AESA Supports ESAs Nationwide
The Association of Educational Service Agencies (AESA) is a professional organization serving educational service agencies (ESAs) in 39 states; there are 477 agencies nationwide. AESA is in the position to reach well over 80% of the public school districts, over 83% of the private schools, over 80% certified teachers, and more than 80% non-certified school employees, and well over 80% public and private school students. Annual budgets for ESAs total approximately $15 billion. AESA’s membership is agency wide and includes all ESA employees and board members.
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, Networking, and Federal Advocacy.
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 that lifelong learning founded on evidence-based practices leads to continuous improvement for all learners.
- We believe that all students have a right to learn in an environment where diversity is celebrated, all students are included, and instruction is personalized to students’ diverse needs.
- We believe that authentic relationships and collaboration that includes diverse voices yield effective regional and national networks that produce results for the common good.
- We believe that courageous leadership inspires bold solutions to current and future complex challenges.
- We believe that systemic change requires boundary-spanning leadership.
- We are committed to achieving equity in learning by actively working to eliminate disparities and inequities.