EDC (Education Development Center)
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| EDC (Education Development Center) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Education Development Center |
| Founded | 1958 |
| Headquarters | Waltham, Massachusetts |
| Type | Nonprofit |
| Leader title | President and CEO |
EDC (Education Development Center) is an international nonprofit organization that designs, implements, and evaluates programs in education, health, and economic development sectors across multiple countries. Founded in 1958, it operates through partnerships with governments, foundations, and multilateral agencies to deliver innovations in teacher professional development, curriculum design, early childhood, STEM education, and public health initiatives. The organization has undertaken projects in collaboration with agencies such as the United States Agency for International Development, the World Bank, and the United Nations Children's Fund.
History
EDC was established in 1958 amid post‑World War II global initiatives like the Marshall Plan and the expansion of UNESCO programs. Early work connected to projects funded by the Ford Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York emphasized curriculum development and teacher training similar to efforts by institutions such as the Teachers College, Columbia University and the Bank Street College of Education. During the Cold War era, EDC engaged in capacity building that paralleled activities of the Peace Corps and collaborations with national ministries in countries tied to the Organization of American States and regional development banks like the Asian Development Bank. In the 1980s and 1990s, EDC expanded into science and technology initiatives linked to partners including the National Science Foundation and the United States Agency for International Development. More recent decades saw projects aligned with the Global Partnership for Education, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and digital learning efforts resonant with work from MIT Media Lab and Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Mission and Programs
EDC’s mission aligns with international frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly goals advocated by the United Nations and programs endorsed by UNICEF and the World Health Organization. Program areas include early childhood programs influenced by models from the HighScope Educational Research Foundation and Head Start initiatives; K–12 STEM curricula drawing on research from the National Science Teachers Association and collaborations reminiscent of Project Lead The Way; teacher professional development initiatives similar to those by the Getty Foundation and Erasmus+; and public health projects in the vein of interventions supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, GAVI, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Organizational Structure and Leadership
The organization is governed by a board of directors comprising leaders with backgrounds in institutions such as the Harvard Kennedy School, the World Bank Group, the International Monetary Fund, and large NGOs like Save the Children and CARE International. Operational leadership includes a President and CEO and executive teams overseeing divisions comparable to academic units at Columbia University and University of California, Berkeley. Regional offices coordinate with country partners, ministries, and bilateral donors paralleling structures used by Oxfam International and Mercy Corps.
Global Projects and Impact
EDC has implemented projects across continents, collaborating with entities like the Ministry of Education (Ghana), the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (Kenya), and counterparts in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Vietnam, and Brazil. Projects range from literacy campaigns reminiscent of initiatives by Room to Read and Pratham to large-scale health worker training aligned with programs by Jhpiego and Partners In Health. Evaluation studies often reference methodologies used by the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation and report outcomes comparable to large grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Global Partnership for Education.
Funding and Partnerships
EDC secures funding from bilateral donors such as the United States Agency for International Development and the UK Department for International Development, multilateral institutions like the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, philanthropic organizations including the Gates Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation, and corporate partners comparable to collaborations with Microsoft and Google.org. Partnerships frequently involve universities and research centers such as Johns Hopkins University, Boston University, Stanford University, and University of Chicago.
Research, Evaluation, and Publications
EDC produces evaluation reports and peer-reviewed research akin to output from the RAND Corporation and Mathematica Policy Research, publishing findings in journals associated with American Educational Research Association conferences and outlets like The Lancet for health studies. Research topics include randomized controlled trials comparable to those cataloged by the Campbell Collaboration and impact evaluations commissioned by the World Bank and USAID.
Awards and Controversies
EDC has received recognition from organizations similar to the American Society for Public Administration and awards in program evaluation like those from the American Evaluation Association. Controversies in the sector have echoed debates involving other nonprofits such as Save the Children and Oxfam International regarding program effectiveness, fiscal transparency, and partnership ethics; EDC’s projects have been subject to external audits and evaluations by firms like KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers and oversight by donor agencies like USAID Inspector General and the World Bank Inspection Panel.