Educators...Get Involved!

BY Kelly Stitzel - Making It Count

“Get involved, get experience.” For years, Making It Count has been telling students during its presentations that meaningful experience in extracurricular activities is a key to success during and after high school. And you’ve probably said this same thing to your students hundreds of times. But do you practice what you preach?

Getting involved in outside organizations isn’t just for high school and college students. It is just as important for educators to join an outside organization in order to further develop their careers and network with other educators. Many professional organizations also provide tools that help provide extra assistance to your students.

If you’re interested in joining a profession organization (whether you’re already a member or not), you’ve come to the right place. We’ve assembled a list of education-related professional organizations that might be right for you, depending on your discipline and academic field.

We’ve only listed national organizations. There are also many education-related professional organizations at the state and local level. We hope this will give you a good place to start.

American Association of School Administrators (AASA): AASA is a professional organization for educational leaders across the United States. The main goal of AASA is to ”support and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to the highest quality public education for all children.” AASA members include over 13,000 educational leaders including chief executive officers, superintendents, senior level school administrators, cabinet members, professors and aspiring school system leaders. To learn how you can join, click here.

American College Counseling Association (ACCA): According to their mission statement, ACCA works to “support and enhance the practice of college counseling, to promote ethical and responsible professional practice, to promote communication and exchange among college counselors across service areas and institutional settings, to encourage cooperation with other organizations related to higher education and college student development, and to provide leadership and advocacy for the profession of counseling in higher education.” ACCA has a little over 1,400 members and is a division of the American Counseling Association. If you are interested in joining, click here.

American Counseling Association (ACA): ACA is a not-for-profit, professional and educational organization that provides leadership training, advocacy services, continuing education opportunities and publications to help counseling professionals further develop their skills and become more knowledgeable. According to the ACA website, ACA is the world's largest association, with nearly 45,000 members, that exclusively represents professional counselors in a variety of settings. Go here to find out how to join.

American School Counselor Association (ASCA): The main focus of the ASCA is providing professional development opportunities, enhancing school counseling programs and researching effective school counseling practices. ASCA has a membership base of more than 23,000 school counseling professionals, and is a division of the American Counseling Association. For more information on how to join ASCA, click here.

Association of American Educators (AAE): AAE is a national, nonprofit, nonunion professional organization for teachers in the United States that provides advancement for educators through professional development, teacher advocacy and protection. AAE strives to promote excellence in education to give its members the respect, recognition and reward they deserve. If you’re interested in joining, go here to find out more.

Association for Career & Technical Education (ACTE): ACTE is a national education association devoted to “the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for successful careers.” Its members include more than 28,000 career and technical educators, administrators, researchers and guidance counselors who are involved in planning and conducting career and technical education programs at the secondary, post-secondary and adult levels. You can find more information about membership here.

Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development (ASCD): ASCD is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, international organization that addresses “all aspects of effective teaching and learning—such as professional development, educational leadership, and capacity building.” ASCD has over 175,000 members that include teachers, principals, supervisors, professors of education, superintendents and school board members. To find out more information about how to join, click here.

The College Board: The College Board is an international nonprofit membership association of more than 5,400 schools, colleges, universities and educational organizations working to “connect students to college success and opportunity.” The College Board serves seven million students and parents at 23,000 high schools and 3,500 colleges through programs and services in college admissions, guidance, assessment, financial aid, enrollment, teaching and learning. It also provides professional development programs, conferences and forums, policy analysis and public outreach programs. Its most well known programs are the SAT®, the PSAT/NMSQT®, and the Advanced Placement Program® (AP®). To find out how you can join The College Board, go here.

Kappa Delta Pi: Kappa Delta Pi is an international honor society for educators. Their main goal is to recognize excellence in education and foster professional growth, mutual cooperation and support for education professionals. Benefits Kappa Delta Pi offers its members include workshops, conferences, publications, scholarships and grants, community service projects and a teachers’ hotline. To find out more about how to join this organization, click here.

National Association of College Admissions Counseling (NACAC): NACAC is an organization of more than 10,000 professionals, including secondary-school counselors, independent counselors, college admission officers, financial aid officers, enrollment managers and organizations, dedicated to helping students transition from high school to higher education. NACAC’s members come from all 50 states, U.S. territories and more than 50 foreign countries. NACAC also has 23 state and regional affiliate associations to help educators at a more local level. For more information on how to join NACAC, click here.

National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP): NASSP promotes excellence in school leadership among middle level and high school principals, assistant principals and aspiring school leaders from the United States and over 45 countries around the world. NASSP provides its more than 30,000 members with professional resources and practical tools to help them enhance their positions as school leaders. NASSP is also the parent organization of National Honor Society, National Junior Honor Society and National Association of Student Councils. If you’re interested in finding out more about how to join, go here.

National Career Development Association (NCDA): NCDA promotes career development of all people throughout their lives by providing assistance to individuals and professionals interested in or involved with career development. NCDA provides its members with professional development opportunities, research, publications, professional standards, advocacy, public information and recognition for achievement and service. NCDA is a division of the American Counseling Association (ACA). For more information on how to join NCDA, visit the Membership section of http://ncda.org.

Phi Delta Kappa: Phi Delta Kappa is an international professional organization for educators that “strives to prepare the next generation of educators as well as to serve practicing teachers, administrators, college educators, and those concerned about public education through a wide range of innovative initiatives based on visionary leadership, relevant research, and dedicated service.” Phi Delta Kappa has more than 600 chapters in the United States and Canada, as well as in European and Asian nations. It also sponsors the annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public’s Attitude Toward the Public Schools. For more information on membership, click here.

Are you a member of an education-related professional organization not listed that you’d like your peers to know about? Let us know by emailing comments@makingitcount.com.