What Regional Educational Laboratory Program does

The Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Program is a federally authorized research-and-technical-assistance network that operates under the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the statistics, evaluation, and research arm of the U.S. Department of Education. Established by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, IES comprises four national centers — NCER, NCES, NCEE, and NCSER — and the REL Program sits within NCEE as a network of ten regionally focused laboratories that deliver coaching, training, and applied research support to state and local education agencies. IES's portfolio spans nationally representative assessments (NAEP, the "Nation's Report Card," operating since 1969; the National Assessments of Adult Literacy), longitudinal studies (Early Childhood Longitudinal Study), comprehensive annual data collections (Common Core of Data covering ~100,000 schools and 18,000 districts; IPEDS covering Title IV postsecondary institutions), interactive analytic tools (NAEP Data Explorer, IPEDS Data Explorer, Data Lab with 30+ federal datasets), evidence-synthesis infrastructure (What Works Clearinghouse), and Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems grants administered across 41 states and the District of Columbia.

The underlying technology stack is built around federal-scale data infrastructure: longitudinal student-unit-record systems linking K-12, postsecondary, and workforce outcomes; standardized survey instruments administered cyclically; web-based query and regression tools exposing cleaned federal datasets; and grant-funded technical assistance workflows with state agency partners. IES does not develop consumer software products in the commercial sense; rather, it operates public-sector data and research infrastructure that underpins both internal IES evaluations and external academic research.

As a federal agency, IES is funded through congressional appropriations rather than commercial revenue, and all publications, data tools, and resources are provided at no cost to education stakeholders — federal and state policymakers, K-12 educators and administrators, education researchers, parents and families, and state and local education agencies. Pricing is not applicable. The agency has no private ownership, no funding rounds, and no commercial GTM motion; its distribution model is direct federal delivery through ies.ed.gov and the ten Regional Educational Laboratories, supplemented by training institutes hosted at partner universities and an annual Principal Investigators Meeting.

Name

Regional Educational Laboratory Program

Legal name

Institute of Education Sciences

Website

https://ies.ed.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Regional Educational Laboratory Program operates a federally authorized network of ten regional research laboratories under the Institute of Education Sciences, providing education research, evaluation, statistics, and technical assistance to federal and state policymakers, K-12 educators, state agencies, and researchers across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Research and Statistics Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional Education Service Agencies (ESAs/BOCES/Intermediate Units) (EDADABAC)

Keywords

• Education research
• Federal education statistics
• Education program evaluation
• Longitudinal data systems
• Education policy analysis

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

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Program is part of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the statistics, research, and evaluation arm of the U.S. Department of Education. It operates a network of 10 Regional Educational Laboratories that provide research, evaluation, coaching, training, and technical assistance to state and local education agencies. IES also funds rigorous education research, conducts large-scale evaluations of federal education programs, and collects and reports national and state education statistics through tools and longitudinal studies.

Product overview

The Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Program is part of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the statistics, research, and evaluation arm of the U.S. Department of Education. The program operates a network of 10 Regional Educational Laboratories that provide research, evaluation, and technical assistance to improve education outcomes. IES offers a portfolio of data tools including the Data Lab (featuring 30+ federal education datasets), NAEP Data Explorer, IPEDS Data Explorer, Elementary and Secondary School and School District Locator, and Postsecondary Institution Locator. These are complemented by research synthesis resources like the What Works Clearinghouse, assessment programs including NAEP and NAAL, and longitudinal data infrastructure through SLDS grants. The program supports evidence-based policy and practice by funding development and rigorous testing of education approaches, conducting large-scale evaluations of federal programs, and providing data that describes how well the United States is educating its students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• What Works Clearinghouse: Independent reviews of research on what works in education
• Regional Educational Laboratories (REL)

