Association of Education Sororities
A former United States umbrella organization for sororities serving women preparing for careers in education.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
The Association of Education Sororities (AES) was a United States umbrella organization that coordinated national sororities historically associated with teacher-training institutions and the education profession. It emerged from the expansion of collegiate sorority life beyond traditional liberal-arts campuses. A 1911 survey had found that national sororities operated at most types of colleges but were largely absent from schools devoted to preparing teachers. Sigma Sigma Sigma and Alpha Sigma Alpha responded by organizing a preliminary conference in Cincinnati on July 10, 1915, followed by a Boston meeting on September 4, 1915. The resulting body was initially called the Association of Pedagogical Sororities and was intended to provide students preparing for teaching careers with opportunities for sorority affiliation comparable to those available to students in other academic and professional fields. Pi Kappa Sigma and Delta Sigma Epsilon received invitations in 1917. At the organization’s third national convention, the members adopted the name Association of Education Sororities, a change intended to give the group a clearer professional identity. The association subsequently expanded its membership with the admission of Theta Sigma Upsilon in 1925, Alpha Sigma Tau in 1926, and Pi Delta Theta in 1931. Pi Delta Theta later merged with Delta Sigma Epsilon in 1941. By 1938, AES membership was limited to sororities operating on campuses that offered four-year education programs. The association maintained collegiate and alumnae units, including local groups in larger cities, and held regular biennial conferences from 1917 through 1947. AES was not simply a social coordinating body. Its member organizations developed fee structures intended to reflect the limited incomes of students in teacher-training programs and supported scholarships, student-loan funds, hospital-bed projects, local social-service work, and the endowment of a rural school library. During the Second World War, the association and its member sororities also participated in defense-related activities. One cooperative project associated with former AES members contributed to the development of the Leader Dogs for the Blind organization in Rochester, Michigan. In 1944, the association had a Scholarship Award Committee that awarded an annual $50 scholarship to an undergraduate student at a teaching college. AES members also helped publish Social Precedents and Sorority Ethics in 1935, a guide to social conduct and sorority standards written by representatives of its member organizations. The association operated within a changing landscape of American higher education and inter-sorority governance. From 1915 to 1926, AES and National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) sororities often maintained chapters on the same campuses, producing competition and instances of dual membership. In 1926, the two bodies adopted an agreement intended to define their respective fields of activity. The distinction became increasingly difficult to sustain as teacher-training colleges added liberal-arts programs and other colleges expanded professional education. AES sought admission to the NPC in 1920 through Sarah Ida Shaw Martin, then president of Alpha Sigma Alpha and a former national president of Delta Delta Delta, but the request was rejected because of NPC restrictions on dual membership. The two organizations later moved toward integration. On November 12, 1947, the NPC granted associate membership, with reservations, to the six AES sororities then eligible for the transition. During its own biennial meeting, AES completed the required business and formally dissolved. The six former members received NPC associate membership on June 1, 1948, and full NPC membership in 1951. Three of those organizations—Alpha Sigma Alpha, Alpha Sigma Tau, and Sigma Sigma Sigma—remain NPC sororities, while the other former AES members either became defunct or merged with other organizations. After the transition, the surviving groups broadened their recruitment beyond education majors and operated as general social sororities.
History
The Association of Education Sororities developed from the limited presence of national sororities at teacher-training institutions in the early twentieth century. A 1911 survey indicated that national sororities were active at nearly all kinds of campuses except schools focused on preparing teachers. Sigma Sigma Sigma and Alpha Sigma Alpha organized a preliminary conference in Cincinnati on July 10, 1915, and met again in Boston on September 4, 1915. These meetings established a panhellenic body for education-oriented sororities, initially named the Association of Pedagogical Sororities. The organization’s purpose was to provide students preparing for teaching careers with the affiliation and organized social opportunities available to students in liberal-arts programs and other professional fields. Pi Kappa Sigma and Delta Sigma Epsilon joined the founding group in 1917. At its third national convention, the body adopted the name Association of Education Sororities, emphasizing the professional character of the campuses and students it served. Membership expanded over the following years. Theta Sigma Upsilon joined in 1925, Alpha Sigma Tau in 1926, and Pi Delta Theta in 1931. Pi Delta Theta merged with Delta Sigma Epsilon in 1941. By 1938, AES eligibility was limited to sororities with chapters on campuses offering four-year education programs. The association had campus and city-based local units and held biennial conferences throughout its active period. AES also functioned as a service and support network. Its member organizations adjusted dues and fees for students who often had limited incomes, while participating in scholarship programs, student-loan funds, hospital-bed projects, local social-service efforts, and support for a rural school library. The association cooperated on wartime defense projects during the Second World War. Its 1944 Scholarship Award Committee provided a $50 annual award to an undergraduate at a teaching college. Members also contributed to Social Precedents and Sorority Ethics, a 1935 publication addressing social etiquette and conduct within sorority life. Relations with the National Panhellenic Conference were shaped by overlapping campuses and changing higher education structures. Between 1915 and 1926, AES and NPC organizations frequently operated at the same colleges, and dual memberships sometimes occurred. A 1926 agreement attempted to divide their fields of activity. That arrangement became harder to maintain as teacher-training colleges added liberal-arts curricula and other institutions expanded professional programs. An AES membership request to the NPC in 1920 was rejected because of the NPC’s restrictions on dual membership. The eventual solution was organizational integration. On November 12, 1947, the NPC approved associate membership with reservations for six AES sororities. AES then formally dissolved at its concurrent biennial meeting. The six organizations became NPC associate members on June 1, 1948, and full NPC members in 1951. Alpha Sigma Alpha, Alpha Sigma Tau, and Sigma Sigma Sigma remain active NPC sororities; other former members became defunct or merged. With the end of the AES system, the surviving organizations shifted from an education-major focus to broader social-sorority membership.
