CANE was founded in 1906 by a group of "concerned collegiate Hellenists"[1] led by George Edwin Howes of Williams College.

It publishes the New England Classical Journal and, through the CANE Press, a collection of pedagogical materials.

[4] The Matthew I. Wiencke Teaching Prize is awarded each year to a teacher in an elementary or secondary school.

[5] The Edward Phinney Fellowship, awarded every three years since 1998, provides support for Ancient Greek programs in secondary schools.

[8] Beach (d. 1976), though not originally a classicist by profession, was a dedicated Latinist who became a teacher after retiring from a career in business.

He presented papers on both ancient Latin and neo-Latin at annual meetings over some thirty years and was instrumental in establishing an endowment for CANE.