UF Lastinger Center for Learning

What UF Lastinger Center for Learning does

The UF Lastinger Center for Learning is a nonprofit educational research and development center operating within the University of Florida's College of Education in Gainesville, Florida. Founded in 2002, the Center employs approximately 204 staff alongside a broader network of 250+ associates, affiliate faculty, and advisory board members. Its mission is to enhance the quality of teaching and learning for learners from birth through 12th grade, operationalized through statewide initiatives, professional learning programs for educators, and partnerships with school districts across 43 Florida counties, with interstate extension into Massachusetts via the Early Childhood Support Organization (ECSO) Initiative (now in its sixth year).

The Center's product portfolio is anchored by three flagship brands: Lastinger Learning (the professional learning umbrella), New Worlds Reading (an early literacy initiative for VPK through fifth grade), and Florida Tutoring Advantage (a coordinator matching 24 vetted tutoring vendors with partner school districts for 2025-2026). Underlying these programs is a secure data infrastructure comprising Data Lagoon (a privacy-preserving research data platform) and the GADRRS data sharing agreement framework. A Learning Lab division pilots novel instructional technologies including New Worlds Reading AR Expeditions (augmented reality reading experiences), the Kibeam Wand pilot, and the Books & Cooks literacy-culinary program. The Center also co-hosts the annual international Leadership for Professional Learning (LfPL) Symposium, conducted annually since 2017, with the 2026 edition hosted at the University of Maine.

The Center's revenue model is built on government funding sourced from Florida state education appropriations and state-level initiatives, supplemented by interstate partnerships (notably the Massachusetts ECSO Initiative) and inter-institutional collaborations (including the PK Yonge Collaborative and Alachua County Schools). It does not transact directly with end consumers; instead it operates as an intermediary that develops, coordinates, and disseminates educational innovations to public-sector stakeholders. Scale is measured in trained educators (830+ in summer 2026), tutoring vendor partnerships (24 for 2025-2026), geographic reach (43 Florida counties plus Massachusetts), and headcount (~204 core plus 250+ affiliates), with no commercial pricing disclosed.

Name

UF Lastinger Center for Learning

Legal name

UF Lastinger Center for Learning

Website

https://lastinger.center.ufl.edu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The UF Lastinger Center for Learning is a University of Florida-affiliated nonprofit that develops and coordinates statewide literacy, tutoring, and professional learning programs for VPK-through-12th-grade educators and students across Florida and Massachusetts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Research and Professional Development Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Educational research
• Professional learning
• Literacy programs
• Tutoring coordination
• Educational technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Gainesville

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, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. State-Funded Initiatives: The center receives funding through state initiatives including New Worlds Reading and Florida Tutoring Advantage programs administered through Florida state education funding

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The UF Lastinger Center for Learning is a university-affiliated non-profit educational research and development center within the University of Florida's College of Education. It develops and delivers professional learning programs for VPK through 5th grade educators, runs statewide literacy and tutoring initiatives (New Worlds Reading, Florida Tutoring Advantage), and operates secure data infrastructure (Data Lagoon, GADRRS) to support privacy-preserving educational research and interstate program replication such as the Massachusetts ECSO initiative.

Product overview

The UF Lastinger Center for Learning operates as an educational innovation organization with multiple branded programs and platforms. The core portfolio includes Lastinger Learning (professional development brand), New Worlds Reading (early literacy initiative), and Florida Tutoring Advantage (tutoring coordination platform). Supporting infrastructure includes Data Lagoon (secure data platform) and GADRRS Data Sharing for research data exchange. The Learning Lab develops experimental programs including AR-based learning experiences and technology pilots. The organization serves Florida's education ecosystem from birth through 12th grade through partnerships with educators, districts, and state initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lastinger Learning: Educational innovation brand focused on helping teachers teach and students learn
• New Worlds Reading
• Florida Tutoring Advantage
• Data Lagoon
• Books & Cooks
• Kibeam Wand Pilot
• New Worlds Reading AR Expeditions

