SWIFT Education Center
SWIFT Education Center is a University of Kansas-affiliated national technical assistance center that partners with state education agencies, districts, and schools to implement equity-based Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) frameworks, delivered through grant-funded research, coaching, and fidelity assessment services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersLawrence, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What SWIFT Education Center does
SWIFT Education Center is a national technical assistance center operating as a unit of the University of Kansas Lifespan Institute in Lawrence, Kansas. Founded formally in 2012 on the foundation of a 2005 school turnaround project, the center partners with state education agencies, local education agencies, school districts, charter management organizations, and individual schools to implement equity-based Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) frameworks. Its service portfolio includes differentiated technical assistance, professional learning series, fidelity of implementation tools (notably the SWIFT-FIA self-assessment, available in English and Spanish), capacity assessments for state and district planning, and equity and disproportionality services such as funding proposal development and field guides.
The center's underlying "technology" consists of three proprietary intellectual frameworks — the Equity-based MTSS Framework, the 10 Point Paradigm (ten facets of equity including Rightful Presence and Kincentric Systems), and Transformation in Action Practices (Design, Priorities, Data, Coaching, Teaming, Resources) — operationalized through the SWIFT-FIA assessment instrument, the Rightful Presence Implementation Guide, peer-reviewed publications, podcasts (SWIFT Unscripted), and a free online resource library of 145+ tools. There is no software product or platform; all services are delivered via direct partnership agreements and human-led coaching.
SWIFT does not generate commercial fee-for-service revenue. Its business model is grant-mediated: roughly $67 million in cumulative research funding since 2012, sourced primarily from U.S. Department of Education cooperative agreements (OSEP, IES, SEED) and foundation grants (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Oak Foundation). Go-to-market is sales-led and partnership-based rather than transactional, with services configured around partner resource availability and tailored through formal state, district, and school agreements.
SWIFT Education Center firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SWIFT Education Center
- Legal name
- SWIFT Education Center
- Website
- https://swiftschools.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- SWIFT Education Center is a University of Kansas-affiliated national technical assistance center that partners with state education agencies, districts, and schools to implement equity-based Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) frameworks, delivered through grant-funded research, coaching, and fidelity assessment services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SWIFT Education Center industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Education Technical Assistance Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Support Services (611710), Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- RTI/MTSS Framework Implementation & Tiered Supports (EDAJAGAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- High-Intensity Tutoring / Response to Intervention (RTI/MTSS Tier 2–3) (EDAKADAH), Progress Monitoring, Data Collection & Goal-Tracking Tools (Special Education) (EDAGAMAM), AT Implementation, Coaching & Professional Development (Teachers/Staff) (EDAKAIAI), Assistive Technology (AT) Evaluations & Needs Assessments (EDAKAIAA)
Keywords
Where SWIFT Education Center is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lawrence
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
SWIFT Education Center business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- U.S. Department of Education Grants: Primary funding from federal grants including Office of Special Education Programs cooperative agreements and Institute of Education Sciences grants for research and technical assistance.
- Foundation Grants: Funding from foundations including Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for equity leadership work and Oak Foundation for equity tools development.
- U.S. Department of Education SEED Grant: $10 million Supporting Effective Educator Development grant focusing on equity leadership and educator well-being.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels8 records
SWIFT Education Center product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SWIFT Education Center provides equity-based Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) research, technical assistance, professional learning, and implementation tools for state education agencies, school districts, and schools. It delivers differentiated technical assistance, fidelity assessment instruments, capacity assessments, and whole-system transformation consulting grounded in proprietary frameworks including the Equity-based MTSS Framework, 10 Point Paradigm, and Transformation in Action Practices.
