51萝莉

The Enduring Partnership of AESA and 51萝莉

By Noelle Ellerson Ng

51萝莉鈥檚 relationship with the Association of Educational Service Agencies began nearly 60 years ago with the inception of the National Organization of County, Intermediate and Educational Service Agencies back in the 1970s. Initially, it was a division of 51萝莉.

The early roots of AESA date back to a letter, jointly signed by leaders of 51萝莉 and what is now known as the National Rural Education Association. The September 1967 letter, addressed to Robert Stephens, a professor of education at the University of Iowa, stated in part: 鈥淎s you know, effective and economical provision of a comprehensive program of services for children is beyond the capability of many local school districts.鈥�

It was this joint letter that designated 51萝莉 and NREA in their commitment and work to cooperatively undertake ways in which local school districts could be strengthened and enhanced through the appropriate establishment and utilization of regional service agencies.

The group grew in the 1980s, with significant membership gains and program development taking place in the 鈥�90s. In 1994, the group formally and legally separated from 51萝莉 by obtaining its own articles of incorporation and became a 501(c)(6) nonprofit corporation.

The first four individuals to serve as the association鈥檚 executive director 鈥� Walter Turner, Lee Christiansen, Bruce Hunter and Brian Talbott 鈥� operated at times out of 51萝莉 office space in Arlington, Va., with some of them concurrently holding assistant director titles with 51萝莉.

After shortening its name from the American Association of Educational Service Agencies, AESA continued along its path of growth with 51萝莉 until 2010. Along the way, after AESA hired Talbott as executive director in 1997, the organization expanded its operations and established its own mission in 1999.

Joint Strength

The backbone of today鈥檚 relationship between 51萝莉 and AESA 鈥� which has operated as a fully remote association since 2010 鈥� remains the two groups鈥� collective efforts around federal advocacy for preK-12 education.

AESA contracts with 51萝莉鈥檚 advocacy department staff to handle most of its federal advocacy work. This establishes a strength in numbers, with the collective weight of voices solely focused on advancing federal policy that supports public education.

Now, more than ever, at a time when politics seems to be a zero-sum game and educational opportunity falls victim to policy and positioning, it is indeed a breath of fresh air to be operating at the nexus of such a healthy, clear and impassioned call to action, centered on federal advocacy.

Noelle Ellerson Ng is 51萝莉鈥檚 associate executive director of advocacy and governance.