It was in 1994 when a nonunion professional educators organization named The Association Of American Educators Foundation (AAEF) was established. The cornerstone of this foundation was laid by nationally recognized educators on the principles of creating a professional AAE educator organization that can focus on the achievements of students without emphasizing partisan politics. In doing so, AAE aims to provide genuine professional benefits at reasonable prices.
As a nonprofit arm of AAEF, it has not limited its services to funding initiatives or research, unlike the traditional education foundations. It goes far beyond this and helps in turning up the voices of the educators, fostering collaborations, and advocating for reforms that benefit the students by empowering the teachers.
Let’s find out more about this program and discover how it provides funds for learning in our article that focuses on all the details of the Association Of American Educators Foundation.
Association Of American Educators Foundation: Defined
The Association Of American Educators Foundation is the largest national and nonunion professional organization for educators and teachers, with members in all 50 states. It comes with a mission of fostering the transformation of teaching professionals. The mission is achieved by supporting and empowering the community of teachers and scholars that, in turn, benefit the nation as well as the students.
It works by advancing the profession of teaching through modern approaches to teacher representation and educational advocacy and promotes collaboration, professionalism, and excellence without an agenda of political partisans. It has a vision of making the teaching profession well-respected, student-oriented, and personally fulfilling. It provides many benefits and services to scholars when it comes to their profession. These include scholarships, liability insurance, grants, and professional resources. It also awards thousands of scholarships and grants throughout the country every year. These awards help in professional development and are used to support classroom projects.
Although these awards are open to all scholars regardless of location, they are highly competitive. To keep the members up to date regarding the scholarships and grants offered, the association publishes its monthly newsletter, Education Matters.
Another similar program that provides funds for learning in the United States is the Student Aid Application, which is available on their website and provides educational aids in the form of Pell Grants, scholarships, work-study, and FSEOG. These are the higher education grants that are awarded to those who have financial needs or are good in academics. To get your Educational Grants and Scholarships, you can apply through Free Application For Student Aid, which is open and released every year in October, and the funds are provided to deserving candidates by the United States Department of Education. To learn more about this program, read FAFSA.
Brief History Of the Association Of American Educators Foundation
It was 1994 when this association was founded by Gary Beckner and his wife. A group of nationally recognized educators and three National Teachers of the Year also joined. These teachers also continued their services by serving on the AAE Advisory Board. During the first year of operation of this association, over 2,000 teachers joined it, and the membership doubled the following year.
Its headquarters are located in Mission Viejo, California. In 2004, it opened its headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, for policy, communications, and outreach. It has also established its nonunion state-based associations that represent the teachers in Colorado, Arkansas, Kansas, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Virginia. It has also partnered with county and district-level associations in other states, such as Nevada.
AAE Membership And Its Benefits
Joining this association is based on membership, which is $19.50 per month, and makes $234 annually. Students can join it by paying $49 as a membership. However, if you are retired, you may join at a much-reduced price, i.e., $39 annually.
You start receiving your membership benefits from the day of your joining. This professional membership is open to you if you are employed in an educational entity as a teacher, scholar, paraprofessional, school psychologist, counselor, as well as school and district administrator.
Different benefits are offered to the members, including
Individual Liability Insurance
The policy of comprehensive liability insurance guarantees $2,000,000 of protection to each member per occurrence. This way, each of their members is given insurance from the start of their membership.
Each individual’s policy is purchased from Forrest T. Jones & Company, which is a highly respected and family-owned insurance agency.
Legal Protection
Legal protection is included in the liability insurance policy and ensures that the individuals have access to legal counsel if it occurs at a workplace.
The legal coverage that comes here is applied to legal actions that arise out of duty as an employee of any education entity or workplace.
Employment Rights Coverage
This comes for the professional members and ensures that the AAE members have access to legal counsel and that they are able to consult immediately with an attorney if they are threatened with suspension, termination, demotion, or reassignment.
Teacher Scholarships And Classroom Grants
Thousands of dollars are provided annually through this association for teacher scholarships and classroom grants, which are designed specifically to help advance students’ achievements and continuing education.
Discounted Rates For Access To Supplementary Insurance Policies
As a member of the Association Of American Educators Foundation, you get access to a wide range of insurance plans that are at discounted offers.
Newsletters
The members are subscribed to their newsletter named Education Matters, which keeps the readers informed on the key issues in education with its easy-to-read and right-to-the-point perspective.
Professional Resources
The foundation also provides dedicated services to help the professionals continue their teacher training and expand their skills through professional development and a rich resource network.
Jobs Bank
AAE has partnered with schools across the nation, so the job banks are full of openings for the latest teaching positions. The members get exclusive 24/7 access to this job listing.
Access To Shopping And Entertainment Discount Program
Under the exclusive member discount program, you save money with every purchase that you make, from planning the next field trip to buying supplies for the classroom.
A Voice In Washington, D.C.
The members are invited to participate in the national survey that is held each year, where you can convey your ideas, perspectives, and priorities to education policymakers, national media, and the U.S. Congress.
