Description

PROJECT OVERVIEW

For over 40 years, the Education division and now the Education and Community Engagement
Division has been committed to supporting Geography Education across the United States and
Canada with the primary focus on educators serving learners in K-12 classrooms and informal
learning spaces. A lot has changed in the world since the inception of our work. The COVID-19
pandemic reconceptualized what teaching and learning looks like from in-person to remote
learning among other changes. The increased focus on and growth of technology integration in
K-12 schools has also impacted learner engagement in both positive and negative ways. We are
evolving our education and community engagement work to meet the needs of educators and
learners for today and the future by leveraging this moment to redefine what National
Geographic Education means for our existing audiences and those we seek to recruit.

As we prepare for the next phase of our Education and Community Engagement work, we want
to design an end-to-end Educator Experience that takes into account the knowledge, skills,
expertise, and interactions of educators and the earning journey an educator has with us. From
their initial discovery and use of our resources and/or programs to post-engagement
follow-ups, we want educators to become life-long members of the NGS and NGS ECE
community equipped with new knowledge and skills that will allow them to better achieve their
desired outcomes as they build a strong connection to National Geographic. In order to do this
we need to understand who educators are, what they need, how they can learn from us and
how we can learn from them.

To support this endeavor, we would like to better understand the educational landscape in the
United States and Canada for environmental education, conservation education, STEAM
education, and geography education. We would also like to better understand why educators
engage (meaningfully interact and build relationships) or would likely engage with us based on
the mission of National Geographic Society and the offerings of the Education Community
Engagement division. What are educators looking for in terms of engagement and connection

and what would keep them engaged. Having access to this information will better equip us to
identify where our existing offerings and opportunities meet needs, any gaps in our offerings,
and where the best opportunities are for us to develop an educator experience with an
engagement model that meets the needs of a greater number of educators for deep,
immersive learning and exchange.

Project Goals
The goals of this research project include but are not limited to:

• Understand the teaching and learning context and landscape for K-12 educators who
  serve K-12 learners in the United States and Canada
• In the last 5 years, what are the structures, policies, technologies, and social
  factors that have shaped and impacted K-12 education?
• How, if at all, are courses or subject areas like environmental education,
  conservation, Science, Technology, the Arts, Engineering and Mathematics
  (STEAM) education, geography, and the social sciences integrated into the K-12
  curriculum and informal education contexts?
• What types of teaching and learning methods and pedagogies are K-12
  educators most likely and/or interested in using with their students and that
  guide their teaching practice?
• What do K-12 educators need for their own professional growth and to enhance
  the teaching and learning experience from their learning contexts?
• Understand how our offerings resonate with K-12 educators in the United States and Canada across all contexts -- classrooms and informal learning spaces. This applies to educators who have engaged with us before as well as those who have never engaged with us.
• Why do K-12 educators currently engage with our educational offerings? For those educators new to us, why are they engaged with us rather than organizations with a similar mission?
• What aspects of our mission and work do educators find compelling and why?
• What aspects of our mission and work do educators find challenging and why?
• What are K-12 educators looking for in terms of engagement and connection with us?
• Why do K-12 educators continue to engage with us over time? For those educators new to us, why would they likely continue to engage with us over time?
• What types of research and teaching-enhancing experiences are K–12 educators currently involved?
• How does an educator’s experience with us impact their effectiveness and well-being? Their professional experience and opportunities?
• What would motivate educators to recruit other educators to participate in our offerings?
• What is missing from our offerings that educators wish we would offer? Based on needs and opportunities surfaced through the research, identify potential opportunities that National Geographic Education is uniquely positioned to fill.

To reach these goals, the National Geographic Society is now accepting bids in response to
this Request for Proposal.

Scope of Work

The National Geographic Society is seeking proposals from organizations with demonstrated
expertise in developing and designing research studies with a focus on the K-12 education
sectors and/or markets in the United States and Canada. This research will build on existing
research just completed in August 2025.
The scope of this project includes:

• Working closely and collaboratively with our Education and Community Engagement,
  Communications, Marketing, Strategic Insights & Initiatives teams to ensure the
  research design meets our objectives and provide actionable insights.
• Develop quantitative and qualitative research methods and analysis strategies to meet
  our goals and aims.
• Reaching K-12 educators (classroom teachers and other community-based education
  professionals in the US market and Canadian market both those who are currently
  engaging with National Geographic Education and Community Engagement and those
  who are not currently engaging with National Geographic Education and Community
  Engagement. A secondary audience may be those educators who have engaged with
  National Geographic Education and Community Engagement team in the past that are
  outside the United States and Canada.
• Delivering comprehensive results, reports, and analysis from research efforts and
  presenting the findings and recommendations to National Geographic staff and key
  stakeholders (TBD).
• We also welcome proposals that include creative ideas and thoughts around the best approach
  for this endeavor that may not be mentioned in this scope of work.

Target Deliverable Schedule
Work should conclude no more than eight (8) months post the date of award. (approximately
Dec. 2025 - August 2026) Please include a detailed schedule of work and deliverables that
would allow you to meet this completion date.

Requirements

Evaluation Criteria

The National Geographic Society will evaluate bidders and proposals based on the following:

• Previous experience/past performance history.
• Samples and/or case studies from previous projects of a similar scope and scale
  Projected costs
• Experience and technical capabilities designing research studies for large, trusted
  brands
• Demonstrated commitment to inclusive practices
• Demonstrated commitment to conservation and environmental sustainability
• Demonstrated expertise in developing and designing national (US) research studies with a focus on K-12 Education sectors and markets

Submission Requirements

Bidders must adhere to the following guidelines to be considered:

• Only bidders who meet all criteria in the evaluation section should submit a proposal.
• Proposals must be sent in by December 3, 2025 to Fay Gore c/o Travis Price at
  trprice@ngs.org .
• Include samples and references with your proposal.
• Include the proposed team composition and bios with your proposal.
• Provide a proposed schedule and budget with your proposal.