Adult Education in the American Experience

From the earliest contributions of Native Americans in the colonial period to the workforce preparation crisis in the 1980s, this book explores the patterns, themes, and changing ideologies of learning and education in adulthood. Part One: Adult Education in Early America.

Part Two: The Early National and Antebellum Eras.

Part Three: Adult Education in an Era of Modernization.

Part Four: The Nation Amid Crisis and Recovery.

Part Five: America at the Peak of World Power. "Stubblefield and Keane have brought a high degree of organizationand coherence to the very complex history of adult education in theUnited States. No one who is serious about the study of adultlearning can afford to be without this thoroughly researchedvolume."
--David W. Stewart, director of program development, theCenter for Adult Learning and Educational Credentials, AmericanCouncil on Education HAROLD W. STUBBLEFIELD is professor of adult education atthe Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. A winnerof the 1988 Imogene Okes Award for Outstanding Research in AdultEducation, he has been chair of the Commission of Professors ofAdult Education and a consulting editor of Adult EducationQuarterly.

PATRICK KEANE was professor of continuing education atDalhousie University in Nova Scotia from 1970 until his retirementin 1992. His articles have been published in such journals asStudies in Adult Education, International Journal ofLifelong Education, Convergence, and Adult EducationQuarterly. From the earliest contributions of Native Americans in the colonial period to the workforce preparation crisis in the 1980s, this book explores the patterns, themes, and changing ideologies of learning and education in adulthood.Harold W. Stubblefield and Patrick Keane detail the broad context of adult learning and its relationship to social, economic, and political movements throughout American history. Giving special attention to issues of race, ethnicity, class, religion, and gAnder, the authors examine the institutions, agencies, and programs that have disseminated knowledge and culture to adults. They describe the ideology of self-improvement and the role of adult education in the struggle against social injustice, economic powerlessness, and segregation. And they show the alternative educational systems--including women's organizations, self-help efforts of African Americans, and education programs created by industrial workers and farmers--created to address interests ignored by the larger society.From the earliest contributions of Native Americans in the colonial period to the workforce preparation crisis in the 1980s, Adult Education in the American Experience explores the patterns, themes, and changing ideologies of learning and education in adulthood. "Stubblefield and Keane have brought a high degree of organization and coherence to the very complex history of adult education in the United States. No one who is serious about the study of adult learning can afford to be without this thoroughly researched volume."
—David W. Stewart, director of program development, the Center for Adult Learning and Educational Credentials, American Council on Education

From the earliest contributions of Native Americans in the colonial period to the workforce preparation crisis in the 1980s, this book explores the patterns, themes, and changing ideologies of learning and education in adulthood.

"Stubblefield and Keane have brought a high degree of organization and coherence to the very complex history of adult education in the United States. No one who is serious about the study of adult learning can afford to be without this thoroughly researched volume."
—David W. Stewart, director of program development, the Center for Adult Learning and Educational Credentials, American Council on Education