At Cognia we strive to ensure that our members can proactively respond to the challenges they face every day to have a real impact on student learning and achievement. Each year, we reflect on and celebrate the shared impact that Cognia and our network of schools have through our tools and services.

In this edition of The Source, we share insights from our 2026 Impact Report, including how we expanded our capacity to meet our members where they are with new services, tools, and partnerships. The report also highlights member institutions and stories of the impact they have seen while leveraging our standards, resources, and data-driven practices.

We also discuss our upcoming merger with EL Education, updates to our improvement platform and observation tool, quality assessment design, excellence and improvement in special education, the importance of inquiry in early learning, and how to develop a cohesive improvement ecosystem to drive real change in schools.

In this edition, let’s explore:

Mark A. Elgart, Ed.D.
Mark A. Elgart, Ed.D.,  serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Cognia. Dr. Elgart works closely with government agencies and other leading education-focused organizations to help establish the policies, strategic vision, and actions to propel and transform the learning experience so that every learner is prepared for the rapidly and ever-changing global world. Dr. Elgart provides vision and leadership for a global nonprofit in over 100 countries, 40,000 institutions serving and supporting nearly 18 million students and 5 million educators every day. Cognia is an undeniable force for enhancing schools, engaging students, and driving better outcomes for all learners. Dr. Elgart’s professional experience includes serving as a mathematics and physics teacher; a middle and high school administrator; and a middle school principal. He earned a bachelor’s in mathematics from Springfield College, a master’s in education from Westfield State College, and a doctorate in education from the University of Massachusetts.

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