TANS exists to advocate for strong private schools. In doing that, though, we are advocates for all Texans and for a collectively prosperous future.
The value of private schooling to parents is much more profound than anything that can be determined in a test score. Parents want their kids to be educated the right way. As those who have the most vital interest in their children, parents know best what that means.
Private schools also broaden the educational experiences of Texas children, because they are free to teach what they consider important, in the manner they consider appropriate. Texas parents support private schools in such large numbers (about 300,000 students attend private schools at last count by the U.S. Department of Education), because private schools have this unique ability.
The effect on Texas is that hundreds of thousands of students are being educated in a multitude of ways that provide diversity and creativity to our collective public mind. Very few would argue that we do not need a strong public school system, even one that focuses on test scores as a criterion of quality. But good public schools are not enough. We also need the dynamic individualism of private schools shaping the lives of students on whom we will rely to make invaluable contributions to our state's future.
TANS is an advocate for non-public education in Texas, representing early childhood, elementary, and secondary levels. TANS works to ensure that:
TANS was founded in 1967 by a group of innovative private school leaders who wanted to ensure that private education in Texas could continue to develop into a model for the nation.
Over the years, TANS has been the chief advocate for private school interests with the Texas Education Agency, the Texas State Legislature, and other state offices.
In the 1980s, TANS was instrumental in the formation of the *Texas Private School Accreditation Commission (TEPSAC), successfully negotiating equal standing for private schools accredited by TEPSAC member organizations. Each year TEA's Commissioner of Education renews this agreement in writing, certifying the importance of private schools to the larger economy of Texas.
Since the 1980s, TANS has effectively lobbied the Legislature, the Governor's office, and other state officeholders to protect the independence of non-public schools and the freedom of parents to choose private education for their children.
