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Web by Topic: Education

Heartland's knowledgeable librarians have assembled a list of some of the more reliable Web sites.

What are some credible sites about education?

• The Almanac (from the Chronicle of Higher Education)

  The Chronicle of Higher Education's Almanac of Higher Education is now online. It includes national and state-by-state data on colleges and universities, faculty and staff members, students and finances.

• College Source Online

  More than 25,000 college catalogs, including two-year, four-year, graduate and professional schools.

• College and University Rankings

  Background information and links to college and university rankings from various sources.

• Education Issues

  Articles on topics such as charter schools, class size, vouchers, dropouts, technology in education, assessment, inclusion and more are covered here. You must register to use the site, but it is free.

• Education Report Card

  Maintained by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, this site provides a "report card" that assesses the educational system of each state in several categories, including academic achievement, low income and minorities, standards, workforce readiness, etc.

• Education Week

  This site promotes awareness and understanding of current issues in education. Free registration grants you access to the online version (and archive) of Education Week magazine. The site also contains up-to-the-minute news feeds and a "Hot Topics" section.

• Educator's Reference Desk

  Resources on a variety of educational issues, including a searchable ERIC/GEM database, a question and answer service and lesson plans.

• English as a Second Language self-study quizzes

  Over 1,000 quizzes, exercises and puzzles for the study of English as a Second Language.

• Illinois Colleges and Universities

  Alphabetical list of all Illinois colleges and universities.

• Illinois State Board of Education

  The State Board of Education sets educational policies and guidelines for public and private schools, preschool through grade 12. Their site has information on professional development, certification, grants, news and more.

• National Center for Education Statistics

  The NCES is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education.

• National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education

  This organization conducts research on higher education and posts their reports on this site. Some subjects covered are the affordability of education, policy recommendations for transfer from two- to four-year institutions and more.

• National Education Association

  News releases, publications, event announcements and education-related articles are included on this searchable site.

• Teachers.net

  Lesson plans, grade-specific chatrooms, job openings and information on continuing education for teachers.

• U.S. Department of Education

  Useful information for education majors on issues in the field. Also find info on how to fund your education.

• Web English Teacher

  Best of K-12 English/Language Arts teaching resources, including lesson plans, WebQuests, videos, biography, eTexts, criticism, jokes, puzzles and classroom activities.

What are some credible sites about education learning communities?

• Creating a Successful Learning Community - Eastern New Mexico University (NM)

  This site contains articles on the topics; Getting Started, Faculty Roles, Teaching in Learning Communities, Assessment, and Resources.

• Creating & Sustaining Online Learning Communities in the Community College

  This site presents an article defining online learning communities, including benefits and examples of communities that work. Also included is a description of the role of online learning communities in a community college.

• Integrated Learning Garden - Maricopa Community College

  General Models, Components of Learning Communities, Stories from Students, FAQ's, as well as links to articles and other institution's resources.

• Interdisciplinary Studies - Bellevue Community College (WA)

  The site contains a description of the school's interdisciplinary studies program, with links to course offerings, class information, student FAQ's, Faculty FAQ's, and links.

• Learning Better Together* (available in PDF format, 184 KB, 8 pages)

  This article from Promoting Student Success in College describes the learning communities experience and research on learning communities.

• Learning Communities - Collin County Community College (TX)

  A resource page with a description of learning communities and course offerings.

• Learning Communities Annotated Bibliography

  An annotated bibliography containing resources on implementing and supporting learning communities, as well as informing faculty of teaching/learning strategies (compiled in September 2000).

• Learning Communities Taking Root* (available in PDF format, 127 KB, 5 pages)

  An article from the Washington Center News, spring 1994, gives a 10 year history of learning communities in Washington (state) colleges.

• Learning Community Articles

  • Ogletree, E. (1992) "Analysis of the Non-Retention of First Year CUU Students." Eric Document #ED352866
  • Love, A. G. (1999) "What are Learning Communities?"
  • Love, A. G. & Tokuno, K. A. (1999) "Learning Community Models"
  • Smith, B. L., MacGregor, J., Matthews, R., Gabelnick, F. (2004) Learning Communities: Reforming undergraduate education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
  • "Learning Community Curricular Structures" Pages 67-76, 77-86, 87-96
  • "Core Practices in Learning Communities" Pages 97-106, 107-116, 117-128

• National Learning Commons

  Links to the National Learncom Listserv and a number of resources on Access & Achievement, Assessment, Rationale & Models, Service Learning, Sustainability, and Teaching & Learning can be found here.

• The Case for Learning Communities

  Reprinted from Community College Journal Aug/Sep 2005, this article speaks to the rationale for learning communities, benefits for students & faculty and to the community.

Always remember to evaluate your sources.