- 1951
Former AES members receive full NPC membership
[1]The former AES organizations received full membership in the National Panhellenic Conference.
- 1948
Former members receive NPC associate membership
[1]The six former AES member organizations entered the NPC as associate members on June 1.
- 1947
AES dissolves after NPC transition decision
[1]The NPC granted associate membership with reservations to six AES sororities, after which AES formally dissolved.
- 1944
Scholarship award committee documented
[1]The association operated a committee that awarded a $50 annual scholarship to an undergraduate at a teaching college.
- 1938
Membership restricted to four-year education campuses
[1]AES restricted eligibility to organizations operating on campuses offering four-year education programs.
- 1926
AES and NPC define fields of activity
[1]The two panhellenic bodies reached an agreement intended to clarify their respective campus and organizational spheres.
- 1917
Name changed to Association of Education Sororities
[1]Pi Kappa Sigma and Delta Sigma Epsilon were invited to join, and the organization adopted its long-term name.
- 1916
Association formally established
[1]The Association of Pedagogical Sororities, the predecessor of AES, began operating as an umbrella body for sororities connected with teacher education.
- 1915
Founding conferences
[1]Sigma Sigma Sigma and Alpha Sigma Alpha held meetings in Cincinnati and Boston that created a panhellenic organization for education-oriented sororities.
Products and positioning
A professional and social umbrella association designed to give women preparing for teaching careers access to organized sorority affiliation, educational assistance, community service, and national inter-sorority coordination.
Marketing campaigns
- 1941Wartime defense support
United States
AES and its member organizations cooperated on defense-related activities during the Second World War. A related initiative by former AES member groups contributed to the organization that became Leader Dogs for the Blind in Rochester, Michigan.
Outcome. The effort extended the association’s community role beyond campus sorority affairs.
- 1940Education and community-support programs
United States
AES member sororities coordinated scholarships, student-loan assistance, hospital-bed support, local social-service projects, and funding for a rural school library. The programs connected sorority activity with the financial and community needs of teacher-training students.
Outcome. The association maintained a service-oriented role alongside its inter-sorority coordination, including a formal scholarship committee by 1944.
Brand decisions
1947
Dissolution and transfer of member organizations to the NPCM&ABackground
Teacher-training colleges increasingly added liberal-arts programs, weakening the institutional distinction between AES and NPC campuses.
Action taken
After the NPC approved associate membership with reservations for six AES sororities, AES completed the necessary business and formally dissolved at its November 1947 meeting.
Aftermath
The former member organizations entered the NPC as associate members in 1948 and became full members in 1951. Alumnae with dual memberships had to choose between organizations under NPC rules, and chapters at colleges without regional accreditation were required to close.
1926
Agreement defining AES and NPC fields of activityStrategyBackground
AES and NPC sororities operated on some of the same campuses, and overlapping recruitment and dual membership created organizational tension.
Action taken
The organizations adopted an agreement intended to define the activities and campus spheres of each panhellenic body.
Aftermath
The distinction became increasingly difficult to preserve as colleges broadened their curricula.
1920
Petition for National Panhellenic Conference membershipStrategyBackground
Sarah Ida Shaw Martin sought NPC membership for AES as the boundaries between education-focused and general sororities were still developing.
Action taken
The NPC rejected the request because its rules did not permit women to hold dual membership in two NPC organizations.
Aftermath
AES continued operating independently for several decades while maintaining relationships and competition with NPC organizations.
Recent events
- 1948
Former AES organizations enter the National Panhellenic Conference[1]
M&A
The six former AES member organizations received NPC associate membership on June 1, 1948; they later received full membership in 1951.
- 1947
National Panhellenic Conference grants associate membership to former AES sororities[1]
M&A · Other
The NPC approved associate membership with reservations for six AES sororities, prompting AES to complete its dissolution during its own biennial meeting.
- 1917
Association adopts the name Association of Education Sororities[1]
Other
After Pi Kappa Sigma and Delta Sigma Epsilon were invited to join, the organization changed its name to Association of Education Sororities.
- 1915
Association of Pedagogical Sororities formed by Sigma Sigma Sigma and Alpha Sigma Alpha[1]
Other
The two sororities held preliminary meetings in Cincinnati and Boston that created the organization initially known as the Association of Pedagogical Sororities.
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