About Education Support Professionals

NEA's 478,000 Education Support Professional (ESP) members take care of our children every day and make sure they have the tools they need to succeed in our schools and classrooms. We are the...

• school bus driver who greets your child with a warm "hello" and delivers him safely to school
• cafeteria worker who gives your daughter a warm, healthy meal
• paraeducator who provides your child with a little extra help in the classroom
• school nurse who comforts your sick child
• office assistant who makes sure your son's records are up to date
• technician who wires the classroom computers
• custodian who works to keep schools clean
• security professional who helps keep students safe.

We make up more than 40 percent of the total K-12 education workforce. We are a critically important part of the school community. Learn more about what we do in ESP Jobs.

We directly affect student learning.

• In Bucks County, Pennsylvania, the bus drivers in the Pennsbury School District link bus safety activities with the language arts and social studies curriculum for kindergartners.
• In Broward County, Florida, paraprofessionals supervise and train students to run a peace center where they learn peer mediation.
• Reeths-Puffer, Michigan, food-service staff teach nutrition to student and parent groups and provide tasty, economical catering for staff parties.
• A custodian in Topsham, Maine, counsels elementary school teachers on selecting safe classroom materials.

We bring years of experience to our jobs.

• On average, K-12 ESP members have nearly 11 years of experience in education support work.

We are dedicated to students and schools.

• Nearly 95 percent of K-12  ESPs surveyed in 1997 said they planned to stay in education.

We have strong ties to the community. Nearly 80 percent of us...

• volunteer time to community organizations or activities
• live in the school districts where we work

We've put together this ESP section of the National Education Association's Web site to help parents, community members, and other educators gain a better understanding of Education Support Professionals, and to provide resources that will help ESP's meet today's challenges and do our jobs better. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, please send us an e-mail.