What Correctional Education Association does

The Correctional Education Association (CEA) is a nonprofit professional association founded in 1930 and headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, serving educators and administrators working in adult and juvenile correctional settings across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Its mission is to deliver quality education and support incarcerated students' successful reintegration through training, research, networking, and standards. CEA operates as a federated body with state and provincial chapters organized into eight geographic regions, governed by an elected Executive Board and a Council of Directors, and managed by an Executive Director (Peggy Kaiser) and Executive Assistant (Kiara Graham).

CEA's core offerings include the CEA Membership Program (individual, student/retiree, lifetime, and library tiers), the Journal of Correctional Education (a peer-reviewed publication issued three times annually and the longest-running academic journal in the field), the quarterly News & Notes newsletter, the annual International Conference & Training Event, a monthly Lunch & Learn professional development series, the Standards Commission accreditation program (recognized by the American Correctional Association as meeting ACA Education requirements), and an awards and scholarships program. Revenue is generated through membership dues, conference registration fees, advertising in publications, corporate membership and sponsorship fees, accreditation fees, and institutional library subscriptions. Distribution is primarily direct via the NeonCRM membership portal, supplemented by regional chapters and partnerships such as the dual-membership arrangement with the Coalition of Adult Basic Education (COABE) and the resource partnership with the VERA Institute for Justice. Underlying technology is limited to standard association-management software (NeonCRM) and web content management; CEA does not develop proprietary technology products.

Name

Correctional Education Association

Legal name

Correctional Education Association

Website

https://ceanational.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1930

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Correctional Education Association is a 1930-founded nonprofit professional association serving educators and administrators in adult and juvenile correctional settings through membership, peer-reviewed publications, accreditation, conferences, and standards across the US, Canada, and Mexico.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services for Correctional Education

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Professionals (Teacher/Administrator CE, CPD) (EDAAALAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF)

Keywords

• Correctional education
• Professional association services
• Education accreditation programs
• Academic journal publishing
• Professional development training

Headquarters

HQ city

Norfolk, VA

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Membership Dues: Annual membership fees from individual educators and administrators. Tiered pricing includes individual ($65/year), student/retiree ($45/year), and lifetime ($1000) options.
2. Corporate Membership: Corporate membership fees provide access to over 1,500 education specialists and administrators, includes publications, advertising discounts, and conference bag insertions.
3. Conference Revenue: Registration fees for national and regional conferences including the annual International Conference & Training Event and regional/state events.
4. Advertising & Sponsorship: Revenue from advertising in CEA publications (Journal of Correctional Education and News & Notes newsletter) and corporate sponsorship opportunities at conferences.
5. Accreditation Fees: Fees associated with the accreditation process for correctional education programs conducted by the Standards Commission.
6. Library/Institution Subscriptions: Subscription revenue from libraries and institutions accessing CEA publications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Correctional Education Association (CEA) is a nonprofit professional association that provides membership services, peer-reviewed publishing, accreditation, conferences, and professional development for educators and administrators working in adult and juvenile correctional settings. Its core offerings include individual and corporate memberships, the Journal of Correctional Education (JCE), the quarterly News & Notes newsletter, an annual International Conference & Training Event, a formal Accreditation Program administered by the Standards Commission, and an Awards & Scholarships program.

Product overview

The Correctional Education Association (CEA) operates as a professional membership organization rather than a traditional product company. CEA's portfolio consists primarily of membership services, publications, and professional development offerings. The core offerings include: the CEA Membership Program (providing access to all CEA benefits), the Journal of Correctional Education (JCE) - a flagship peer-reviewed academic journal published three times annually, the quarterly News & Notes newsletter, the annual International Conference & Training Event, the CEA Accreditation Program for correctional facilities, monthly Lunch & Learn professional development sessions, and an Awards & Scholarships program. CEA also offers a Corporate Membership tier for organizations seeking access to CEA's network of educators. These services are designed to support educators working in adult and juvenile correctional settings, providing training, research, and networking opportunities to assist in delivering effective education for incarcerated students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Journal of Correctional Education (JCE): CEA's flagship publication and the foremost and longest published academic publication in the field of correctional education. Published three times annually.

