-12 educators and students, primarily in the United States, with international reach through its biennial conference and partnerships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Creative Learning Exchange industry classification
Industry- Product category
- K-12 Educational Curriculum
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Curriculum, Lesson Planning & Instructional Content Platforms (EDAJAMAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Adaptive Learning & Personalized Instruction Software (EDAJAMAE), K–12 Digital Curriculum & Interactive Lessons (EDAGAEAA)
Keywords
Where Creative Learning Exchange is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Acton
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Creative Learning Exchange business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Book and Curriculum Sales: Sale of educational books and curriculum materials including Systems in Motion series, Shape of Change, Dollars and Sense, Model Mysteries, Now What?, and Visual Tools for Student Projects. Products are sold as one-time purchases with free domestic shipping.
- Digital Products and Apps: Splash! app is available free; SplashCards flipbook guide available for purchase to complement the free app
- Conference Revenue: Biennial conference provides registration fees for professional development workshops and sessions on systems thinking in education
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Systems in Motion Level A - ages 5+ |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Systems in Motion Level B - ages 8+ |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Systems in Motion Level C - ages 12+ |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Systems in Motion Combo Pack |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Creative Learning Exchange product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Creative Learning Exchange develops and sells K-12 educational curriculum materials, books, and a free mobile simulation app (Splash!) focused on teaching systems thinking and system dynamics. Its products include age-differentiated curriculum books (Levels A, B, C for ages 5+), visual modeling tools, online simulations, and playkits, distributed primarily through its own website and a biennial professional development conference.
Product overview
The Creative Learning Exchange offers a comprehensive suite of systems thinking and system dynamics educational products for K-12 education. The core offerings include Splash! (a mobile simulation app), extensive curriculum books (Model Mysteries, Now What?, Dollars and Sense series, The Shape of Change, Systems in Motion, Visual Tools), playkits (Healthy Chickens, Healthy Pastures), supplementary guides (SplashCards), and online simulations covering oscillation systems, predator/prey dynamics, population modeling, and environmental economics. These materials work together as an integrated learning ecosystem, with Splash! serving as the primary interactive tool while books provide foundational concepts and structured lessons. Simulations are available both directly through the CLE website and via the isee Exchange platform. The organization also publishes collaborative works like Tracing Connections with partner isee systems.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Splash! A free simulation app for mobile devices that teaches systems thinking through interactive, visual models. Users can create simple models and explore dynamic behavior through an intuitive interface. Targeted at K-12 students and educators.
- Model Mysteries A self-paced book exploring vampire, zombie, and other scenarios to teach systems thinking and modeling concepts through engaging mysteries. Targeted at K-12 students and educators.
- Now What? A Call to Action Environmental systems lessons focused on sustainability, land, air, and water for students to explore how systems thinking can address environmental challenges. Targeted at K-12 students and educators.
- Dollars and Sense Materials that challenge students to use systems thinking and mathematical tools to understand economic system dynamics, including Dollars and Sense II on interest. Targeted at K-12 students and educators.
- The Shape of Change Contains lessons engaging students in classroom activities to understand why things change over time, including extinction, exponential growth, and equilibrium concepts. Targeted at K-12 students and educators.
- Systems in Motion Three books with 19 different oscillation lessons covering springs, interpersonal relationships, predator/prey interactions, burnout, and commodities at varying complexity levels (Level A ages 5+, Level B ages 8+, Level C ages 12+). Targeted at K-12 students and educators.
- Visual Tools for Student Projects Helps teachers and students create projects using systems tools that make thinking explicit and visible, improving communication and understanding. Targeted at K-12 educators and students.
- Healthy Chickens, Healthy Pastures A game-based curriculum guide helping students think about living systems in a farm setting, exploring interconnections between the Egg Mobile and pasture health. Targeted at K-12 students and educators.
- Tracing Connections: Voices of Systems Thinkers A book collecting experiences of practitioners from education, business, public policy, and research demonstrating the applicability of Systems Thinking. Targeted at educators, practitioners, and researchers.
- Hunting Season Game A combined single and multiplayer game teaching the tragedy of the commons through systems thinking, with a focus on environmental stewardship. Targeted at K-12 students and educators.
- Infection Game A simulation for younger students to understand infection dynamics from a systems thinking perspective, available on the isee Exchange platform. Targeted at K-12 students and educators.
- Splash! Microsimulations Simple simulations including Spring Dynamics, Predator/Prey interactions, Population Dynamics, Burnout, and Economics of Commodities for K-12 students.
- Habits of a Systems Thinker Cards & Posters Cards and posters developed by Waters Center for Systems Thinking that encompass thinking strategies fostering problem-solving and encouraging questioning. Targeted at K-12 educators and students.
- Dollars and Sense II: Our Interest in Interest Advanced economic system lessons building on Dollars and Sense, focusing specifically on understanding interest dynamics through systems thinking. Targeted at K-12 students and educators.
