Professional Organizations
Education Research Guide
There are many more professional organizations in the field of education than are listed on this page. If you would like to suggest a professional organization to list on this page, please contact Lynda Hanley, Education and Outreach Librarian, at hanleyl@mville.edu.
American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance
http://www.aahperd.org/index.cfm
AAHPERD is an alliance of six national associations, six district associations, and a research consortium which support healthy lifestyles through high quality programs.
American Educational Research Association
http://www.aera.net/
AERA is concerned with improving the educational process by encouraging scholarly inquiry related to education and by promoting the dissemination and practical application of research results.
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
http://www.aacte.org/
AACTE is a national voluntary organization of colleges and universities that prepare the nations' teachers and other personnel.
American Association of School Administrators
http://www.aasa.org/
AASA’s mission is to support and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to the highest quality public education for all children.
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
http://www.actfl.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=1
AACTFL is dedicated to the improvement and expansion of the teaching and learning of all languages at all levels of instruction throughout the U.S.
American Federation of Teachers
http://www.aft.org/
The AFT was founded in 1916 to represent the economic, social and professional interests of classroom teachers. It is an affiliated international union of the AFL-CIO.
American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/
ALA's mission is to promote the highest quality library and information services and public access to information.
Association for Childhood Education International
http://www.acei.org/
The mission of ACEI is to promote and support in the global community the optimal education and development of children, from birth through early adolescence, and to influence the professional growth of educators and the efforts of others who are committed to the needs of children in a changing society.
Association for Educational Communications and Technology
http://www.aect.org/default.asp
AECT's mission is to provide international leadership by promoting scholarship and best practices in the creation, use, and management of technologies for effective teaching and learning in a wide range of settings.
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
http://www.ascd.org/portal/site/ascd/index.jsp/
ASCD addresses all aspects of effective teaching and learning—such as professional development, educational leadership, and capacity building. ASCD offers broad, multiple perspectives—across all education professions—in reporting key policies and practices.
Association of Teacher Educators
http://www.ate1.org/pubs/home.cfm
ATE is an individual membership organization devoted solely to the improvement of teacher education both for school-based and post secondary teacher educators.
Council for Exceptional Children
http://www.cec.sped.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home
CEC is the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving educational outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities, students with disabilities, and/or the gifted
Council of Chief State School Officers
http://www.ccsso.org/
CCSSO is a nonpartisan, nationwide, nonprofit organization of public officials who head departments of elementary and secondary education in the states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and five U.S. extra-state jurisdictions.
International Reading Association
http://www.reading.org/
The IRA is a professional organization dedicated to promoting high levels of literacy for all by improving the quality of reading instruction, disseminating research and information about reading, and encouraging the lifetime reading habit.
International Society for Technology in Education
http://www.iste.org/
ISTE, a nonprofit professional organization with a worldwide membership of leaders and potential leaders in educational technology, is dedicated to providing leadership and service to improve teaching and learning by advancing the effective use of technology in K–12 education and teacher education.
International Technology Education Association
http://www.iteaconnect.org/
ITEA is the largest professional educational association, principle voice, and information clearinghouse devoted to enhancing technology education through technology, innovation, design, and engineering experiences at the K-12 school levels.
National Art Education Association
http://www.naea-reston.org/
NAEA is a non-profit, educational organization promoting art education through Professional Development, Service, Advancement of Knowledge, and Leadership.
National Association for Bilingual Education
http://www.nabe.org/
NABE is a professional organization that represents both English language learners and bilingual education professionals with professional development opportunities, lobbying, advocacy, and campaigns to education the public about the effectiveness of bilingual education.
National Association for Music Education
http://www.menc.org/
The mission of MENC is to advance music education by encouraging the study and making of music by all.
National Association for the Education of Young Children
http://www.naeyc.org/
NAEYC is dedicated to improving the well-being of all young children, with particular focus on the quality of educational and developmental services for all children from birth through age 8.
National Association of Elementary School Principals
http://www.naesp.org/
NAESP's mission is to lead in the advocacy and support for elementary and middle level principals and other education leaders in their commitment to all children.
National Association of Secondary School Principals
http://www.nassp.org/s_nassp/index.asp?CID=1138&DID=54609
NASSP is the preeminent organization of and national voice for middle level and high school principals, assistant principals, and aspiring school leaders from across the United States and more than 45 countries around the world. The mission of NASSP is to promote excellence in school leadership.
National Association of School Psychologists
http://www.nasponline.org/
NASP represents and supports school psychology through leadership to enhance the mental health and educational competence of all children.
National Association of Special Education Teachers
http://www.naset.org/
NASET is a national membership organization dedicated to providing support and assistance to those preparing for or teaching in the field of special education and to promoting the profession of special education teachers.
National Association of State Boards of Education
http://www.nasbe.org/
NASBE works to strengthen state leadership in educational policymaking, promote excellence in the education of all students, advocate equality of access to educational opportunity, and assure continued citizen support for public education.
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
http://www.nbpts.org/
NBPTS, an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, is leading the way in making teaching a profession dedicated to student learning and to upholding high standards for professional performance.
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
http://www.ncate.org/public/aboutNCATE.asp
NCATE is the profession’s mechanism to help establish high quality teacher preparation. Through the process of professional accreditation of schools, colleges and departments of education, NCATE works to make a difference in the quality of teaching and teacher preparation today, tomorrow, and for the next century.
National Council for Geographic Education
http://www.ncge.org/
NCGE works to enhance the status and quality of geography teaching and learning.
National Council for the Social Studies
http://www.ncss.org/
NCSS engages and supports educators in strengthening and advocating social studies and serves as an umbrella organization for elementary, secondary, and college teachers of history, geography, economics, political science, sociology, psychology, anthropology, and law-related education.
National Council of Teachers of English
http://www.ncte.org/
NCTE is devoted to improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts at all levels of education.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
http://www.nctm.org/
NCTM is a public voice of mathematics education, providing vision, leadership, and professional development to support teachers in ensuring mathematics learning of the highest quality for all students.
National Education Association
http://www.nea.org/index.html
NEA is the nation's largest professional employee organization and is committed to advancing the cause of public education.
National High School Association
http://www.nhsa.net/
NHSA is an inclusive organization committed to facilitating improvement in student learning and educational practices and to providing opportunities for professional growth among high school educators.
National Middle School Association
http://www.nmsa.org/
NMSA is a voice for those committed to the educational and developmental needs of young adolescents.
National Parent Teacher Association
http://www.pta.org/
PTAs support and speak on behalf of children and youth in the schools, in the community, and before governmental bodies and other organizations that make decisions affecting children.
National School Boards Association
http://www.nsba.org/site/index.asp
NSBA is a not-for-profit Federation of state associations of school boards across the United States with a mission to foster excellence and equity in public education through school board leadership.
National Science Teachers Association
http://www.nsta.org/
NSTA's mission is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.
Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages
http://www.tesol.org/s_tesol/index.asp
TESOL’s mission is to ensure excellence in English language teaching to speakers of other languages.
The United Federation of Teachers
http://www.uft.org/
With more than 140,000 members, the UFT is the sole bargaining agent for most of the non-supervisory educators who work in the New York City public schools. It represents approximately 74,000 teachers and 17,000 classroom paraprofessionals, along with school secretaries, attendance teachers, guidance counselors, psychologists, social workers, education evaluators, nurses, laboratory technicians, adult education teachers and 32,000 retired members.