Every education system requires certain higher-level functions: defining outcomes, preparing educators, developing curriculum, conducting research, measuring progress, supporting innovation, and planning for the future.
In the United States, these functions are performed by a diverse network of federal agencies, state governments, nonprofit organizations, professional associations, research institutions, and private companies. Together, they form the infrastructure of American education.
The Infrastructure
CATEGORY 1: Defining the Destination
01. Define Shared Outcomes
Every education system must decide what students should know, value, and be able to do. These organizations help articulate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that prepare young people for life, work, and citizenship.
XQ Institute — xq.com
Partnership for 21st Century Learning — battelleforkids.org
Mastery Transcript Consortium — mastery.org
Complete College America — completecollege.org
Jobs for the Future — jff.org
America Succeeds — americasucceeds.org
Braven — bebraven.org
CATEGORY 2: Building Human Capability
02. Develop Curriculum and Standards
Educational goals become meaningful only when they are translated into learning experiences. These organizations help schools and educators build coherent curriculum, instructional materials, and academic expectations.
Student Achievement Partners — achievethecore.org
Core Knowledge Foundation — coreknowledge.org
EdReports — edreports.org
Illustrative Mathematics — illustrativemathematics.org
EL Education — eleducation.org
UnboundEd — unbounded.org
Instruction Partners — instructionpartners.org
03. Prepare Educators
Great schools depend on great teachers. These organizations support teacher recruitment, preparation, certification, and professional growth.
Teach For America — teachforamerica.org
TNTP — tntp.org
New Teacher Center — newteachercenter.org
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards — nbpts.org
Relay Graduate School of Education — relay.edu
National Council on Teacher Quality — nctq.org
Hope Street Group — hopestreetgroup.org
04. Develop Educational Leaders
Strong schools require strong leadership. These organizations help prepare principals, district leaders, and system leaders to guide improvement and support student success.
New Leaders — newleaders.org
Wallace Foundation — wallacefoundation.org
Aspen Institute Education Program — aspeninstitute.org
NASSP — nassp.org
NAESP — naesp.org
Broad Center at Yale — broadcenter.yale.edu
Bellwether Education Partners — bellwether.org
CATEGORY 3: Serving Children and Communities
05. Expand Educational Opportunity
Every child deserves access to the resources and opportunities needed to thrive.
Title I — ed.gov
IDEA — ed.gov
Pell Grants — ed.gov
Office for Civil Rights — ed.gov
Education Trust — edtrust.org
Southern Education Foundation — southerneducation.org
DonorsChoose — donorschoose.org
SchoolHouse Connection — schoolhouseconnection.org
Rural School and Community Trust — ruraledu.org
Kids In Need Foundation — kinf.org
06. Support the Whole Child
Learning and development are deeply connected. These organizations help schools integrate research on child development, well-being, relationships, and belonging into educational practice.
CASEL — casel.org
Child Trends — childtrends.org
Zero to Three — zerotothree.org
NAEYC — naeyc.org
Turnaround for Children — turnaroundusa.org
Search Institute — search-institute.org
Communities In Schools — communitiesinschools.org
07. Strengthen Civic Formation
A healthy democracy depends on informed and engaged citizens. These organizations help schools prepare young people for participation in civic life.
iCivics — icivics.org
CivXNow — civxnow.org
Center for Civic Education — civiced.org
Generation Citizen — generationcitizen.org
Facing History and Ourselves — facinghistory.org
National Constitution Center — constitutioncenter.org
Street Law — streetlaw.org
CATEGORY 4: Learning From Results
08. Measure Progress and Readiness
Every education system needs ways to understand whether students are developing the knowledge and capabilities they need.
NAEP (The Nation's Report Card) — nationsreportcard.gov
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) — nces.ed.gov
Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) — oecd.org/pisa
Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) — timss.bc.edu
Aurora Institute — aurora-institute.org
FairTest — fairtest.org
Smarter Balanced — smarterbalanced.org
Credential Engine — credentialengine.org
ETS — ets.org
ACT — act.org
Digital Promise — digitalpromise.org
09. Research and Share What Works
Every profession depends on learning from experience and evidence.
Institute of Education Sciences (IES) — ies.ed.gov
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) — nces.ed.gov
What Works Clearinghouse — whatworks.ed.gov
Learning Policy Institute — learningpolicyinstitute.org
WestEd — wested.org
RAND Education — rand.org
American Institutes for Research — air.org
Urban Institute — urban.org
Brookings Institution — brookings.edu
National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) — ncee.org
CATEGORY 5: Connecting the System
10. Coordinate Across Systems
Education is delivered locally, but many challenges are shared nationally. These organizations help states, districts, and institutions learn from one another and work toward common goals.
