AESA Supports ESAs Nationwide
The Association of Educational Service Agencies (AESA) strengthens regional ESAs nationwide by advocating for impactful policies, providing professional development, and fostering collaboration through networks and research. Committed to equity and innovation, AESA supports ESAs as indispensable partners in shaping an inclusive and dynamic education system.
Thought-Leadership
- Championing forward-thinking solutions
- Providing expert guidance
- Sharing industry insights
Advocacy
- Influencing policy and legislation
- Representing your interests
- Ensuring a voice in government
Networking
- Building valuable connections
- Facilitating collaborations
- Enhancing professional growth
A Message from the Executive Director
Joan H. Wade, EdD, Executive Director of AESA
Welcome to the Association of Educational Service Agencies (AESA) website! AESA is a professional organization for regional educational service agencies. As an organization, we focus on doing three things for our members: Thought Leadership, Advocacy and Networking.
The next generation of AESA outlines the Bold Steps we, as an association, will take toward equity and opportunity for all. Our organizational values state, among other things, that we believe that courageous leadership inspires bold solutions to current and future complex challenges and that systemic change requires boundary-spanning leadership. We are committed to achieving equity in learning by actively working to eliminate disparities and inequities.
We must have courageous leaders to stand up for ALL learners across this great country of ours. It is also within the mission of educational service agencies to lead collaboration efforts with diverse organizations to solve challenging problems that impact education. It is what they do every day.
I hope you will consider becoming involved with AESA. Our members have a collective impact on teaching and learning that is unmatched by any other organization. We are here to serve our members and welcome you into the AESA family!
AESA's Mission
The Mission of AESA is to support and strengthen regional educational service agencies by:
- Advocating nationally to ensure ESAs and the association’s policy platform are represented in and influence education legislation and policy discussions.
- Providing professional growth opportunities for ESA leadership teams and their boards.
- Strengthening state ESA networks and individual agencies through technical assistance.
- Supporting external research studies alongside member-executed action research.
- Helping member agencies form interest- and issue-based groups and capturing the knowledge that emerges from these groups for member access.
- Supporting the establishment of ESAs and state ESA networks in regions where they do not yet exist.
- Advancing the marketing and branding of ESAs as indispensable partners in the education system.
Values and Beliefs
We believe:
- Lifelong learning based on evidence drives continuous improvement.
- Every student deserves an inclusive, diverse, and personalized learning environment.
- Collaboration with diverse voices creates effective regional and national networks for the common good.
- Courageous leadership inspires bold solutions to complex challenges.
- Systemic change demands boundary-spanning leadership.
- Equity in learning provides the resources and opportunities to overcome disparities.
