City University of Seattle Library: Education & Leadership: Guide to Professional Organizations

Guide to Professional Organizations

Professional organizations are key to immersing yourself in the literature in education.

Learn educational practice through professional education associations and the journals they publish. Education association websites offer a wealth of teacher and leader resources, research, guides and tools. In addition, most publish one or more professional journals.

Many education associations offer membership with access to journals and online resources classes and books, etc.; many can be accessed through the CityU Library journal and book collections.

Here are examples of professional education associations relevant to educational leadership:

National teacher associations like NEA or Education Week.
Subject related associations like NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) or International Literacy Association (ILA).
Special focus ones like CEC (Council for Exceptional Children) or National School Boards Association
State departments of Education such as OSPI for Washington State
Research specific organizations like the World Education Research Association (WERA)
Special focus like supervision and curriculum Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
Professional Learning: Learning Forward
Curriculum advancement: Association for Supervision of Curriculum Development

Below, explore additional examples of professional associations in the United States and Canada.

United States

American Educational Research Association (AERA)
Founded in 1916, AERA is concerned with research in the field of education, and with disseminating and applying research results. It is open to individuals and to non-university research institutions, as well as institutions of higher education.
American Educational Studies Association (AESA)
"The American Educational Studies Association (AESA) was established in 1968 as an international learned society for students, teachers, research scholars, and administrators who are interested in the foundations of education.
National Education Association (NEA)
The NEA began in 1857 as (mainly) an organization of public school administrators in rural and small-town America. Currently, the NEA has over 3 million members and is a major voice for education below the college & university level.

Canada

Canadian Society for the Study of Education
The Canadian Society for the Study of Education is the largest organization of professors, students, researchers and practitioners in education in Canada.
Canadian Teachers’ Federation
The CTF/FCE provides data collection, analyses, and reports on trends and issues affecting the interests of teachers, teacher organizations, and students, including research specific to French-language schools in Frenquêtes. The website also provides links to provincial and territorial Member Organizations and Associate Organizations.
EdCan Network
The EdCan Network is a national, nonpartisan, bilingual organization representing 110,000 educators across Canada. They produce and disseminate authoritative and evidence-based, and accessible content.

For School Principals (Washington State, USA, and Canada):

Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP)
AWSP exists to support principals and the principalship in the education of all students. We believe strong leaders create strong schools and strong students. Founded in 1972, AWSP has been a leading voice in education for decades, representing principals, assistant principals, and principal interns.
National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP)
The National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), founded in 1921, is a professional organization serving elementary and middle school principals and other education leaders throughout the U.S., Canada, and overseas.
National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP)
The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) is the leading professional organization for secondary school principals, assistant principals, and other school leaders across the United States and beyond.

For Central Office and School Administrators

Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA)
The Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA) is an organization for professional administrators that is committed to leadership.
The School Superintendents Association (AASA)
AASA is the premier association for school system leaders and serves as the national voice for public education and district leadership on Capitol Hill.
National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS)
NASS serves as a medium for the exchange of information between states and fosters cooperation in the development of public policy. The association has key initiatives in the areas of elections and voting, state business services, and state heritage/archives.

For CTE Administrators:

Washington Association for Career and Technical Education (Washington ACTE)
To provide leadership and services to our members as they prepare students for lifelong career success and to provide leadership to enhance and support Career and Technical Education (CTE) in communities and schools.
Washington Association of Career and Technical Administrators (WACTA)
WACTA empowers Career and Technical Education Directors and Administrators to advance their professional expertise.

Other Resources

While not professional organizations, these for-profit companies publish original research, and can be a source of reports and data.

Educational Testing Service (ETS)
"ETS conducts assessment and policy research and develops assessments and related services to advance quality and equity in learning worldwide. Our work falls into five broad areas of expertise: Research; Assessment development; Test administration; Test scoring; Instructional products and services."
Alliance for the Study of School Climate
The Alliance for the Study of School Climate (ASSC) was originally formed in 2002 by faculty members at California State University, Los Angeles as the Western Alliance for the Study of School Climate (WASSC). Their mission is to help schools improve the climate and function of their organizations from the inside.