During the 1970s, unprecedented numbers of American adults returned to school. The reasons for this growth and what trends in adult education can be projected for the future are the subject of this policy research monograph. The monograph began with the question, "What will the clientele and scale of adult education likely be in 1990 if present trends continue and if there are no marked changes in the way work institutions, education institutions, and American workers behave toward adult education?" The report is a portrayal of the next ten years of adult education, assuming continuation of past trends in participation for various age, sex, race, educational attainment, and income groupings in the population. It assumes no significant change in the way major work and educational institutions value and support worklife education opportunity. These projections suggest a future of widening disparity in educational attainment between majority and minority population, between the more affluent and the less afluent, younger and older adults, and between high educational achievers and those with low prior educational attainments. (KC)