Education Policy Initiative at Carolina

What Education Policy Initiative at Carolina does

Education Policy Initiative at Carolina (EPIC) is a university-affiliated research center within the Department of Public Policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, headquartered at 308 West Rosemary Street, Suite 203, Chapel Hill, NC. The center conducts evidence-based education policy research and program evaluations spanning six thematic areas: Educator Training and Preparation, Educator Workforce and Working Conditions, Learning Disruptions and Recovery, Post-Secondary Readiness and Success, School Turnaround and Innovation, and Student Well-Being and Engagement. EPIC's core technical capability is mixed-methods research design combining quantitative analysis of large administrative education datasets using quasi-experimental methods with qualitative case-study and interview work, supported by in-house data management infrastructure for secure data intake, cleaning, and processing.

EPIC's clientele consists of North Carolina state education agencies (NCDPI, including the Office of Learning Recovery and Acceleration; the State Board of Education; and the UNC System Office), K-12 schools and districts, and academic policy researchers nationally. The center has led large-scale evaluations including North Carolina's $27M GEAR UP grant and $400M Race to the Top education reform grant, alongside multi-year studies of the North Carolina Principal Fellows Program, LETRS professional development, Strategic Staffing for paid teacher residencies, and the Rethink Education Initiative.

EPIC does not sell commercial products or services; funding flows through competitive grants and contracted evaluations. Financial sponsors include the Spencer Foundation, National Science Foundation, Institute of Education Sciences, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Russell Sage Foundation, W.T. Grant Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Belk Foundation, and the UNC System. Research dissemination occurs via peer-reviewed journals, policy briefs, conference presentations, op-eds, and a public publications database at epic.unc.edu. Operations are led by Director Kevin C. Bastian, with Directors of Evaluation (Julie T. Marks), and Research Operations and Finance (Elizabeth D'Amico), and a faculty fellow roster that includes Simona Goldin, Steven Hemelt, and Douglas Lee Lauen.

Name

Education Policy Initiative at Carolina

Legal name

Education Policy Initiative at Carolina

Website

https://epic.unc.edu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

EPIC is a UNC Chapel Hill-affiliated research center conducting evidence-based education policy research and program evaluations for North Carolina state agencies, K-12 districts, and foundations across six thematic areas spanning the education pipeline.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Policy Research and Program Evaluation Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Policy, Research & Advocacy Organizations (Nonprofit) (BPAGADAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Research, Evaluation & Program Effectiveness Reporting (EDADAIAM), Accountability & Performance Frameworks (School/District/Institution Ratings) (EDADAIAD)

Keywords

• Education policy research
• Program evaluation services
• Education research center
• Quasi-experimental research
• Administrative data analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Chapel Hill

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: EPIC operates as a university research center funded primarily through competitive grants from federal agencies, foundations, and state government. Funding sources include Spencer Foundation, National Science Foundation, Institute of Education Sciences, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Russell Sage Foundation, W.T. Grant Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Belk Foundation, and UNC System.
2. Contract Research and Evaluation: EPIC conducts program evaluations and policy research under contract with state agencies (NCDPI, State Board of Education) and institutional partners (UNC System Office). Work includes multi-year evaluations of federal and state-level programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

EPIC is a university research center that conducts evidence-based education policy research and program evaluation for state agencies and foundations. It performs quantitative analysis of large administrative datasets, quasi-experimental studies of policy effects on student outcomes, qualitative case studies, and mixed-methods program evaluations spanning the education pipeline from teacher preparation to post-secondary attainment. Deliverables include peer-reviewed publications, policy briefs, program evaluation reports, and direct engagement with North Carolina state education agencies such as NCDPI, the State Board of Education, and the UNC System Office.

