TWICE
AS MANY ARKANSAS HOMESCHOOL AND PRIVATE SCHOOL STUDENTS AS AEA MEMBERS
(March 2012) The number of
Arkansas homeschooled and private school students outnumber Arkansas Education
Association (AEA) members by a ratio of more than 2-to-1, public records show.
Arkansas students in home
school totaled 16,3031 in 2010-11, according to
the Arkansas Department of Education. Arkansas
private school enrollment was 19,3752 in 2010-11, according to
the Arkansas Nonpublic School Accrediting Association (ANSAA), a non-profit
group.
The AEA is a teachers
union that seeks “to promote education and the advancement of the educator to
over 15,000 members,” according to annual reports filed with a federal agency. Members
of the association “include any educational employees who choose to belong to
the organization and pay dues.”
History
of Self Defense
ANSAA
was founded in the aftermath of a provocation by former Arkansas Gov. Bill
Clinton’s administration. Under Clinton,
the state Department of Education proposed new education standards in 1984 that
were designed to bring private schools under state control. Parents organized and fought back against
Gov. Clinton’s provocation, successfully defending Arkansas private schools and
their children.
A
coalition of non-public school administrators applied in 1988 to establish an
accrediting association. ANSAA was established as a nonprofit educational
organization the following year, and works “to advance educational excellence
in the state of Arkansas.”
1Arkansas Department of Education, “Home
School Report, 2010-11,” p. 14 ”http://arkansased.org/about/schools/home.html
2ANSAA School Enrollment Statistics
2010-11, http://www.ansaa.com/memberschools.htm