Adult education

Adult education, or continuing educaton, learning undertaken by adults. Originally offering adults the educational opportunities missed in youth, adult education is now seen more as part of an ongoing process, enhancing the education already received. In the United States adult education started with the Lyceum Movement, early in the 19th century. After the Civil War, important advances were made by the Chautauqua Movement and in various federal agricultural education acts. During the Depression the Works Projects Administration (WPA) provided education programs for 2 million adults, and after World War II the G.I. Bill of Rights made advanced learning available for veterans. In the 1960s federal funds provided for basic literacy programs under the Economic Opportunity Act.