Insight Education Group Inc. is a for-profit education consulting company that provides equity auditing and strategic planning services to school districts and state departments of education around the country. The group’s perspective is explicitly rooted in “social justice” and the perceived need to advance “anti-racism” and overthrow “systemic racism,” concepts frequently associated with critical race theory. ^{1 2}

Founding and History

Insight Education Group was founded in 2002 by Jason Strickler and Michael Moody. ³ The group claims that it has worked in more than 20 states and the District of Columbia, has reached 250,000 educators and 4 million students, and has won more than $500 million in grant funding for school districts. ⁴

Critical Race Theory and Left-of-Center Ideology

Insight Education explicitly states that it is working to “strategically dismantle practices that perpetuate structural racism” and that all the educators the firm hires are dedicated to self-development “rooted in the tenets of anti-racism.” Education is described as a means to overthrow “systemic racism.” ⁵

Insight has published blog posts calling on teachers to reflect on “environmental racism” and how they can fight it in their classrooms and has encouraged educators to examine and reflect on their “whiteness.” ^{6 7}

Funding

As private company, Insight Education does not file public financial reports with the IRS. However, the group claims that it has worked with numerous clients in more than 20 states. ⁸ Public documents indicate that between 2016 and 2019 the group billed the Delaware Department of Education $434,050 to establish a credentialing system and an assessment platform. ⁹

Services

Insight Education provides equity auditing and strategic planning services for school districts. These audits are explicitly influenced by a “social justice framework” and encourages staff to engage in self-reflection of their race and “implicit bias.” ¹⁰ A key part of Insight’s strategic planning framework is the development of a school district’s core belief regarding equality. ^{11 12} Insight Education states that its own core beliefs are characterized by a recognition of “systemic racism” and using education to dismantle “structural racism.” ¹³

Insight Advance is Insight Education’s partner company. It sells teacher development software programs for teacher coaching and feedback in person and over video. ^{14 15 16}

Leadership and Staff

Jason Culbertson is the CEO and former president of Insight Education. He has worked in education for many years starting as a middle school teacher, eventually becoming the executive director of the South Carolina Department of Education. ¹⁷

Jason Strickler is the co-founder of Insight Education. He has worked in many education-related roles, including being a teacher, chief academic officer, and consultant. He was the lead designer of a teacher certification and training program that was developed by The New Teacher Project. ¹⁸

Michael Moody is the co-founder of Insight Education. Moody has said that he has a “tendency for working to disrupt the status quo” in education. He worked as the chief academic advisor in the D.C. public school system and has focused on educator support and evaluation models. ¹⁹

1. “K12 School Improvement, Leadership & Coaching | Insight Ed Group.” Insight Education Group. Accessed November 21, 2021. https://www.insighteducationgroup.com.
2. “Insight Core Values.” Insight Education Group. Accessed November 21, 2021. https://www.insighteducationgroup.com/core-values.
3. “Our Team.” Insight Education Group. Accessed November 22, 2021. https://www.insighteducationgroup.com/our-team.
4. “K12 School Improvement, Leadership & Coaching | Insight Ed Group.” Insight Education Group. Accessed November 21, 2021. https://www.insighteducationgroup.com.
5. “Insight Core Values.” Insight Education Group. Accessed November 21, 2021. https://www.insighteducationgroup.com/core-values.
6. Moody, Michael. “A Focus on Environmental Justice Can Lead to Equitable Schools.” Insight Education Group. April 22, 2021. Accessed November 21, 2021. https://www.insighteducationgroup.com/blog/a-focus-on-environmental-justice-can-lead-to-equitable-schools.
7. Moody, Michael. “Five Key Lessons Learned on Racial Equity in Schools.” Insight Education Group. March 15, 2021. Accessed November 21, 2021. https://www.insighteducationgroup.com/blog/five-key-lessons-learned-on-racial-equity-in-schools.
8. “K12 School Improvement, Leadership & Coaching | Insight Ed Group.” Insight Education Group. Accessed November 21, 2021. https://www.insighteducationgroup.com.
9. “Insight Education Group Inc.” Parents Defending Education. Accessed November 22, 2021. https://defendinged.org/report/insight-education-group/.
10. “A Toolkit for School and District Leaders: Enhancing Equity in Education.” Insight Education Group. 2020. Accessed November 22, 2021. https://f.hubspotusercontent20.net/hubfs/258326/Enhancing%20Equity%20in%20Education%20Booklet%2012.2.20.pdf.
11. “Strategic Planning with an Equity Focus.” Insight Education Group. Accessed November 22, 2021. https://www.insighteducationgroup.com/strategic_planning_equity.
12. “Supporting Districts Striving for Racial Equity.” Insight Education Group. Accessed November 22, 2021. https://www.insighteducationgroup.com/racial-equity.
13. “Insight Core Values.” Insight Education Group. Accessed November 21, 2021. https://www.insighteducationgroup.com/core-values.
14. “About Video-Based Observation, Coaching & Calibration.” Insight Advance. Accessed November 22, 2021. https://www.insightadvance.com/about-us.
15. “Teacher Observation and Peer Coaching With Video Feedback.” Insight Advance. Accessed November 22, 2021. https://www.insightadvance.com/products/feedback.
16. “Observer Calibration for Teacher Observation & Feedback.” Insight Advance. Accessed November 22, 2021. https://www.insightadvance.com/products/calibrate.
17. “Jason Culbertson, CEO | Insight Education Group.” Insight Education Group. Accessed November 22, 2021. https://www.insighteducationgroup.com/our-team-jason-culbertson.
18. “Jason Stricker – Co-Founder | Insight Education Group.” Insight Education Group. Accessed November 22, 2021. https://www.insighteducationgroup.com/our-team-jason-stricker.
19. “Dr. Michael Moody.” Insight Education Group. Accessed November 22, 2021. https://www.insighteducationgroup.com/our-team-michael-moody.