Government Reference Sources: Education

Education Databases and Other Starting Points

• Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC): The United States Department of Education funds ERIC, the organization and its major database (with the same name) which identifies materials written about education topics. ERIC indexes journal articles and reports from government as well as non-government/commercial sources. Access to the commercially published materials indexed in the ERIC database often requires use of a library that subscribes to education journals and acquires other education materials. Read About ERIC, to learn more about Oviatt Library's subscriptions to the ERIC database and about ERIC documents (titles listed in the ERIC database with accession numbers that begin with the letters ED, available online and/or on microfiche) . There also is free, nonsubscription access to the ERIC database via the Educational Resources Information Center.
• Search for Schools, Colleges, and Libraries finds information about school districts, private schools, colleges/universities, and public libraries in the United States.
• National Center for Education Statistics offers NCES Fast Facts and other searches for statistics about education.
• USA.gov includes:
  • Students.gov, with links to financial aid information.
  • Education and Training, resources for teachers, students, and parents.
  • Kids.gov, a portal to federal information geared to children, provides links to Federal sites along with some of the best sites for children from other organizations, all grouped by subject. An example is Ben's Guide to US Government for Kids.
• Frequently used compilations of education-related statistics and facts:
  • America's Children: Key National Indicators of Child Well-Being
  • Tables & Figures Search brings together data from the National Center for Education Statistics with full-text keyword searching for education statistics. Includes tables from the Annual Reports Program, such as the Condition of Education and Digest of Education Statistics, and other publications.
  • The Nation's Report Card provides results, in various subject areas, from the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
  • State Education Data Profiles
  • Status and Trends in the Education of Hispanics
  • Crime, violence, discipline, and safety in U.S. public schools: Findings from the School Survey on Crime and Safety: 2005-06 and similar reports from the School Surveys on Crime and Safety.
  • The Health and Well-Being of Children: A Portrait of States and the Nation, 2005. See also Trends in the Well-Being of America's Children & Youth, 2003. Earlier years also available.

Key Federal Agency

• United States Department of Education
  • United States Department of Education Organization Chart
  • List of United States Department of Education Offices
  • Find their publications using United States Department of Education Publications in ERIC.
  • National Center for Education Statistics

Strategies to Find More

1. Use related online subject guides:
   • Finding Statistics about Education.
   • Information about Schools in California
2. Search engines especially for government information
   • Google's U.S. Government Search. Tip: If you are unsuccessful at this point in your search and you suspect that the information you need may be from a education association or other non-government source, try Google, to search all internet domains rather than just .gov sites.
   • USA.gov
   • Site indexes and/or site search engines are available at many state and local education agency websites, including the California Department of Education.
3. Internet Search Tools, a list of some favorite internet search engines.
4. Library Catalogs often allow searching by subject, author, title and keyword to identify what is available at a specific library. Library catalogs identify print materials such as books and other formats, including online sources. Try using the Oviatt Library's Library Catalog or Other Library Catalogs.

Created and maintained by Mary M. Finley
Questions or comments: mary.finley@csun.edu
Links checked: 24 January 2008