Products and services

• CEA Membership Program Professional membership program offering access to the Journal of Correctional Education, News & Notes newsletter, regional/state chapter membership, reduced conference rates, voting privileges, and professional development opportunities including Lunch & Learn sessions. Available in Individual ($65/year), Student/Retiree ($45/year), and Lifetime ($1,000 or $100/year for 10 years) tiers.
• Journal of Correctional Education (JCE) CEA's flagship peer-reviewed academic publication, the foremost and longest-published journal in correctional education, published three times annually (January, May, September) with an approximately 30% acceptance rate.
• News & Notes Newsletter
• CEA International Conference & Training Event
• CEA Accreditation Program Formal accreditation process for correctional facilities through the Standards Commission, evaluating compliance with CEA Performance Standards across administration, personnel, program, and student areas. Recognized by the American Correctional Association (ACA) as meeting ACA Education requirements.
• CEA Monthly Lunch & Learn Series
• CEA Corporate Membership
• CEA Awards & Scholarships Program
• Library/Institutional Subscription

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Aztec SoftwareminorOthersCorporate sponsor of CEA. Appears in sponsor logo section on CEA website, indicating financial or promotional support of the organization.
• CTech/CyberhighminorOthersCorporate sponsor of CEA. Educational technology provider for correctional education.
• DRC/tabetestminorOthersCorporate sponsor of CEA. Testing and assessment provider.
• Essential EducationminorOthersCorporate sponsor of CEA. Educational resources provider.
• GED Testing ServicecoreOthersCorporate sponsor of CEA. The official GED testing service, a critical partner for correctional education programs providing high school equivalency testing for incarcerated individuals.
• iCEVminorOthersCorporate sponsor of CEA. Career and technical education platform.
• IT1minorOthersCorporate sponsor of CEA. Technology solutions provider.
• LexisNexisminorOthersCorporate sponsor of CEA. Legal research and information provider.
• NCICminorOthersCorporate sponsor of CEA. Educational materials provider.
• Orijin WorksminorOthersCorporate sponsor of CEA. Educational technology provider.
• Paxton Patterson LabsminorOthersCorporate sponsor of CEA. Hands-on learning solutions provider.
• Reading HorizonsminorOthersCorporate sponsor of CEA. Reading instruction and intervention provider.
• SchoolAIminorOthersCorporate sponsor of CEA. AI-powered educational tools provider.
• SimlogminorOthersCorporate sponsor of CEA. Simulation and training solutions.
• TeknimediaminorOthersCorporate sponsor of CEA. Educational technology solutions.
• DastonminorOthersCorporate sponsor of CEA.
• Coalition of Adult Basic Education (COABE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDual membership with COABE provided at no additional cost to CEA members. CEA is a proud strand partner for COABE National Conference and assists in selecting sessions for the corrections strand. This partnership extends CEA's reach to COABE's broader adult education membership.
• Pitzer Family Education FoundationcoreOthersPartner for professional development scholarships. Supports the 'Class Impact Challenge' fundraising initiative. Provides scholarship opportunities for CEA members to pursue professional development.
• Trust for Insuring Educators (TIE)minorOthersInsurance partner providing affordable, comprehensive protection for CEA members and their families. Offers auto, health, and liability coverage with special rates for educators.
• VERA Institute for JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEA provides links to VERA Institute resources on its website, including the Prison Education Program Toolkit and Best Interest Determination Toolkit. These evidence-based resources support CEA members in implementing quality programs.
• Community College of Baltimore CountyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides Literacy Education to the Maryland Department of Correction's County Detention facility under contract with Maryland's Department of Labor. Featured as a link to higher education on CEA's resources page.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Educational Research Association (AERA): AERA is the dominant US education-research association; the Journal of Correctional Education competes with AERA journals for correctional-education scholarship, making it a comparable academic-publishing peer at scale.
• Council of State Governments Justice Center: CSG Justice Center works on criminal justice policy and reentry across states, sharing CEA's corrections-education stakeholder base but operating from a broader policy and research orientation.

Emerging players

• National Reentry Resource Center: Operated by the Council of State Governments, the center focuses on reentry services and overlaps with CEA's adult education and reentry programming audience but is funded and policy-driven rather than member-funded.
• Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE): ACTE represents career and technical educators and shares overlap with CEA's career and technical education programming in juvenile and adult corrections (e.g., iCEV partnership).

Direct peers

• American Correctional Association (ACA): ACA is the broader professional association for the corrections field and is CEA's accreditation partner; CEA's standards are recognized by ACA, making it the closest organizational peer in scope and member overlap.
• International Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA): ICPA is an international membership association for corrections practitioners, overlapping with CEA in mission and member profile and representing a global counterpart for standards and training.
• National Adult Education Professional Development Consortium (NAEPDC): NAEPDC supports professional development for adult education state staff, serving an overlapping adult-education professional audience with CEA and frequently co-publishing resources.
• Association of State Correctional Administrators (ASCA): ASCA represents senior administrators of state correctional agencies, the leadership cohort whose programs and educators CEA serves; it is a comparable professional association in the same vertical.
• Coalition of Adult Basic Education (COABE): COABE is a professional association for adult basic education practitioners and a formal dual-membership and conference strand partner of CEA, with overlapping member base and professional-development mission.
• National Association of State Directors of Adult Education (NASDAE): NASDAE represents state-level adult education directors, the administrative cohort that funds and oversees correctional education programs, making it a structurally similar state-focused professional body.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/correctional-education-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Correctional Education Association