Companies that use Creative Learning Exchange
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Creative Learning Exchange technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Creative Learning Exchange partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- isee systemscoreisee systems, developer of STELLA and iThink software, partnered with CLE to publish Tracing Connections: Voices of Systems Thinkers. isee systems provides the simulation platform (isee Exchange) for many CLE online simulations and models. The partnership supports the use of system dynamics software in K-12 education.
- Waters Center for Systems ThinkingcoreThe Waters Center for Systems Thinking is referenced as a key partner resource, with Habits of a Systems Thinker cards and posters published by Waters Center and distributed through CLE. Joint projects on systems thinking in schools.
- SEED (Storytelling for Environmental and Educational Development)minorCollaborated with SEED on the Connected Wisdom CD, a collection of folktales with systems thinking explanations and world music.
- MIT System Dynamics GroupcoreThe CLE was founded in partnership with MIT Professor Emeritus Jay W. Forrester and maintains close ties with the MIT System Dynamics Group. The System Dynamics in Education Project (SDEP) developed Road Maps curriculum guides at MIT.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Creative Learning Exchange competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- McGraw-Hill Education: Major K-12 textbook and digital curriculum publisher with standards-aligned content for math, science, and social studies. Comparable as a broad K-12 curriculum and instructional content incumbent with similar district sales motion.
- Discovery Education: Large-scale K-12 digital curriculum and supplemental content provider with video, interactive, and standards-aligned resources. Comparable as a broad incumbent in K-12 instructional content and district licensing.
- Khan Academy: Large non-profit K-12 educational content and adaptive learning platform offering free instructional videos, exercises, and teacher tools. Comparable as a free, multi-subject K-12 content publisher with similar direct-to-educator and consumer reach.
- IXL Learning: Major K-12 adaptive learning platform spanning math, ELA, science, and social studies with a freemium consumer motion. Comparable as a broad K-12 ed-tech incumbent offering adaptive, standards-aligned content to similar district and consumer customers.
- BrainPOP: Major K-12 educational media company producing animated videos, quizzes, and lessons across STEM and social studies. Comparable as a broad K-12 supplemental content provider with overlap on interactive simulation-style learning experiences for the same educator and student segments.
Direct peers
- Waters Center for Systems Thinking: K-12 systems thinking education partner publishing Habits of a Systems Thinker cards and posters, distributed through CLE. Closely comparable niche peer focused on the same subject, age band, and educator audience.
- Ventana Systems: Developer of Vensim system dynamics modeling software with educational licensing and curriculum resources. Comparable as a systems-thinking/dynamics tooling and content provider serving both academic and K-12-adjacent users.
- isee systems: Developer of STELLA and iThink system dynamics simulation software and a core CLE partner (Tracing Connections book, isee Exchange platform). Directly comparable as the canonical K-12 systems-thinking simulation vendor with overlapping product, customer, and pedagogical methodology.
Emerging players
- Project Lead The Way (PLTW): Non-profit provider of K-12 STEM curriculum and teacher training with a similar professional-development plus curriculum model. Comparable as a non-profit K-12 STEM/content organization with comparable teacher-training and curriculum-licensing motions.
- Forio Online Simulations: Online platform for building and distributing interactive simulations, including STEM and systems-focused learning experiences. Comparable as a simulation-delivery layer for K-12 and higher-ed learning experiences with overlap on modeling-based pedagogy.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Creative Learning Exchange social profiles
Digital presenceCreative Learning Exchange financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Creative Learning Exchange leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Creative Learning Exchange funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Creative Learning Exchange 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 Creative Learning Exchange
What does Creative Learning Exchange do?
Creative Learning Exchange develops and sells K-12 educational curriculum materials, books, and a free mobile simulation app (Splash!) focused on teaching systems thinking and system dynamics. Its products include age-differentiated curriculum books (Levels A, B, C for ages 5+), visual modeling tools, online simulations, and playkits, distributed primarily through its own website and a biennial professional development conference.
Is Creative Learning Exchange a public or private company?
Creative Learning Exchange is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Creative Learning Exchange founded?
Creative Learning Exchange was founded in 1991. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Creative Learning Exchange based?
Creative Learning Exchange is headquartered in Acton, United States, in the North America region.
How does Creative Learning Exchange make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Book and Curriculum Sales are the primary driver. The others are digital Products and Apps and conference Revenue.
Who are Creative Learning Exchange's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are McGraw-Hill Education, Discovery Education, Khan Academy, IXL Learning and BrainPOP. Direct peers are Waters Center for Systems Thinking, Ventana Systems and isee systems. Emerging players are Project Lead The Way (PLTW) and Forio Online Simulations.
Does Creative Learning Exchange have an API?
No public API is recorded for Creative Learning Exchange.
What industry is Creative Learning Exchange in?
Creative Learning Exchange's product category is K-12 Educational Curriculum. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJAMAD, Curriculum, Lesson Planning & Instructional Content Platforms, with a secondary code of EDAJAMAE, Adaptive Learning & Personalized Instruction Software. Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 2741.