Policy Analysis for California Education

What Policy Analysis for California Education does

Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) is an independent, non-partisan research center founded in 1983 and headquartered at Stanford University's Graduate School of Education (507 Lasuen Mall, Suite 205, Stanford, CA). It is governed by faculty directors drawn from five of California's leading research universities - Stanford, the University of Southern California, UC Davis, UCLA, and UC Berkeley - and operates primarily as a California-focused policy research organization with no disclosed activity outside the state. Current operations are led by Executive Director Lupita Cortez Alcalá alongside a core staff of approximately 14-15 members including program management, research associates, senior research and policy fellows, and a finance function.

PACE's core product is a portfolio of free, grant-funded research outputs: publications, policy briefs, commentaries, infographics, and event programming that inform California education policy from early childhood through postsecondary. Its portfolio is organized around eight active initiatives, the most significant being the CORE-PACE Research Partnership (launched October 2015 with eight large urban districts serving nearly 1 million students), Getting Down to Facts II/III (landmark system-wide analyses), the COVID-19 Recovery Initiative, the Newcomer Education Research-Practice-Policy Partnership, the Continuous Improvement and Support Systems Initiative, and the annual PACE/USC Rossier Voter Poll. The organization's technical backbone is a unique multiple-measure longitudinal data system covering attendance, special program participation, course enrollments, state test scores, and social-emotional learning data.

PACE is funded through research grants and institutional support from university partners and foundations; all research products and the monthly newsletter are distributed free of charge, with no revenue-generating product tier. Its go-to-market is community-led: expert testimony before California State Legislature committees, statewide convenings and conferences, direct engagement with the California Department of Education, county offices of education, and school districts, and earned media coverage in outlets including EdSource, the Los Angeles Times, the Sacramento Bee, CalMatters, and Education Week. PACE's primary customer segments are state and local education policymakers, education researchers and scholars, school and district administrators, and education advocates and the public.

Name

Policy Analysis for California Education

Legal name

Policy Analysis for California Education

Website

https://edpolicyinca.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) is an independent, non-partisan research center founded in 1983 that produces free, evidence-based research and policy analysis to inform California education policy, serving state legislators, the California Department of Education, county offices, school districts, researchers, and the public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Policy Research

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks (EDADADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Policy Evaluation & Impact Assessment Organizations (EDADADAD), Education Policy, Research & Advocacy Organizations (Nonprofit) (BPAGADAN), Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO), Curriculum, Standards & Assessment Policy Research (EDADADAH)

Keywords

• Education policy research
• K-12 policy analysis
• School improvement research
• Education governance studies
• Postsecondary education research

Headquarters

HQ city

Stanford

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Foundation Funding: PACE operates as a research center funded through grants and institutional support from university partners and foundations. The organization produces free research publications, policy briefs, and commentaries that inform education policy in California.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) is an independent, non-partisan research center that produces evidence-based research publications, policy briefs, commentaries, infographics, and videos on California K-12 and postsecondary education policy. It also convenes seminars, conferences, and legislative briefings, and operates the CORE-PACE Research Partnership with eight urban school districts using a multiple measures data system covering nearly one million students. All outputs are distributed free of charge to policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and the public.

Product overview

Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) is an independent, non-partisan research center that operates as a unified research organization producing evidence-based publications and hosting events rather than a software product platform. Its portfolio includes research publications (reports and policy briefs), commentaries, infographics, videos, and events/conferences. PACE also manages specific initiatives including the CORE-PACE Research Partnership, COVID-19 Recovery Initiative, PACE/USC Rossier Voter Poll, Getting Down To Facts II, Continuous Improvement and Support Systems Initiative, and Newcomer Education Initiative. These products and initiatives are distributed through its website and a free newsletter subscription service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CORE-PACE Research Partnership: Research partnership with CORE Districts focusing on multiple measures data system to improve student outcomes
• PACE/USC Rossier Voter Poll
• Getting Down to Facts II
• Getting Down to Facts III

Products and services

• Research Publications

Quantifiable outcome

• PACE research directly informed California's historic education governance reform (Assembly Bill 181, 2026)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