Product overview
SWIFT Education Center is a national technical assistance center at the University of Kansas Lifespan Institute that offers a comprehensive suite of services and resources for educational equity transformation. The core offerings include Professional Learning Series, Fidelity of Implementation Tools (notably SWIFT-FIA), Intensive Technical Assistance, and Capacity Assessments. These services are grounded in proprietary frameworks including the Equity-based MTSS Framework, the 10 Point Paradigm, and Transformation in Action Practices. The center also operates the National Center on Inclusion Toward Rightful Presence and publishes the Rightful Presence Implementation Guide alongside books and research briefs. The organization focuses on building whole-system capacity across states, districts, schools, and communities to support students who are marginalized.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Professional Learning Series Learning series and team coaching targeted to specific needs, content experts for events, professional learning institute planning and management, and executive coaching and consultation for state education agencies, districts, and schools implementing equity-based MTSS.
- Fidelity of Implementation Tools (including SWIFT-FIA) SWIFT Fidelity of Implementation Tools for Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary settings for independent assessment of MTSS, plus the SWIFT Fidelity Integrity Assessment (SWIFT-FIA) self-assessment with certified assessor team training and instructional materials for schools and LEAs.
- Intensive Technical Assistance Differentiated, strengths-based technical assistance for states, districts, and schools with coaching and facilitation of implementation science practices for whole-system transformation, tailored to partner resource availability and needs.
- Capacity Assessments Professional facilitation of State and District Capacity Assessments, Leadership for School-District-State Data Snapshots, and documented analyses for planning, accountability reporting, and funding applications.
- Equity & Disproportionality Services Funding proposal development, custom field guides, webinars, online training modules, study group and task force leadership, research, and analysis to advance equity initiatives in states, districts, and schools.
- National Center on Inclusion Toward Rightful Presence A technical assistance center demonstrating the effects of Equity-based MTSS for students receiving intensive support, with partnerships with state education agencies (Delaware, New Mexico, Orange County CA, Wisconsin) to move toward rightful presence and end segregation in schools.
- SWIFT-FIA 3.0 (Fidelity Integrity Assessment with Score Tracking) A self-assessment tool schools and LEAs use to monitor progress related to Equity-based MTSS domains and features, with scoring for priorities and implementation status to adjust short-term action plans. Available in English and Spanish with a score tracking Excel tool.
- Rightful Presence Implementation Guide A guide structured around six things K-12 schools can do to advance toward rightful presence for historically marginalized student groups, providing steps, tools, and resources for implementation.
Quantifiable outcome
- 32,339 students impacted in partner districts since 2018
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use SWIFT Education Center
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
SWIFT Education Center technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
SWIFT Education Center partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Delaware Department of EducationflagshipIntensive Model Demonstration Site Partner for National Center on Inclusion Toward Rightful Presence. Selected state education agency partnering over four years to demonstrate moving from inclusion toward rightful presence.
- New Mexico Public Education DepartmentflagshipIntensive Model Demonstration Site Partner for National Center on Inclusion Toward Rightful Presence. Selected state education agency partnering over four years to demonstrate moving from inclusion toward rightful presence.
- Orange County Department of Education (CA)flagshipIntensive Model Demonstration Site Partner and longtime partner in statewide MTSS scale-up efforts in California.
- Wisconsin Department of Public InstructionflagshipIntensive Model Demonstration Site Partner for National Center on Inclusion Toward Rightful Presence. Selected state education agency partnering over four years to demonstrate moving from inclusion toward rightful presence.
- Cumberland County Schools (NC)corePartnership to develop district capacity to implement Equity-based MTSS, focused on equity leadership with principals and leadership teams.
- San Diego Unified School District (CA)corePartnership to develop district capacity to implement Equity-based MTSS, focused on equity leadership with principals and leadership teams.
- Teton County School District (WY)corePartnership to develop district capacity to implement Equity-based MTSS, focused on equity leadership with principals and leadership teams.
- Green Dot Public Schools CaliforniaminorCharter Management Organization partnership to apply MTSS language and practices in California schools.
- Butte County Office of Education (CA)minorPartner in $30 million statewide effort in California to scale-up MTSS in California schools.