Education Commission of the States — ecs.org
Council of Chief State School Officers — ccsso.org
Chiefs for Change — chiefsforchange.org
National Association of State Boards of Education — nasbe.org
Data Quality Campaign — dataqualitycampaign.org
National Governors Association — nga.org
Grantmakers for Education — grantmakersforeducation.org
11. Workforce and Economic Alignment
Education systems help prepare young people for participation in the economy. These organizations connect education, workforce development, and emerging labor market needs.
Jobs for the Future — jff.org
America Succeeds — americasucceeds.org
Business-Higher Education Forum — bhef.com
U.S. Chamber Foundation — uschamberfoundation.org
Credential Engine — credentialengine.org
Lightcast — lightcast.io
Complete College America — completecollegeamerica.org
12. International Benchmarking and Comparative Learning
Every education system can learn from others. These organizations study high-performing systems around the world and help translate those lessons into the American context.
JobNational Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) — ncee.org
OECD / PISA — oecd.org/pisa
IEA / TIMSS — timss.bc.edu
CATEGORY 6: Supporting the Work
13. Provide Curriculum and Learning Resources
Pearson — pearson.com
McGraw Hill — mheducation.com
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt — hmhco.com
Amplify — amplify.com
Savvas Learning — savvas.com
Curriculum Associates — curriculumassociates.com
Scholastic — scholastic.com
14. Support Professional Learning
Learning Forward — learningforward.org
ASCD — ascd.org
Kagan Cooperative Learning — kaganonline.com
Solution Tree — solutiontree.com
Teaching Channel — teachingchannel.com
Edthena — edthena.com
15. Build Educational Technology
Khan Academy — khanacademy.org
IXL Learning — ixl.com
Duolingo — duolingo.com
Newsela — newsela.com
Nearpod — nearpod.com
Kahoot! — kahoot.com
Google for Education — edu.google.com
16. Provide Assessment and Information Systems
Renaissance Learning — renaissance.com
NWEA / MAP — nwea.org
Illuminate Education — illuminateed.com
Panorama Education — panoramaed.com
PowerSchool — powerschool.com
Instructure / Canvas — instructure.com
CATEGORY 7: Preparing for the Future
17. Strategic Foresight and Future Readiness
Every education system must prepare for the future. This includes identifying emerging challenges, understanding changing workforce and civic demands, monitoring advances in learning science and technology, and translating those insights into long-term educational design.
National Center for American Education — ncae.org
It is clear that many people and organizations across this country are working hard to improve education.
The question is how we can best organize those efforts, coordinate them effectively, and build a coherent system capable of serving future generations.
The Infrastructure
Every education system requires certain higher-level functions: defining outcomes, preparing educators, developing curriculum, conducting research, measuring progress, supporting innovation, and planning for the future.
In the United States, these functions are performed by a diverse network of federal agencies, state governments, nonprofit organizations, professional associations, research institutions, and private companies. Together, they form the infrastructure of American education.
CATEGORY 1: Defining the Destination
01. Define Shared Outcomes
Every education system must decide what students should know, value, and be able to do. These organizations help articulate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that prepare young people for life, work, and citizenship.
XQ Institute — xq.com
Partnership for 21st Century Learning — battelleforkids.org
Mastery Transcript Consortium — mastery.org
Complete College America — completecollege.org
Jobs for the Future — jff.org
America Succeeds — americasucceeds.org
Braven — bebraven.org
CATEGORY 2: Building Human Capability
02. Develop Curriculum and Standards
Educational goals become meaningful only when they are translated into learning experiences. These organizations help schools and educators build coherent curriculum, instructional materials, and academic expectations.
Student Achievement Partners — achievethecore.org
Core Knowledge Foundation — coreknowledge.org
EdReports — edreports.org
Illustrative Mathematics — illustrativemathematics.org
EL Education — eleducation.org
UnboundEd — unbounded.org
Instruction Partners — instructionpartners.org
03. Prepare Educators
Great schools depend on great teachers. These organizations support teacher recruitment, preparation, certification, and professional growth.
Teach For America — teachforamerica.org
TNTP — tntp.org
New Teacher Center — newteachercenter.org
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards — nbpts.org
Relay Graduate School of Education — relay.edu
National Council on Teacher Quality — nctq.org
Hope Street Group — hopestreetgroup.org
04. Develop Educational Leaders
Strong schools require strong leadership. These organizations help prepare principals, district leaders, and system leaders to guide improvement and support student success.
New Leaders — newleaders.org
Wallace Foundation — wallacefoundation.org
Aspen Institute Education Program — aspeninstitute.org
NASSP — nassp.org
NAESP — naesp.org
Broad Center at Yale — broadcenter.yale.edu
Bellwether Education Partners — bellwether.org
CATEGORY 3: Serving Children and Communities
05. Expand Educational Opportunity
Every child deserves access to the resources and opportunities needed to thrive.