Product overview

Education Policy Initiative at Carolina (EPIC) is a university-affiliated research organization at UNC Chapel Hill, not a commercial product company. It does not offer products or services in the traditional SaaS/product sense. EPIC conducts evidence-based education policy research and program evaluation across six research areas: Educator Training and Preparation, Educator Workforce and Working Conditions, Learning Disruptions and Recovery, Post-Secondary Readiness and Success, School Turnaround and Innovation, and Student Well-Being and Engagement. Their work includes evaluations of programs such as GEAR UP North Carolina, North Carolina Principal Fellows Program, UNC System Laboratory Schools, LETRS professional development, Strategic Staffing for Paid Teacher Residencies, and Rethink Education Initiative. They produce research publications, policy briefs, and evaluation reports for education policymakers and practitioners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Learning Disruptions and Recovery Research Evidence-based research on the impacts of learning disruptions (including COVID-19) and recovery programs on student outcomes, conducted for NC education agencies and foundation funders.
• GEAR UP North Carolina Program Evaluation Multi-year independent evaluation of North Carolina's $27M GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) federal grant, examining impacts on college readiness and enrollment for participating students.
• Race to the Top Education Reform Evaluation Large-scale independent evaluation of North Carolina's $400M Race to the Top federal education reform grant, assessing implementation and student outcome impacts.
• Educator Quality Research Initiative Research and evaluation initiative focused on improving educator preparation in partnership with the UNC System Office, including the evaluation of UNC System laboratory schools and principal preparation programs.
• School Turnaround and Innovation Research Policy research on turnaround models, school improvement strategies, and innovative school designs for underperforming K-12 schools.
• Student Well-Being and Engagement Research Research on student well-being, school climate, and engagement for North Carolina K-12 education agencies and foundations.
• Educator Workforce and Working Conditions Research Policy research and evaluation on educator labor markets, working conditions, and teacher effectiveness, including the Strategic Staffing for Paid Teacher Residencies evaluation.
• Publications Database Searchable public archive of EPIC's peer-reviewed publications, policy briefs, and evaluation reports covering all six research areas, made available to education researchers, policymakers, and the public.

Quantifiable outcome

• Led evaluation of North Carolina's $27M GEAR UP grant and $400M Race to the Top grant
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Office of Learning Recovery and Acceleration (OLR) at NCDPIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThree-year partnership with OLR to assess the long-term impacts of school extension programs on student re-engagement and learning recovery. EPIC is conducting comprehensive evaluation of pandemic learning recovery initiatives.
• UNC System OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Educator Quality Research Initiative focused on improving educator preparation. Also partnership for evaluation of UNC System laboratory schools.
• US PREP (Technical Assistance Center)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership supporting improvement in university-based educator preparation programs. EPIC provides research support and evaluation for US PREP's technical assistance to educator preparation programs.
• Equity Research Action Coalition (ERAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEPIC researchers provide project director support and policy strategy for equity initiatives.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• RAND Corporation: Large, established nonprofit research organization with a substantial education policy division conducting state and federal program evaluations using quasi-experimental methods. Overlaps with EPIC in evaluation methodology and K-12 policy work, but operates across many sectors and states at far greater scale.
• Mathematica Policy Research: Major nonprofit research and evaluation firm widely regarded as a national leader in federal and state education program evaluation, including the nation's largest GEAR UP and Race to the Top evaluations. Directly comparable to EPIC in evaluation work but operates at much broader scale across multiple policy domains.
• American Institutes for Research (AIR): Large nonprofit behavioral and social science research organization with a major education evaluation practice conducting state and federal contract evaluations. Comparable to EPIC in evaluation services, education policy focus, and federal-grant funding model, but operates nationally and across many content areas.
• MDRC: Nonprofit social and education policy research organization conducting rigorous evaluations of programs targeting low-income populations, including major K-12 and post-secondary interventions. Comparable to EPIC in its evidence-based, randomized-evaluation approach to education programs.
• Urban Institute (Education Policy program): Major nonprofit research organization with a substantial education policy program evaluating federal, state, and local initiatives to improve equity and outcomes. Comparable to EPIC in its focus on education equity, administrative-data research, and policy evaluation, but at national scale.

Direct peers

• Harvard Center for Education Policy Research: University-affiliated research center that partners with states and districts to conduct large-scale evaluations of education policies using administrative data. Directly comparable to EPIC's model of leveraging state-level administrative datasets for quasi-experimental program evaluation.
• Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE): Multi-university consortium conducting peer-reviewed research on K-12 education policy, teacher preparation, and school improvement. Highly comparable to EPIC's research areas around educator preparation, school turnaround, and policy evaluation.
• Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE): Stanford-affiliated university-based education policy research center that conducts rigorous program evaluations, policy research, and data analysis for California's K-12 and higher education systems. Closely analogous to EPIC in mission, structure, and operating model as a state-focused academic research unit.
• Brown University Annenberg Institute for School Reform: University-based research center focused on education policy, equity, and school reform with strong emphasis on community-engaged research and state-level evaluation. Comparable to EPIC in its academic home, policy-research orientation, and concentration on equity in K-12 outcomes.

Others

• Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Program at IES: Federally funded network of university-based research alliances that conduct applied research and evaluation for state and district education agencies in defined regions. Directly comparable to EPIC in mission (state-focused education research, evaluation, and data use), though funded and governed by the U.S. Department of Education rather than housed in a single university.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/epic-unc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Education Policy Initiative at Carolina