- University of Kansas Lifespan InstituteflagshipSWIFT operates as part of the University of Kansas Lifespan Institute, providing institutional affiliation and research infrastructure.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
SWIFT Education Center competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- WestEd: Large non-profit education research and technical assistance organization offering MTSS, equity, and school improvement services to states and districts — broader portfolio but directly comparable MTSS technical assistance offerings.
- Learning Forward: National professional learning association providing professional development and coaching for educators — comparable customer base (state agencies, districts) and overlapping professional learning service offerings.
- RAND Corporation Education Division: Research organization producing MTSS and equity research and policy analysis for federal and state education agencies — comparable research credibility and customer base, though with policy focus rather than direct technical assistance delivery.
- American Institutes for Research (AIR): Large behavioral and social science research organization operating multiple federally funded centers including MTSS technical assistance — comparable to SWIFT's research-to-practice technical assistance model at much larger scale.
Emerging players
- Aspen Institute Education & Society Program: Policy and leadership organization addressing equity in education through state-level engagement — comparable equity-centered framing and state education agency customer base, though with policy emphasis rather than direct technical assistance.
- Education Trust: Non-profit focused on educational equity and closing achievement gaps; engages state agencies and districts on equity-focused improvement work that overlaps with SWIFT's equity-based MTSS framing.
Direct peers
- CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology): SWIFT's named collaboration partner; provides Universal Design for Learning frameworks that integrate directly with MTSS implementation. Overlapping audience of K-12 schools and districts focused on inclusive practices.
- PBIS Center (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports): OSEP-funded national technical assistance center providing tiered behavioral support frameworks that overlap significantly with SWIFT's behavioral tier in MTSS implementation; targets the same state education agency and district customers.
- National Implementation Research Network (NIRN): SWIFT's named implementation science partner; provides implementation frameworks and training for educational and social services, with directly overlapping technical assistance offerings to states and districts.
- Center on Multi-Tiered System of Supports (Center on MTSS) at American Institutes for Research: Federally funded technical assistance center providing MTSS implementation support to states, districts, and schools — directly comparable to SWIFT's MTSS technical assistance model, though with less emphasis on the equity framing.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SWIFT Education Center social profiles
Digital presenceSWIFT Education Center financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SWIFT Education Center leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
SWIFT Education Center funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SWIFT Education Center M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SWIFT Education Center
What does SWIFT Education Center do?
SWIFT Education Center provides equity-based Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) research, technical assistance, professional learning, and implementation tools for state education agencies, school districts, and schools. It delivers differentiated technical assistance, fidelity assessment instruments, capacity assessments, and whole-system transformation consulting grounded in proprietary frameworks including the Equity-based MTSS Framework, 10 Point Paradigm, and Transformation in Action Practices.
Is SWIFT Education Center a public or private company?
SWIFT Education Center is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was SWIFT Education Center founded?
SWIFT Education Center was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is SWIFT Education Center based?
SWIFT Education Center is headquartered in Lawrence, United States, in the North America region.
How does SWIFT Education Center make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. U.S. Department of Education Grants are the primary driver. The others are foundation Grants and U.S. Department of Education SEED Grant.
Who are SWIFT Education Center's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are WestEd, Learning Forward, RAND Corporation Education Division and American Institutes for Research (AIR). Emerging players are Aspen Institute Education & Society Program and Education Trust. Direct peers are CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology), PBIS Center (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports), National Implementation Research Network (NIRN) and Center on Multi-Tiered System of Supports (Center on MTSS) at American Institutes for Research.
Does SWIFT Education Center have an API?
No public API is recorded for SWIFT Education Center.
What industry is SWIFT Education Center in?
SWIFT Education Center's product category is Education Technical Assistance Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJAGAD, RTI/MTSS Framework Implementation & Tiered Supports, with a secondary code of EDAKADAH, High-Intensity Tutoring / Response to Intervention (RTI/MTSS Tier 2–3). Its NAICS code is 61171 and its SIC code is 8200.