Coalition of Adult Education Organizations

The Coalition of Adult Education Organizations (CAEO) had its beginnings in the early 1960s as adult educators recognized the need for greater interaction among adult education organizations. Its purposes from the beginning have been 1) to provide a forum for the discussion of issues, 2) to encourage cooperation within the field, and 3) to gain greater support from both the government and the general public. Originally known as the Ad Hoc Committee of Adult Education Organizations (later as the Committee of Adult Education Organizations), its first meetings resulted in the document, "Imperatives for Action," and the 1969 Galaxy Conference, at which the "Imperatives" were adopted as the charter document for membership in the newly created Coalition of Adult Education Organizations. Formal incorporation was realized in 1973. There was, in these formative years, an unsuccessful attempt to create a distinct political action arm known as the Adult Education Action Council (AEAC).

In 1976, another conference was held at the Wingspread Conference Center, from which emerged the revised "Imperatives for Policy and Action in Lifelong Learning." It was widely disseminated and helped to heighten the public's awareness of and interest in lifelong learning.

The CAEO has been recognized for its impact on federal legislative actions. Other accomplishments include the successful petition for an adult and continuing education section of the ERIC clearinghouse and an active international presence through both UNESCO and the International Council for Adult Education (ICAE), of which the CAEO is a founding member.

The CAEO's primary value, however, has been in the improved cooperation among its members, enhancing the identification and clarification of issues in adult education, and promoting activities to support continuing education.

More details concerning the CAEO's history and activities are available in the following two documents found in the collection:

Glancy, Keith E., compiler. Coalition of Adult Education Organizations, 1964-1989: An Index of Actions and Materials. 1990. [Box 1] Policicchio, Armand. The Coalition of Adult Education Organizations: An Historical and a Network Perspective. Ph.D. diss., University of Pittsburgh, 1984. [Box 15]