The History of Education Society is an international scholarly society. Its purposes are:

• Promote and improve the teaching of the history of education in colleges and universities
• Encourage scholarly research in the history of education, and facilitate the publication and dissemination of the results of that research Interest the educational profession and the public at large in the value of historical perspective in the making of educational policy
• Promote library and museum facilities for the preservation of source materials in the history of education
• Cooperate with specialists in other disciplines to interpret educational developments in a broad historical context
• Encourage cooperation among specialists in the history of education throughout the world in joint studies and the exchange of documents
• Cooperate wherever possible with organizations of professional historians and professional educators throughout the world

The Society is affiliated with the International Standing Conference for the History of Education, and members of the Society are automatically members of the standing Conference. The History of Education Society convenes a three day annual meeting in late October to present and discuss scholarship, and in other ways advance the goals of the Society. The call for proposals is usually issued in November.

The Society publishes the History of Education Quarterly journal which members receive.