The Distance Education and Training Council is a non-profit [ 501 c 6 ] educational association located in Washington, D.C. The Council was founded in 1926 to promote sound educational standards and ethical business practices within the correspondence field. The independent nine-member Accrediting Commission of the DETC was established in 1955; shortly thereafter it gained the approval of the U.S. Department of Education as the "nationally recognized accrediting agency" under terms of Public Law. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation ( CHEA ) also recognizes the Accrediting Commission. With its 80-plus years of history and its highly refined and federally recognized accreditation program, DETC offers distance learning institutions the most current, relevant and practical services for the 21st Century.