For more than 40 years, NORC has been committed to conducting high quality education research. Its department of Education and Child Development's research covers the full array of education-relevant populations, from pre-school children to the post-graduate doctorate holders. The scope of its education research methodologies has been wide-ranging, too – including primary data collection and reporting, analysis of individual and aggregate assessments, transcript abstraction, and classroom observations.

The most notable panel surveys developed by NORC for the U.S. Department of Education were High School and Beyond (HS&B), the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS-72), and the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88). These seminal studies are at the foundation of longitudinal education research carried out today. The legacy of these landmark projects provides irreplaceable information on the performance and experiences, hopes and plans of American young people, and the hopes and plans their parents had for them. NORC continues to build on this tradition today by delivering high quality research, evaluations, and analysis on education with a staff of highly regarded research professionals.

The current staff maintains active research agendas and integral ties with leaders in the education research community, including Chapin Hall and faculty at the University of Chicago. Additionally, the Education and Child Development Studies department actively partners with other NORC research departments and experts at other institutions.