There is a strong case to be made for mainstreaming older people into regular classes and schools rather than segregating them in special, separate groups on the basis of age. Many older Americans are in need of elementary-secondary level training in order to become functionally literate. Similarly, the continually changing nature of work has forced many middle-aged and older adults to seek vocational training or retraining. The decline in enrollment and financial problems currently being faced by institutions at all educational levels make the mainstreaming of adults into regular classrooms not only feasible but economically advantageous. While it is true that education has traditionally meant education of the young, America has manifested a historical trend toward all-inclusive education. Many of the traditional assumptions underlyinq American education would tend to support the mainstreaming of older adults into regular classrooms. Included amoung these are the notions of education as preparation, education as continuous growth, and education as an end. What is needed now is an age-inclusive system of education in which schooling would no longer be viewed as preparation of youth but rather as a lifelong process. (MN)