About AESA

AESA Supports ESAs Nationwide

The Association of Educational Service Agencies (AESA) is a professional organization serving educational service agencies (ESAs) in 45 states; there are 553 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.

AESA's Mission

The Mission of AESA is to support and strengthen regional educational service agencies by:

• Advocate nationally to assure that ESAs and the association’s policy platform are represented in and influence education legislation and policy discussions and decisions.
• Provide professional growth opportunities for ESA leadership teams and their boards.
• Strengthen state ESA networks and individual agencies through technical assistance.
• Support external research studies along with member executed action research.
• Help member agencies form interest- and issue-based affinity groups. Capture and make accessible to members the knowledge that emerges from these groups.
• Support the establishment of ESAs and state ESA networks where they do not yet exist.
• Advance the marketing or branding of ESAs as an indispensable partner 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.