Products and services

• National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) The only nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America's students know and can do in various subject areas, conducted periodically since 1969 in reading, mathematics, science, writing, U.S. history, civics, geography, and the arts. Also known as 'the Nation's Report Card.'
• What Works Clearinghouse Independent review system that conducts systematic reviews of research on what works in education, providing evidence-based guidance to educators and policymakers on effective educational interventions and practices.
• Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) Grants Grant program enabling states to build and enhance longitudinal data systems that track education outcomes from early childhood through workforce entry, awarded to 41 states and the District of Columbia.
• Data Lab Online table and regression maker tools featuring 30+ federal education datasets, enabling researchers and policymakers to analyze and visualize national education statistics.
• NAEP Data Explorer Interactive tool providing national and state results for all main subject areas assessed under the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
• IPEDS Data Explorer Access tool for Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) data submitted to NCES, allowing exploration of postsecondary institution-level data on enrollments, completions, faculty, finances, and academic libraries.
• Elementary and Secondary School and School District Locator Search tool to retrieve information on all U.S. Elementary Schools, Secondary Schools, and School Districts, providing institutional details and contact information.
• Postsecondary Institution Locator Search tool to retrieve information on all U.S. Postsecondary Institutions, enabling identification of colleges and universities for research and analytical purposes.
• Common Core of Data (CCD) Comprehensive annual national statistical database covering approximately 100,000 public elementary/secondary schools and 18,000 public school districts, containing comparable data across all states on schools, students, staff, and finances.
• Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Comprehensive data collection system surveying all postsecondary institutions eligible for Title IV funding, covering enrollments, program completions, faculty, staff, finances, and academic libraries.
• Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS) Program of four longitudinal studies examining child development, school readiness, and early school experiences from birth through elementary school, providing data on relationships among family, school, community, and individual factors.
• National Assessments of Adult Literacy (NAAL) Nationally representative assessment measuring English language literacy skills of American adults, describing the status of adult literacy, reporting on national trends, and identifying relationships between literacy and selected characteristics of adults.
• School Pulse Panel (SPP) Monthly survey of public K-12 schools conducted by NCES within IES on high-priority education-related topics during the school year, providing timely data on emerging issues.
• Regional Educational Laboratories (RELs) Network of 10 RELs providing coaching, training, and support for research use in education across the United States, offering direct support and technical assistance to state and local education agencies in their regions.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• The College of William and MarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead awardee for the Advancing Youth Academic Success through the Virginia Literacy Act project, conducting longitudinal policy analysis of the VLA for K-8 students with a focus on equity for minority subgroups.
• Virginia Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState education agency partner providing longitudinal student and teacher data for the Virginia Literacy Act policy analysis project, including data from 132 school divisions.
• North Carolina State UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubAwardee on the Virginia Literacy Act project, contributing to the longitudinal policy analysis research team.
• Northwestern UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution for the Summer RCT Institute for Established Researchers, providing training in planning, design, execution, and interpretation of randomized controlled trials in education.
• University of Nevada, Las VegascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead research institution conducting the Measuring the Impact of Equitable K-12 Funding study of Nevada's Pupil-Centered Funding Plan, partnering with the Nevada Department of Education.
• Nevada Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState education agency partner providing access to Nevada's Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) and collaborative research on the Weighted Student Funding model impact.
• University of MichigancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead institution for the Statewide Free Meals study examining Michigan's universal free meals program impact on student academic and social outcomes.
• Michigan Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partner providing longitudinal student data and collaborating on the study of Michigan's statewide universal free meals program (MSM) effects on student achievement.
• U.S. Department of EducationcoreOthersIES is the statistics, research, and evaluation arm of the U.S. Department of Education, operating under the authority of the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002.
• Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough the International Activities Program, NCES participates in the International Indicators of Education Systems (INES) program and conducts international assessments including PISA, TALIS, and PIAAC.
• Northwestern UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution for the Summer Research Training Institute on Cluster-Randomized Trials, preparing education researchers to design and conduct cluster-randomized trials.
• Carnegie Mellon UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution for the Data Science for Education (DS4EDU) training program, preparing education practitioners in data science methods for educational research.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Westat: Westat is a primary contractor supporting NCES data collections (e.g., NAEP administration, ECLS, CCD), making it a direct operational peer in delivering the nation's education statistics infrastructure.
• Abt Associates: Abt Global conducts education policy research, impact evaluations, and survey work for federal agencies, often contracting with IES/ED on studies comparable to IES's program evaluation portfolio.
• RAND Corporation: RAND's Education and Labor division conducts rigorous policy research, program evaluations, and large-scale data analyses for federal and state education agencies, mirroring IES's core research and evaluation mandate.
• SRI International: SRI's Education division conducts federal education research, evaluation, and technology studies, including work for IES and ED, comparable to IES's research and development mandate.
• Mathematica: Mathematica is a major contractor for IES evaluations (e.g., NAEP, federal program evaluations) and conducts education policy research using experimental and quasi-experimental methods, directly comparable to IES's evaluation work.
• American Institutes for Research (AIR): AIR performs large-scale education research, assessment design, and program evaluation for the U.S. Department of Education and state agencies, overlapping with IES's research, statistics, and evaluation portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Urban Institute: Urban Institute's Education Policy program produces independent research and data analysis on U.S. education systems, serving as a broader social-policy research peer that complements IES's evidence base.
• Brookings Institution (Brown Center on Education Policy): Brown Center produces influential education policy analysis and commentary drawing on national data sources, overlapping with IES's evidence-based policy mission but operating as a think tank rather than a federal agency.
• National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER): NBER's Economics of Education program conducts rigorous quantitative research on U.S. education policy and outcomes, comparable to IES's research arm in methodology and influence on federal policy.

Others

• National Center for Education Evaluation (NCEE) - affiliated partners: NCEE is a center within IES itself; private research firms and policy organizations that compete for NCEE evaluation contracts represent the closest commercial adjacent ecosystem to the REL Program.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RELCentral
• YouTubeyoutube.com/IESResearch
• Facebookfacebook.com/IESResearch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ies-research

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Regional Educational Laboratory Program