Title I — ed.gov
IDEA — ed.gov
Pell Grants — ed.gov
Office for Civil Rights — ed.gov
Education Trust — edtrust.org
Southern Education Foundation — southerneducation.org
DonorsChoose — donorschoose.org
SchoolHouse Connection — schoolhouseconnection.org
Rural School and Community Trust — ruraledu.org
Kids In Need Foundation — kinf.org
06. Support the Whole Child
Learning and development are deeply connected. These organizations help schools integrate research on child development, well-being, relationships, and belonging into educational practice.
CASEL — casel.org
Child Trends — childtrends.org
Zero to Three — zerotothree.org
NAEYC — naeyc.org
Turnaround for Children — turnaroundusa.org
Search Institute — search-institute.org
Communities In Schools — communitiesinschools.org
07. Strengthen Civic Formation
A healthy democracy depends on informed and engaged citizens. These organizations help schools prepare young people for participation in civic life.
iCivics — icivics.org
CivXNow — civxnow.org
Center for Civic Education — civiced.org
Generation Citizen — generationcitizen.org
Facing History and Ourselves — facinghistory.org
National Constitution Center — constitutioncenter.org
Street Law — streetlaw.org
CATEGORY 4: Learning From Results
08. Measure Progress and Readiness
Every education system needs ways to understand whether students are developing the knowledge and capabilities they need.
NAEP (The Nation's Report Card) — nationsreportcard.gov
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) — nces.ed.gov
Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) — oecd.org/pisa
Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) — timss.bc.edu
Aurora Institute — aurora-institute.org
FairTest — fairtest.org
Smarter Balanced — smarterbalanced.org
Credential Engine — credentialengine.org
ETS — ets.org
ACT — act.org
Digital Promise — digitalpromise.org
09. Research and Share What Works
Every profession depends on learning from experience and evidence.
Institute of Education Sciences (IES) — ies.ed.gov
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) — nces.ed.gov
What Works Clearinghouse — whatworks.ed.gov
Learning Policy Institute — learningpolicyinstitute.org
WestEd — wested.org
RAND Education — rand.org
American Institutes for Research — air.org
Urban Institute — urban.org
Brookings Institution — brookings.edu
National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) — ncee.org
CATEGORY 5: Connecting the System
10. Coordinate Across Systems
Education is delivered locally, but many challenges are shared nationally. These organizations help states, districts, and institutions learn from one another and work toward common goals.
Education Commission of the States — ecs.org
Council of Chief State School Officers — ccsso.org
Chiefs for Change — chiefsforchange.org
National Association of State Boards of Education — nasbe.org
Data Quality Campaign — dataqualitycampaign.org
National Governors Association — nga.org
Grantmakers for Education — grantmakersforeducation.org
11. Workforce and Economic Alignment
Education systems help prepare young people for participation in the economy. These organizations connect education, workforce development, and emerging labor market needs.
Jobs for the Future — jff.org
America Succeeds — americasucceeds.org
Business-Higher Education Forum — bhef.com
U.S. Chamber Foundation — uschamberfoundation.org
Credential Engine — credentialengine.org
Lightcast — lightcast.io
Complete College America — completecollegeamerica.org
12. International Benchmarking and Comparative Learning
Every education system can learn from others. These organizations study high-performing systems around the world and help translate those lessons into the American context.
National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) — ncee.org
OECD / PISA — oecd.org/pisa
IEA / TIMSS — timss.bc.edu
CATEGORY 6: Supporting the Work
13. Provide Curriculum and Learning Resources
Pearson — pearson.com
McGraw Hill — mheducation.com
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt — hmhco.com
Amplify — amplify.com
Savvas Learning — savvas.com
Curriculum Associates — curriculumassociates.com
Scholastic — scholastic.com
14. Support Professional Learning
Learning Forward — learningforward.org
ASCD — ascd.org
Kagan Cooperative Learning — kaganonline.com
Solution Tree — solutiontree.com
Teaching Channel — teachingchannel.com
Edthena — edthena.com
15. Build Educational Technology
Khan Academy — khanacademy.org
IXL Learning — ixl.com
Duolingo — duolingo.com
Newsela — newsela.com
Nearpod — nearpod.com
Kahoot! — kahoot.com
Google for Education — edu.google.com
16. Provide Assessment and Information Systems
Renaissance Learning — renaissance.com
NWEA / MAP — nwea.org
Illuminate Education — illuminateed.com
Panorama Education — panoramaed.com
PowerSchool — powerschool.com
Instructure / Canvas — instructure.com
CATEGORY 7: Preparing for the Future
17. Strategic Foresight and Future Readiness
Every education system must prepare for the future. This includes identifying emerging challenges, understanding changing workforce and civic demands, monitoring advances in learning science and technology, and translating those insights into long-term educational design.
National Center for American Education — ncae.org
It is clear that many people and organizations across this country are working hard to improve education.
The question is how we can best organize those efforts, coordinate them effectively, and build a coherent system capable of serving future generations.