Education Research Guide

Print Resourses

Online Databases (Magazine and Journal Articles)

Web sites by Topic:

Assessment and Evaluation
Associations and Advocacy
Career Resources
Classroom Resources
Children's Museums
Cohorts
Educational Research and Government Information
English Language Learner and English as a Second Language
Standards and Certification

Print

Books and other materials available in the Moraine Valley Library

The Public Access Catalog (PAC) contains over 120 sources under the subject heading education. There are also 88 subject headings related to education such as adult education, distance education, elementary education, home schooling, learning, schools, students, teachers, and teaching.  

Encyclopedia of Education
CQ's State Fact Finder 2000:Rankings across America
Educators Desk Reference
Encyclopedia of Education Information
Encyclopedia of Educational Evaluation

Children's Literature: Caldecott and Newbery Award Winners in the Moraine Valley Library collection.

Online Databases 

ERIC: Created and maintained by the U.S. Department of Education, indexes education articles and education-related research papers and books from 1966 to present. One of the key resources in education research.

Expanded Academic ASAP: Broad database that covers a great deal of information.  Try using subject headings such as comparative education, teaching, education, elementary education, exceptional children, and teachers of exceptional children.

MAS Ultra - School Edition: Intended for high school and middle school students. Useful for education majors and individuals gaining reading skills.

Primary Search: Articles from 50 children's magazines and other reference sources.

Professional Development Collection: Designed for professional educators.

Wilson Select Plus: Includes full-text articles, from 1994 to the present, of over 1300 sources. Covers a wide range of subject areas including accounting, human resources, advertising, computers, management, economics, marketing, education,  public administration, environment, general, science, and health care.

ArticleFirst: Covers over 12,000 different publications from 1990 to the present. Contains over 9,277,000 articles on subjects in business, science, the humanities, social science, medicine, technology, and popular culture. Updated daily.

Web Sites

Assessment and Evaluation

Practical Assessment, Research and Evaluation (PARE) - On-line journal supported, in part, by the Department of Measurement, Statistics, and Evaluation at the University of Maryland, College Park. Its purpose is to provide education professionals access to refereed articles that can have a positive impact on assessment, research, evaluation, and teaching practice, especially at the local education agency (LEA) level.

The ETS Test Collection - Extensive library of 20,000 tests and other measurement devices from the early 1900s to the present.  The collection is the largest in the world. It was established to make information on standardized tests and research instruments available to researchers, graduate students, and teachers.

Associations and Advocacy

American Federation of Teachers - Union representing the economic, social, and professional interests of classroom teachers. Includes information on legislation, salaries, and more.

Center For the Child Care Workforce - A project of the American Federation of Teachers Education Foundation. Resources of note include federal, state, and local policy and initiative information, and research and workforce data.

Illinois Education Association/NEA - An affiliate of the National Education Association, membership is comprised of 120,000 Illinois elementary and secondary teachers, educational support professionals, retired educators, and college students studying to become teachers. Visit the professional development center or view current job openings.

National Education Association - Issues in education and the legislative action center are two of many helpful sections on this site.

Career Resources

The Champion's School Salary Database - Find out what Illinois teachers earn. Search by teacher name, district, or other criteria. Also includes opinion and analysis from supporters of school reform and school choice.

Education America - Search education job listings by various criteria.

Classroom Resources

Awesome Library - Organizes the Web with over 30,000 carefully reviewed education-related resources. Includes options for teachers, kids, teens, parents, librarians, and college students.

Busy Teachers Web Site - Lesson plans and activities for subjects ranging from archaeology to social studies.

Center for Media Literacy - Resources for teaching media literacy skills, aimed at grades preK-12. Also includes articles from the journal Media and Values.

ChildFun.com - Primarily aimed at parents of young children, the site also includes a variety of activities that can be used in the classroom. Also includes posts on childrearing topics.

The Gateway to Educational Materials - "The key to one-stop, any-stop access to high quality lesson plans, curriculum units and other education resources on the Internet!"

Early Childhood Education Web Guide - Links to theme-based songs, activities, games, snacks, and science projects aimed primarily at pre-schoolers.

The National Science Digital Library - Aimed at educators from K-16, the National Science Foundation's portal includes high quality resources and tools, searchable by topic, media format, and grade level.

PBS Teacher Source - Excellent source for teachers of all grades, as well as teachers.
New York Times Learning Network - Created and maintained by the New York Times, the site offers current events and education-related activities, including lesson plans, Q&A's, and news summaries.

Smithsonian Education - "The gateway to Smithsonian educational resources," aimed at students, parents, and educators. Lesson plans focus on art and design, science and technology, history and culture, and language arts.

Teachable Moment - From the Educators for Social Responsibility Metropolitan Area (New York City), timely teaching ideas, lesson plans and more with a focus on current events and controversial/newsworthy topics. Divided into activities for elementary, middle, and high school students.

Web English Teacher - Extremely comprehensive and well-organized, high-quality source for English/Language Arts online teaching resources. Aimed primarily at middle and high school levels.

Children's Museums

The Art Institute of Chicago - According to Child magazine, one of the nation's most child-friendly museums.

Association of Children's Museums - Links to web sites of children's museums across the United States.

Cohorts

Disabilities and Special Education - Links to lesson plans, resources for inclusion, general diability directories, and information on specific disabilities.

Multicultural Lesson Plans and Resources - Links to lesson plans, activities, and other resources.

Educational Research and Government Information

Clearinghouse on Early Education and Parenting (CEEP) - Provides publications and information to the worldwide early childhood and parenting communities.

Education World - Comprehensive resources include lesson plans, practical information, information on integrating technology into the classroom, site reviews, features and columns, teacher and principal profiles, chats, and job listings.

ERIC - Sponsored by the U. S. Department of Education, ERIC indexes education articles and education-related research papers and books from 1966 to the present.

Head Start - Site sections include programs/services, grant information/services, research/statistics, publications/information resources, budget policy, and conferences/events.

Institute of Education Sciences - The research arm of the U.S. Department of Education.

National Center for Education Statistics - Provides educational statistics, forecasts, and reports, including "The Nation's Report Card."

National Child Care Information Center - "National clearinghouse and technical assistance center that links parents, providers, policymakers, researchers, and the public to early care and education information."

The U. S. Department of Education - Information includes details on grants and contracts, financial aid, research and statistics, policy, and programs.

English Language Learner and English as a Second Language

National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition and Language Instruction Educational Programs (NCELA)

LEARN - Libraries' English and Reading Network - Resources aimed at helping adults learn English. Helpful links include the Chicago-area "Groups That Help Teach English" and the list of links to ESL-related web sites.

English as a Second Language Lesson Plans and Teaching Ideas - From Web English Teacher, a large selection of ESL-related links.

Standards and Certification

Illinois Certification System - Study guides, practice tests, and information aboutthe ICTS.

Illinois Learning Standards - Information about he seven core areas elementary and secondary students must, ranging from accountability to teaching and learning.

Illinois State Board of Education - The official Web site of the Illinois State Board of Education.

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards - Independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization advocating national standards and certification for teachers.