Ohio Education Research Center

What Ohio Education Research Center does

The Ohio Education Research Center (OERC) is a university-affiliated research center housed within The Ohio State University's John Glenn College of Public Affairs, founded in 2012 with roots in Ohio's Race to the Top program. The center operates a preschool-through-workforce (P-20W) research agenda, addressing education and labor-market policy questions for Ohio state agencies through the Ohio Longitudinal Data Archive (OLDA)—a centralized repository that links administrative records from six core partner agencies (Education and Workforce, Job and Family Services, Higher Education, Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, Housing Finance, and Developmental Disabilities). OLDA is managed jointly with OSU's Center for Human Resource Research (CHRR) and underpins every OERC product.

OERC's deliverables fall into two categories: interactive research dashboards and rigorous program evaluations. Dashboards include Ohio's Evidence-Based Clearinghouse, Workforce Success Measures, the Broadband & 5G Sector Workforce Asset Map, the Unemployment Insurance Claims dashboard, OhioMeansJobs Workforce Data Tools, Ohio Higher Education Outcomes, the Student Success dashboard, and the Adult Protective Services dashboard. Evaluation work uses advanced administrative data linkage and randomized controlled trial (RCT) design, exemplified by the statewide RESEA program evaluation. Core technical differentiators are OLDA's multi-agency longitudinal data integration and the methodological rigor of OERC's data linkage and RCT capabilities.

The business model is non-commercial: OERC does not charge for its research outputs and is funded through a mix of OLDA consortium core funding from state agencies, federal grants (notably a $4.5M NSF TIP Industries of Ideas pilot and federal SLDS grants), private foundation awards (Wallace, Sloan), and a contract with the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) to operate the Multi-State Data Collaborative. The center serves state-government agencies as its primary customer segment, with secondary reach to policymakers, school districts, educators, and the public via self-service dashboards. With approximately eight dedicated staff supplemented by OSU faculty and CHRR collaboration, OERC functions as a small but structurally embedded policy-research utility rather than a traditional venture-backable company.

Name

Ohio Education Research Center

Legal name

Ohio Education Research Center

Website

https://oerc.osu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Ohio Education Research Center is a research center within Ohio State University's John Glenn College of Public Affairs that conducts preschool-through-workforce education and labor-market research for Ohio state agencies through the Ohio Longitudinal Data Archive, delivering interactive dashboards and rigorous program evaluations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education and Workforce Policy Research Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Open Educational Resources (OER) & Curriculum Repositories (EDAFACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

OER Quality Review, Alignment & Certification (rubrics/standards) (EDAGAJAN), Open Assessments & Question Banks (OER-aligned) (EDAGAJAD)

Keywords

• Education policy research
• Workforce data analytics
• Longitudinal data services
• Program evaluation
• Public sector research

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

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. State Agency Contracts and Core Funding: Core funding provided by the Ohio Longitudinal Data Archive (OLDA) Partnership consortium of state agencies including Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Ohio Department of Higher Education, Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, Ohio Housing Finance Agency, and Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities.
2. Federal Grants and Contracts: Funding from federal sources including NSF grants (Industries of Ideas $4.5M pilot), federal SLDS grants, and contracts with federal agencies.
3. Private Foundation Support: Funding from private foundations including the Wallace Foundation (Principal Pipeline Study), Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (ECE Workforce Study), and other foundations.
4. National Association of State Workforce Agencies Contract: Contract through NASWA for providing administrative and operational support to the Multi-State Data Collaborative.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Ohio Education Research Center (OERC) is a university research center that conducts preschool-through-workforce education and workforce policy research using the Ohio Longitudinal Data Archive (OLDA). It provides interactive data dashboards, program evaluations (including randomized controlled trials), and data analytics services to Ohio state agencies and policymakers.

