Members of the Council of Arts Accrediting Associations (CAAA) are the National Association of Schools of Music, founded in 1924; the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, founded in 1944; the National Association of Schools of Theatre, founded in 1965; and the National Association of Schools of Dance, founded in 1981. Among them, these organizations accredit over 1,200 institutions or programs in the arts, primarily in conservatories, colleges, universities, and independent schools of the arts.
CAAA is a not-for-profit Virginia corporation.
CAAA is governed by a nine-member Board of Trustees: the President and Vice President of each of the four member Associations, and the Executive Director of the Associations in common, ex officio.
CAAA meets annually in January.
CAAA is a forum for policy discussions regarding the arts, education, and accreditation; a means for developing advisory documents, analyses, and positions when common action among the members seems appropriate; and a mechanism for formal conversation and coordination among the members and with other national and international organizations.
On behalf of the four organizational members, CAAA oversees the Higher Education Arts Data Services project; the Accrediting Commission for Community and Precollegiate Arts Schools; and the joint properties of the member Associations.