Products and services

• Professional Learning Programs Year-round professional development programs for VPK through 5th grade educators covering instructional strategies, literacy instruction, and keeping teaching skills current. Delivered through summer programs, symposiums, and ongoing training.
• New Worlds Reading Statewide early literacy initiative providing books, reading resources, and professional learning support to VPK through 5th grade educators, students, and families across Florida.
• Florida Tutoring Advantage Statewide coordination program that vets and matches tutoring vendors with Florida school districts to provide coordinated tutoring services for the academic year (e.g., 24 tutoring vendors for 2025-2026).
• Data Lagoon Secure data infrastructure platform that ensures student data privacy while accelerating educational research and development for partner organizations and researchers.
• GADRRS Data Sharing Framework Data sharing agreement framework enabling secure, interoperable data exchange for educational data collaboration between partner institutions and researchers.
• Massachusetts ECSO Initiative Early childhood support and professional development program delivered in partnership with the Massachusetts Early Childhood Support Organization, now in its sixth year serving program leaders across the state.

Quantifiable outcome

• 830+ educators trained from 43 Florida counties in summer programs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 24 Tutoring Vendors (Florida Tutoring Advantage)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Tutoring vendors partnering with Florida Tutoring Advantage for the 2025-2026 academic year to provide coordinated tutoring services across Florida school districts. The initiative matches vendors with districts to improve student outcomes.
• Massachusetts Early Childhood Support Organization (ECSO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership to deliver early childhood support and professional development programs. Now in its sixth year of meaningful contributions to early learning experiences for program leaders.
• Leadership for Professional Learning (LfPL) SymposiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Annual international symposium bringing together education professionals for leadership and professional learning. The center has co-hosted/co-developed this symposium since 2017, hosting the 2026 event at University of Maine.
• Lastinger LearningcoreOthersAffiliated organization focused on learning innovation that shares branding and mission alignment with the UF Lastinger Center.
• New Worlds ReadingcoreOthersStatewide reading initiative operated by the center providing books and reading support to Florida learners from birth through 5th grade.
• Florida Tutoring AdvantagecoreOthersStatewide tutoring coordination initiative that matches vetted tutoring vendors with Florida school districts for the 2025-2026 academic year.
• PK Yonge CollaborativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Florida's PK Yonge school partnership for tutoring sessions and educational innovation pilots.
• Alachua County SchoolsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal school district partnership for professional learning programs and teacher training initiatives.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Khan Academy: Large-scale non-profit educational platform with broad K-12 reach. Khan Academy's free model and district partnerships compete for the same educator-attention budget as Lastinger's professional learning programs.
• RAND Corporation — Education Division: RAND conducts policy research across multiple domains including K-12 and higher education. While broader in scope, its education practice competes for the same state and federal research grants and produces comparable impact studies.
• Varsity Tutors: Established tutoring platform and one of the vendors potentially participating in Florida Tutoring Advantage. Operates at the commercial scale Lastinger's coordination platform serves as a vendor hub for.

Emerging players

• Newsela: Instructional content platform focused on literacy and reading instruction in K-12. Comparable to Learning Lab reading innovations such as AR Expeditions and the literacy programs under New Worlds Reading.

Direct peers

• WestEd: WestEd is a non-profit education research, development, and service agency that works with schools, districts, and states. Like the UF Lastinger Center, it delivers professional learning, state-level initiative coordination, and applied educational research across multiple U.S. states.
• American Institutes for Research (AIR): AIR is a non-profit behavioral and social science research organization with a major education practice serving districts, states, and federal agencies. Direct overlap in education R&D and state-level technical assistance.
• Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education (SCOPE): Stanford GSE-affiliated research center focused on educational opportunity, teacher development, and state policy. Directly comparable as a university-based education R&D center operating at the intersection of research and practice.
• SRI International — Education Division: SRI International conducts education research and development, including work on student data systems, learning technologies, and program evaluation. Comparable to Lastinger's research + applied program model.
• Regional Educational Laboratories (REL Network): Federally funded RELs provide research, training, and technical assistance to school districts across U.S. regions. Strong functional parallel to Lastinger's role coordinating evidence-based support across districts and counties.
• Reach Out and Read: National non-profit focused on early literacy through pediatric care partnerships. Operates statewide programs targeting birth through early-grade literacy, directly comparable to Lastinger's New Worlds Reading initiative.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lastingercenter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about UF Lastinger Center for Learning