Product overview

The Ohio Education Research Center (OERC) is a research center at The Ohio State University that provides data analytics, dashboards, and evaluation services for Ohio state agencies. The organization's offerings consist primarily of interactive research dashboards and analytical tools—including the Evidence-Based Clearinghouse, Workforce Success Measures Dashboard, Broadband & 5G Workforce Asset Map, Ohio Higher Education Outcomes Dashboard, Unemployment Insurance Claims Dashboard, and OhioMeansJobs Workforce Data Tools—alongside program evaluation studies and research collaborations with state agencies on education and workforce policy. The portfolio is organized around state agency partnerships, with products primarily serving educators, policymakers, job seekers, and workforce development professionals across Ohio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ohio's Evidence-Based Clearinghouse
• Workforce Success Measures Dashboard
• Ohio's Broadband & 5G Sector Workforce Asset Map
• Ohio Unemployment Insurance Claims Dashboard
• OhioMeansJobs Workforce Data Tools
• Ohio Higher Education Outcomes Dashboard
• Student Success Dashboard
• Adult Protective Services Dashboard
• Education and Workforce Program Evaluation Services
• Multi-State Data Collaborative Administrative Support

Quantifiable outcome

• Tracked dropout trends: from peak of 30,000 in 2007-08 to 24,000 in 2016-17
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered key, minor and core.

• U.S. Census Bureau LEHD ProgramkeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Federal data partner for Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) initiative generating employment and earnings outcomes for Ohio college graduates.
• University of MichigankeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Research partner on NSF Industries of Ideas pilot project developing methods for measuring effects of federal research investments.
• Social Science Research CouncilkeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Research partner on NSF Industries of Ideas pilot developing evaluation capabilities for federal science and technology investments.
• ClarivateminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Project lead for National Secure Data Service framework development exploring federal data service capabilities.
• Columbus City SchoolskeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partner school district for Principal Pipeline Study mixed-methods research on principal workforce characteristics.
• NORC at the University of ChicagokeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Lead organization for ECE Workforce Study with OERC Director Dr. Hawley serving as co-Principal Investigator.
• Ohio Governor's Office of Workforce TransformationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Lead agency for broadband and 5G workforce initiative. Partners with OERC on workforce data analytics and sector partnership evaluation.
• Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA)keyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Industry association leading Ohio's Broadband & 5G Industry Sector Partnership for workforce development.
• National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA)keyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Contract partner for Multi-State Data Collaborative providing administrative and operational support. Helps states build capacity for data-driven policymaking.
• Ohio Department of Education and WorkforcecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Primary agency partner from the OERC's founding, focused on the P-20 education research agenda. Partners on multiple projects including Principal Pipeline Study, Attendance Study, Ohio Evidence-Based Clearinghouse, and Ohio Literacy Coaching Study.
• Ohio Department of Job and Family ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Core OLDA Partnership agency providing unemployment insurance wage data and workforce information. Partners on RESEA evaluation, UI Claims dashboard, and employment outcomes research.
• Ohio Department of Higher EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Core OLDA Partnership agency focused on post-secondary education outcomes. Partners on PSEO data collection initiative and Higher Education Outcomes dashboards.
• Opportunities for Ohioans with DisabilitiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012OLDA Partnership agency focused on vocational rehabilitation and disability employment programs. Partners on workforce development research and CCMEP evaluation.
• Ohio Housing Finance AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012OLDA Partnership agency providing housing and workforce alignment data. Partners on housing assistance programs and workforce success measures.
• Ohio Department of Developmental DisabilitiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012OLDA Partnership agency contributing to the comprehensive data infrastructure for Ohio education and workforce research.
• John Glenn College of Public AffairscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012The OERC's organizational home at The Ohio State University, providing academic infrastructure and faculty collaboration opportunities.
• Center for Human Resource Research (CHRR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Collaborative partner within OSU's College of Arts and Sciences managing the Ohio Longitudinal Data Archive and providing survey and data services.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/connectOERC
• Facebookfacebook.com/connectOERC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ohio-education-research-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Ohio Education Research Center