The Academy for Educational Development (AED) works in all the major areas of human development, with a focus on improving education, health, and economic opportunities for the least advantaged in the United States and developing countries throughout the world. AED works to improve decision making for educational reform and workforce development in the United States. It works at all levels of the education system, focusing on teacher preparation and student achievement. Programs support children with disabilities, Migrant Head Start, high-school and middle-school reform, youth engagement, and access to higher education.

Created by the nation's governors and business leaders, Achieve helps states raise academic standards and achievement so that all students graduate ready for college, careers and citizenship. Over the past decade, states have led the national movement to raise standards, improve teaching and learning, and hold schools more accountable. Standards are in place in every state, but far too many young people leave our schools today without the knowledge and skills they need to compete in college or the workplace. Achieve’s goal is to help every state close the expectations gap so that all students graduate ready for success.

ACT is an organization that provides more than a hundred assessment, research, information, and program management services in the broad areas of education and workforce development.  ACT’s education department has two divisions: development and research. ACT programs and services have one guiding purpose: helping people achieve education and workplace success.

The Afterschool Alliance is a nonprofit public awareness and advocacy organization working to ensure that all children and youth have access to quality afterschool programs. The Afterschool Alliance aims to increase public and private investment in quality afterschool program initiatives at the national, state and local levels.

Alliance for a Better Community (ABC) promotes equity for Latinos in education, health, economic development, and civic participation throughout the Los Angeles region.  ABC works to prioritize policies that address rigorous curriculum, school-community collaboratives, parent engagement, small learning academies, and the current dropout crisis.  ABC is committed to ensuring that America’s youth are offered a quality education that will prepare them to succeed in universities and the 21st century workforce.  Finally, it works towards quality education for all children within Los Angeles regional public schools.

The Alliance for Quality Teaching is a bipartisan coalition of policymakers, stakeholders, and practitioners gathered to ensure that Colorado children have a quality teacher in every classroom, every day.  The Alliance for Quality Teaching believes quality teaching is the most important factor in improving student achievement and that quality teaching is dependent on high quality preparation, comprehensive recruitment strategies, induction, and ongoing professional development.

The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) is a national voluntary association of higher education institutions and other organizations.  It is dedicated to ensuring the highest quality preparation and continuing professional development for teachers and school leaders in order to enhance PK-12 student learning.

Headquartered in the National Center for Higher Education in Washington, D.C., the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) is an advocacy organization for community colleges at the national level, and works closely with directors of state offices to inform and affect state policy. AACC supports and promotes its member colleges through policy initiatives, innovative programs, research and information, and strategic outreach to business and industry and the national news media.

The American Association of School Administrators (AASA) is an organization for over 16,500 educational leaders across North America. Its primary responsibilities include improving the condition of children and youth, preparing schools and school systems for the 21st century, connecting schools and communities, and enhancing the quality and effectiveness of school leaders.

The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) works to extend higher education to all citizens. AASCU represents more than 400 public colleges, universities, and systems of higher education throughout the United States. These institutions fulfill the expectations of a public university by working for the public good through education and engagement, thereby improving the lives of people in their community, their region, and their state.

The American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE) is committed to recruiting, certifying, and supporting the excellent teachers who are essential for achieving student success. Founded in 2001, ABCTE addresses the need to place highly qualified teachers in every classroom. By offering a premier teaching credential, ABCTE opens new pathways into the classroom, helping states, districts, and communities meet the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

The American Council on Education (ACE) serves as a consensus leader on key higher education issues and seeks to influence public policy through advocacy, research, and program initiatives. Three key strategic priorities drive ACE's activities: (1) Representation, (2) Leadership development, and (3) Service. ACE's areas of focus include: access, success, equity, and diversity; institutional effectiveness; lifelong learning; and internationalization.

The American Counseling Association (ACA) is dedicated to the growth and enhancement of the counseling profession. Founded in 1952, ACA represents professional counselors in various practice settings. By providing leadership training, publications, continuing education opportunities, and advocacy services to 40,000+ members, ACA helps counseling professionals develop their skills and expand their knowledge base.

The American Educational Research Association (AERA) is a national research society that strives to advance knowledge about education, to encourage scholarly inquiry related to education, and to promote the use of research to improve education and serve the public good. AERA’s primary goal is to advance educational research and its practical application. Its members are educators; administrators; directors of research; persons working with testing or evaluation in federal, state and local agencies; counselors; evaluators; graduate students; and behavioral scientists.

The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI) is a private, nonpartisan institute dedicated to research and education on issues of government, politics, economics, and social welfare. AEI sponsors research and conferences and publishes books, monographs, and periodicals. Its Education Policy Studies Program, directed by Frederick M. Hess, addresses some of the most controversial issues in education, including school financing and parental choice, the No Child Left Behind Act, educational accountability, teacher quality, and urban school reform.

The American Federation of School Administrators (AFSA) is the only national education union for school administrators. It provides labor relations, professional, and occupational services to public school principals, vice principals, administrators, and supervisors. AFSA fights for quality public school education for students of all backgrounds.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) is a union for workers in the public service with 1.4 million members nationwide. AFSCME organizes for social and economic justice in the workplace and through political action and legislative advocacy. AFSCME represents a diverse group of service and health care workers in the public and private sectors including nurses, EMTs, bus drivers, child care providers, custodians, and librarians.

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), an affiliate of the AFL-CIO, was founded in 1916 and represents nearly 3,000 local affiliates nationwide, 43 state affiliates and more than 1.4 million members. Five divisions within the AFT represent the broad spectrum of the AFT’s membership: pre-K through 12th-grade teachers; paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel; higher education faculty and professional staff; federal, state and local government employees; and nurses and other healthcare professionals. In addition, the AFT represents approximately 80,000 early childhood educators and more than 230,000 retiree members.

The American Institute for Social Justice (AISJ) is a provider of training and technical assistance in organizing principles and methods, and a center for research and public policy development on issues of concern to low and moderate income people. The AISJ has developed a model to involve people in community activity by focusing on the issues of greatest local concern, such as city services, drugs, crime, housing, jobs, access to healthcare, and schools.

The American Productivity & Quality Center (APQC) is an internationally recognized resource for process and performance improvement. It helps organizations adapt to rapidly changing environments and build better ways to work in the 21st century. APQC’s initiative in K-12 education is called Process Improvement & Implementation in Education. Using APQC’s methodologies and tools, school districts can identify significant cost and time savings, which can be reallocated to instruction. Their national process databank of school district data allows districts to compare themselves with others, find performance gaps, and learn about best practices to drive improvement and innovation.