About ELA

The Education Law Association, formerly NOLPE, is a national, nonprofit, nonadvocacy member association that promotes interest in and understanding of the legal framework of education and the rights of students, parents, school boards, and school employees.

Together, our professional community anticipates trends in education law and supports scholarly research through the highest value print and electronic publications, conferences, seminars, and professional forums.

The Education Law Association is a membership organization and does not answer individual legal questions or provide legal advice or services. If you are in need of legal representation, contact your local, county, or state bar association or legal aid office.

See what ELA members have to say about this one-of-a-kind organization.

Additional Information

Founded in 1954 during an education conference at Duke University, the National Organization on Legal Problems in Education was founded with 57 members from 15 states and the District of Columbia. Within six weeks of its inception, NOLPE had 205 members from 40 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam. The first annual meeting was held in the fall of 1955 at the University of Chicago and the first full-sized book was published in 1958, titled Law and the School Superintendent. By 1963, nearly one-third of the membership was attorneys.

The annual conference attracts hundreds of participants and attendees from around the United States and a number of other countries. The conference has been held in such places as Philadelphia, Chicago, Denver, Miami Beach, Las Vegas, New Orleans, and Nassau, Bahamas.

In 1994, NOLPE officially became known as the Education Law Association. At that time, the organization's headquarters were in Topeka, Kansas. In 1997, the Education Law Association moved to the University of Dayton's campus and is now housed in the School of Education and Allied Professions.

Funding for ELA is achieved through membership fees, publication sales, conference and seminar fees, and corporate sponsors. All information contained herein is provided as a service to our members, and for our visitors, who are encouraged to join our ELA family.

NOLPE: The First Ten Years. Learn the details of ELA's creation and first decade of existence by viewing this PDF; an archived document from 1966.

The Education Law Association is not engaged in rendering legal or other professional advice and assumes no responsibility for the statements and opinions by any of its contributing authors or editors. If you have any questions about the application of issues raised herein to your present situation, seek the advice of a competent attorney or professional.