CERU conducts research, disseminates information, and helps facilitate dialogue between the education community, policy makers, and the public at large about commercial activities in schools. CERU is the only national academic research unit dedicated to this topic. CERU is guided by the belief that mixing commercial activities with public education raises fundamental issues of public policy, curriculum content, the proper relationship of educators to the students entrusted to them, and the values that the schools embody. CERU is the successor of the Center for the Analysis of Commercialism in Education (CACE) at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

EPRU conducts original research, provides independent analyses of research and policy documents, and facilitates the implementation of innovations in areas such as student performance standards, assessment, and curriculum. EPRU disseminates its reports, analyses, and other documents to policy makers, educators, and the public. The Education Policy Research Unit at Arizona State University is the successor of the Education Policy Project at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

The Language Policy Research Unit (LPRU), co-directed by Professor Terrence Wiley and Assistant Professor Wayne Wright (University of Texas, San Antonio), promotes research and policy analysis on the challenges and opportunities posed by global multilingualism. LPRU activities are intended to inform public discussion and policymaking in state, national, and international contexts.