NAM has had an ongoing interest in education since its second annual convention, held in Philadelphia in 1897. However, it was not until March 1949 that a separate Education Department was created. Among its early goals, the Department sought to “assist schools in making available to the youth of the nation a basic knowledge and appreciation of the advantages as well as the responsibilities of living in a free and dynamic society; to make available to teachers at all educational levels informative material concerning the role of industry in the growth and development of our country; to bring about closer cooperation between industry and education to the end that each may understand the other’s problems and contribute jointly towards their solution; to encourage industrialists and businessmen to give active leadership and personal support to the fundamental consideration of more adequate compensation for teachers on a basis consistent with their professional stature; and to the provision of adequate educational facilities and equipment and to promote closer cooperation between industry and education in the field of vocational guidance with a view to improving the present level of employment efficiency and employability.”

The department cooperated with the continuing work of the already established Education and Industry Program of the Community Leaders Department under the Public Relations Division. The Education Department would focus on the national and policy level, while the Education and Industry Program would focus on programming and carrying out operations on the community level.