CK-12 Foundation

CK12 Foundation
Founded2007
FoundersNeeru Khosla and Murugan Pal
PurposeEducation technology
LocationPalo Alto, California
Region served
Global
MethodDonations and Grants
Key people
Neeru Khosla, executive director
Murugan Pal, President
Miral Shah, CTO
Websitehttps://www.ck12.org
Headquarters location

The CK-12 Foundation is a California-based non-profit organization which aims to increase access to low-cost K-12 education in the United States and abroad. CK-12 provides free and customizable K-12 open educational resources aligned to state curriculum standards. As of August 2026, the organization's website reported that its platform had served more than 453 million users, customized 371K FlexBooks, and answered more than 2.88 billion questions.

CK-12 was set up to support K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education. It first produced content via a web-based platform called "FlexBook."

History

CK-12 was established in 2007 by Neeru Khosla and Murugan Pal as a not-for-profit educational organization. Teacher-generated content was initially made available under Creative Commons Attribution licenses so as to make it simpler, easier, and more affordable for children to access educational resources. However, they later switched to a Creative Commons Non Commercial licence, and then to their own "CK-12" license.

Originally, the "C" in CK-12 stood for "connect", indicating that the material was the missing connection in K-12 education. Subsequently, it took on a more open meaning, variously standing for "content, classroom, customizable, connections, collaboration".

In 2010, NASA teamed up with CK-12 to produce physics-related resources.

In March 2013, Microsoft announced a partnership with CK-12 to provide content to Microsoft's Windows 8 customers.

FlexBook System

The foundation's FlexBook website permits the assembly and creation of downloadable educational resources, which can be customized to meet classroom needs. Some FlexBooks are also available in Spanish and Hindi. Content is offered under the CK-12 Curriculum Materials License. Readers should consult the linked license for an understanding of the license. Materials are available in various formats.

Approach

The CK-12 Foundation's approach to supporting education in schools is through concept-based learning, including lessons, videos, interactives, real-world applications, study guides, and adaptive practice.

Other products

The CK-12 Foundation also offers the following online resources and tools for students and educators:

Recognition

References

  1. ↑ Headquarters address from organization website Archived 2022-01-04 at the Wayback Machine; 2300 Geng Rd. Suite 150, Palo Alto, CA 94303, USA. 37°26′6.11″N 122°6′34.59″W / 37.4350306°N 122.1096083°W
  2. ↑ "The reinvention of Neeru Khosla". Silicon Valley Business Journal. 2014-03-28. Retrieved 2014-04-22.
  3. 1 2 3 "Teacher Assistant". CK-12 Foundation. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  4. ↑ Park, Jane (28 April 2009). "CK-12 Foundation's Neeru Khosla on Open Textbooks". Creative Commons. Archived from the original on 7 September 2015. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
  5. ↑ "All about FlexBooks". Archived from the original on 2012-06-09. Retrieved 2011-12-05.
  6. ↑ "Murgan Pal- Kamla Bhatt show". Archived from the original on 2011-12-21. Retrieved 2011-12-19.
  7. ↑ "About The Licenses". creativecommons.org.
  8. ↑ "The "Living Book" Movement: Free Education For All". MindShift. Archived from the original on 2012-01-19. Retrieved 2011-12-12.
  9. ↑ "Attribution Guidelines | CK-12 Foundation". 2016-04-08. Archived from the original on 2016-04-08. Retrieved 2023-01-12.
  10. ↑ "CK-12 Foundation Curriculum Materials License". 2021-02-16. Retrieved 2026-10-15.
  11. ↑ "What Does The "C" in CK-12 Stand For?". Help Center. Archived from the original on 2014-03-03. Retrieved 2014-04-23.
  12. ↑ NASA (21 September 2010). "NASA Teams With 'CK-12' Foundation on Physics FlexBook". prnewswire.com.
  13. ↑ "Microsoft emphasizes Student Privacy, partners with Knewton, Pearson". EDUKWEST.
  14. ↑ "FlexBooks challenge textbooks". schoolingtoday.com. Archived from the original on 2011-10-22.
  15. ↑ "Assistive Technology Blog: CK-12 Provides Free Electronic Textbooks". 29 July 2011. Archived from the original on 10 September 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  16. ↑ "CK-12 Foundation". CK-12 Foundation. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  17. ↑ "Flexi 2.0 - The World's Most Powerful AI Tutor". CK-12 Foundation. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  18. ↑ "What is Flexi and How Does Flexi Work?". CK-12 Help Center. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  19. ↑ "Flexi AI Tutor & Homework Help". App Store. Apple. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  20. ↑ "What Is CK-12's Teacher Assistant?". CK-12 Help Center. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  21. ↑ "Introducing Flexi TA: AI tools for teachers". LinkedIn. CK-12 Foundation. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  22. ↑ "Braingenie". ck12.org.
  23. ↑ Wehrum, Kasey (9 December 2024). "America's Coolest College Start-ups 2010: Jason Shah - Harvard University - Inc.com". Inc.com.
  24. ↑ "Best Websites for Teaching & Learning 2011". ala.org. Archived from the original on 2011-07-13. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  25. ↑ "Search Results - ED.gov:flexbook". ed.gov.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  26. ↑ "Tech Awards 2010: 15 Innovations That Could Save The World (PHOTOS)". The Huffington Post. 26 September 2010.
  27. ↑ "cable green". creativecommons.org.
  28. ↑ "Startups are about to blow up the textbook". Fortune.
  29. ↑ "Temple Run Meets Algebra: CK12's New Approach". MindShift. Archived from the original on 2015-03-19. Retrieved 2013-04-29.
  30. ↑ Lewin, Tamar (8 August 2009). "In a Digital Future, Textbooks Are History". The New York Times.
  31. ↑ Bill Gates. "Technology's Promise to Education: Reimagining Textbooks". thegatesnotes.com. Archived from the original on 2013-05-11. Retrieved 2013-04-29.
  32. ↑ "Cassidy: Don't bet against Neeru Khosla's idea to save our schools". mercurynews.com. 22 January 2012.
  33. ↑ "Will We Need Teachers Or Algorithms?". TechCrunch. AOL. 15 January 2012.
  34. ↑ Ash, Katie (15 October 2012). "Education Week: Common Core Drives Interest in Open Education Resources". Education Week Digital Directions.
  35. ↑ "6 Reasons to Love the Textbooks from CK12". EduKindle. 25 October 2010. Archived from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  36. ↑ "Capital Area Intermediate Unit wants to test digital textbooks in midstate schools". PennLive.com. 18 February 2011.
  37. ↑ "Q&A: CK-12 Says OER & Tech Can Unlock Cheaper, Better Learning". Getting Smart. 12 April 2012.
  38. ↑ "Digital Textbooks: Has Their Time Come?". teachinghistory.org. Archived from the original on 2011-12-10. Retrieved 2012-01-09.