Kurt Engelmann serves as the President and Administrative Director of the National Institute for Direct Instruction (NIFDI), a role he has held since July 2000. He is also the author of "Direct Instruction: A Practitioner's Handbook" and a presenter of the five-day Administrator Leadership Institute, part of the National Direct Instruction Conference.

In 2021, Dr. Engelmann established Educational Achievement Publishing, which publishes "Direct Instruction Spoken English (DISE)".