About

Arkansans for Education Freedom (AEF) was initially founded as Arkansas Against Common Core (AACC) in 2013 by Grace Lewis.  Over the course of a year and a half,  the organization developed a substantial following on Facebook of 10,000+ Arkansans, added a board of 10 people from across the state,  and gained influence within the state legislature.  In January of 2014, the board of AACC incorporated as a 501(c)4 lobbying nonprofit, with the new name Arkansans for Education Freedom (AEF) and with a broader mission to fight for educational freedom from federal overreach.

American public education has a rich history of local control, accountability through publicly elected officials, and quality education that is individualized and appropriate for a child’s developmental needs. Top-down centralization of education threatens these attributes which have made American education exceptional.

AEF affirms that K-12 education should be free of federal control. The U.S. Constitution does not grant the right of control over education to the federal government. Furthermore, the 10th Amendment to the Constitution asserts that those powers not explicitly granted to the federal government are given to the states and individuals. Consequently, we oppose national education standards, a national curriculum, and any attempt by the federal government to incentivize states into adopting or implementing such. Additionally, we oppose any attempt by state or federal government to establish a longitudinal database containing personally identifiable information.

We believe that the parent or legal guardian, rather than the community or government, has the God-given and Constitutional right to direct the education of their child. Parents should have a voice in the education of their children, and should be allowed to choose the type of education they believe is in the best interest of the child and family, which may include public, private, parochial, or home school.

It is the mission of AEF to inform and network concerned Arkansans from all points of the political spectrum in order to effect legislation that will prevent or reverse unconstitutional overreach of the federal government in education, and to restore control of public education to local public school boards in the state of Arkansas.