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

• Stanford University Graduate School of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1983Founding partner university providing faculty director leadership. PACE is led by faculty directors from five California universities, with Stanford providing the Executive Director and headquarters location at 507 Lasuen Mall, Stanford, CA 94305.
• University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university providing faculty director leadership for PACE. Contributes expertise in education leadership and policy research.
• University of California, Davis School of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university providing faculty director leadership. Contributes expertise in education policy and measurement.
• University of California, Los Angeles Graduate School of Education and Information StudiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university providing faculty director leadership. Contributes expertise in educational assessment, evaluation, and school improvement.
• University of Southern California Rossier School of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner university providing faculty director leadership. Co-hosts the annual PACE/USC Rossier Voter Poll to gauge California voter attitudes on education issues.
• CORE Districts (Fresno, Garden Grove, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento City, San Francisco, Santa Ana Unified School Districts)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCORE-PACE Research Partnership launched October 2015. These eight urban districts serve nearly a million students and utilize a unique multiple measures data system to work together to improve student outcomes. Research aims to deepen learning while sharing lessons broadly to accelerate improvement across California.
• Stanford University SCALE InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of Getting Down to Facts III project and 2026 Conference. SCALE (Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity) partners with PACE on landmark research initiatives examining California's education system.
• EdTrust-WestmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of Getting Down to Facts III Bay Area Convening. Education advocacy organization focused on equity in California schools.
• California State PTA (CAPTA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of youth-led gubernatorial forum 'Our Future, Our Voice' bringing together youth leaders and gubernatorial candidates.
• Youth Leadership Institute (yli)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of youth-led gubernatorial forum and civic engagement activities focused on elevating youth voice in education policy.
• EdSourceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCalifornia education news publication that regularly features PACE research and hosts roundtable discussions with PACE faculty directors.
• California Education PartnersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on district-level instructional improvement research. PACE publications document districts' work with California Education Partners to scale lasting instructional improvement.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Urban Institute (Education Policy Program): A nonprofit research organization that conducts evidence-based research on education and other social policy domains. Comparable to PACE in its research-driven approach to informing public policy, but operating nationally and across multiple issue areas.
• Mathematica Policy Research: A large, well-established social policy research firm with a significant education evaluation practice. Comparable to PACE in using rigorous evaluation and data analysis for policy evidence, but commercial in orientation and much larger in scale.
• Brookings Institution (Education Policy Program): A leading national think tank whose Center for Universal Education and economic studies programs produce influential K-12 and higher education policy research. Much broader in scope than PACE, but competes for foundation funding and national policy mindshare.
• RAND Corporation: A large, established think tank with a substantial education policy research program. RAND operates in many policy domains far beyond education, but its education research — including work on teachers, school finance, and student outcomes — directly competes with PACE for funder attention and policy influence.
• American Institutes for Research (AIR): One of the largest behavioral and social science research organizations in the world, with a substantial education evaluation and policy practice. Comparable to PACE in methodology and federal/state policy engagement, but operates at much greater scale and across many states.

Direct peers

• Learning Policy Institute: A California-based nonprofit that conducts and synthesizes research to inform education policy at the state and national level. Highly comparable to PACE in mission, policy focus, and California roots, with similar reliance on foundation funding and academic leadership.
• Education Trust (EdTrust-West): A nonprofit focused on educational equity and closing opportunity gaps; EdTrust-West specifically serves California. They co-host events with PACE and produce research on California schools, making them a direct peer in scope, audience, and policy mission.
• WestEd: A nonprofit education research, development, and service agency serving California and the broader western U.S. WestEd is the closest direct comparable to PACE — also based in California, also research-driven, and also deeply engaged with state education policy and district-level improvement.

Emerging players

• Center for Reinventing Public Education (CRPE): A research and policy organization focused on public education reform, district innovation, and portfolio strategies. Smaller and more focused than PACE on system-level reform, but overlaps in audience (policymakers, district leaders) and methodology (rigorous education research).
• New America (Education Policy Program): A think tank with a strong education policy program covering early childhood through higher education. Shares PACE's research-to-policy model and federal/state engagement, but is more politically progressive in orientation and operates nationally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/edpolicyinca
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@edpolicyincalifornia
• Facebookfacebook.com/edpolicyinca
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/edpolicyinca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Policy Analysis for California Education