Cognia announced a merger with EL Education aimed at creating a more unified and coherent ecosystem for school improvement across K-12 education.
For years, schools and districts have relied on fragmented combinations of curriculum providers, assessments, professional development programs, and improvement services, often resulting in disconnected systems that struggle to deliver equitable and sustainable student outcomes. Cognia said the merger is intended to address those challenges by bringing curriculum, instruction, coaching, assessment, and school transformation services together under one organization.
The merger is expected to close by September 1, pending regulatory approval. The combined organization will retain the Cognia name.
EL Education is a national nonprofit organization known for its Science of Reading-based English Language Arts curriculum, coaching programs, school support services, and evidence-based Full School Model. Founded in 1991, EL Education currently serves approximately 1.3 million students across 48 states and the District of Columbia.
Under the merger, EL Education’s literacy curriculum and Full School Model will continue operating under the EL Education brand. Cognia plans to distribute EL Education’s curriculum, resources, and improvement services throughout its global network of 40,000 schools serving 17 million students in more than 100 countries.
The organizations said the partnership will initially focus on aligning assessments and professional learning with literacy and English Language Arts offerings, with future expansion planned into mathematics and science.
Cognia is a nonprofit improvement organization that provides accreditation, certification, assessment, professional learning, and continuous improvement services to educational institutions worldwide.
KEY QUOTES:
“This is a major step in Cognia’s ongoing evolution toward providing a single, comprehensive, and coherent improvement system for schools.”
“The focus on expanding curriculum offerings aligned with our assessments is crucial to strengthening and targeting areas where schools want and need assistance.”
“Our vision is to strengthen how learners engage and teachers instruct using the best learning tools and assessments.”
Dr. Mark A. Elgart, President and CEO, Cognia
