George B. Brain Education Library
Guide to Information Resources in EducationFinding Research Reports
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The resources listed below may include freely-available sites on the World Wide Web, printed materials available in the Washington State University Libraries, and electronic resources available only to WSU-affiliated users. One or more of the following symbols should be found next to each of the individual resources listed below:
- (WWW) - World Wide Web (a site that is freely available to all users);
- (PDF) - World Wide Web Resources created in a "pre-defined data format." Requires you to install the Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer;
- (WORD) - Resource available through the World Wide Web, but created using Microsoft Word. Requires you to have Word installed on your computer, or to have the Microsoft "Word Viewer."
Note: Clicking on any of the links to external resources provided below will open a new browser window.
I use the term "research reports" to describe research studies produced by credible bodies such as local, state, and federal government organizations, professional associations, and think tanks. An increasing number of significant research reports are now available in electronic form (either as a supplement to the printed form or as a replacement for the print). One recent example is the study issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in September 2000 on school violence, "The School Shooter" (see below). While these materials are occasionally collected elsewhere on this site as part of the subject-specific research guides, they will be collected more comprehensively on this page.
If you know of a research report relevant to any area of education that is available in full-text, electronic format but is not collected here, please suggest it to me.
Collected here are links to collections of reports on more than one topic, and virtual libraries of education research.
- EdResearch Online (WWW) (PDF)
An electronic database of over 12,000 documents and articles drawn from the contents of the Australian Education Index (AEI) and provided through the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). Searchable by keyword and AEI thesaurus term. Includes all the Australian Association for Research in Education online conference papers since 1989.
URL: http://cunningham.acer.edu.au/dbtw-wpd/sample/edresearch.htm
- Education-Line: Electronic Texts in Education and Training (WWW) (WORD)
This "electronic archive of 'grey' (report, conference, working paper) and 'pre-print' literature in the field of education and training" is provided by the British Education Index (BEI). Searchable by keyword and by BEI thesaurus terms, this database provides access to over 1,000 papers presented at British research conferences and elsewhere. Provides links to searchable paper files from conferences sponsored by the British Educational Research Association, the European Conference on Educational Research, and others.
URL: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/
- National Center for Postsecondary Improvement (WWW) (PDF)
A research center sponsored by Stanford University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Michigan, the NCPI site includes links information on state and federal higher education policies, research reports on higher education, and more.
URL: http://www.stanford.edu/group/ncpi/
- Northeast and Islands Regional Education Laboratory - Publications Catalog (WWW) (PDF)
Housed at Brown University, this federally-funded R&D laboratory provides research on topics such as assessment, curriculum, professional development, and educational technology.
URL: http://www.lab.brown.edu/public/pubs/catalog.taf
- Rand Education Online Publications (PDF)
A collection of substantive reports on a variety of topics from the Rand Organization.
URL: http://www.rand.org/publications/electronic/ed.html
- Thomas B. Fordham Foundation (WWW) (PDF)
Reports available on a number of topics related to current reform movements, including accountability and school choice. See especially Making Standards Work: A Case Study of Washington State. Use the "Publications" link to access additional work published in other formats by Fordham staff members such as Chester E. Finn, Jr.
URL: http://www.edexcellence.net/foundation/global/index.cfm
- The Urban Institute - Research by Topic: Education (WWW) (PDF)
Reports on a number of topics, including a number of reports especially relevant to urban education.
URL: http://www.urban.org/Template.cfm?Section=ByTopic&NavMenuID=62#TopicID166
Collected here are links to collections of reports on education in a specific state or region of the United States. Rich resources for comparative information. Many include print publication catalogs. Also included are single reports from organizations without a "collection" site.
- EdSource: Online Publications (WWW)(PDF)
Collects brief, issues-related reports on education in California.
URL: http://www.edsource.org/pub_cat.cfm
- Maryland State Department of Education - Special Reports (WWW) (PDF)
Reports on state statistics, teacher education, school reform, etc. in the state of Maryland.
URL: http://www.msde.state.md.us/Special_ReportsandData/index.html
- Northwest Regional Education Laboratory - Planning and Policy Reports (PDF)
Reports on education in the Pacific Northwest region. Note the availability of the electronic journal, Northwest Education under the "Resources" link.
URL: http://www.nwrel.org/planning/index.html
- Policy Analysis for California Education (WWW) (PDF)
A cooperative venture of the University of California and Stanford University, PACE provides research reports on a variety of topics related to education in California from the Pre-K to the college level.
URL: http://www-gse.berkeley.edu/research/PACE/pace_publications.html
- Texas Center for Educational Research (WWW) (PDF) (WORD)
Reports on educational policy, instructional practices, school finance, etc.
URL: http://www.tcer.org/
- Texas Education Agency - Research and Evaluation Online (WWW) (PDF)
Collects an enormous number of research reports on the Texas educational system, including research on topics of national interest such as school size, student and teacher retention, school safety, and special education.
URL: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/research/abs2.htm
- What Do Test Scores in Texas Tell Us? (WWW)
An issue paper from Rand Education that questions the success of Texas state education reforms and has become part of the debate over education in the 2000 election. Readers may also be interested in Haney's The Myth of the Texas Miracle in Education (2000).
URL: http://www.rand.org/publications/IP/IP202/
International and Comparative Education
- Association for the Development of Education in Africa (PDF)
A growing archive of studies of the state of educational systems in various African nations. Also includes reports by "working groups" on higher education and the teaching profession.
URL: http://www.adeanet.org/publications/en_pubs.html
- Bilingual Schools in Mexico (WWW)
General information about the Mexican education system and descriptions of 40 bilingual schools. A product of the Institute of International Education.
URL: http://www.iie.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Research_Publications/Archives/Bilingual_Schools_in_Mexico/Bilingual_Schools_in_Mexico.htm
- British Columbia Teachers' Federation (WWW) (PDF)
Dozens of reports are available on subjects related to numerous educational issues, including class size, educational reform movements, school violence, special education, and the teaching profession.
URL: http://www.bctf.bc.ca/ResearchReports/
- Higher Education in the 21st Century: Global Challenge and National Response (PDF)
A monographic research report edited by Philip G. Altbach and Patti McGill Peterson, and sponsored by the Institute of International Education.
URL: http://www.iie.org/PDFs/Publications/report29.pdf
Reports in this section are organized broadly by subject. If there is only one report on a particular topic, it may appear in the Miscellaneous Reports section. There may also be reports on the subjects identified below in any of the more comprehensive collections described above. No attempt has been made to extract topical reports from these larger collections.
Early Childhood Education
- America's Kindergartners (PDF)
Report from the NCES on "children's skills, knowledge and experiences as they enter kindergarten for the first time. The data are the first findings from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99."
URL: http://www.nces.ed.gov/pubs2000/2000070.pdf
- NAEYC Position Statements (WWW) (PDF)
Short statements on a variety of issues presented by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
URL: http://www.naeyc.org/about/positions.asp#where
- School Involvement in Early Childhood (WWW)
U.S. Department of Education report on early childhood education, the role of the school, and professional development for early childhood educators.
URL: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/schoolinvolvement/
Diversity & Multicultural Education
- Does Diversity Make a Difference?: Three Research Studies on Diversity in College Classrooms (PDF)
A report by the American Council on Education on the educational benefits of racial and ethnic diversity programs on college campuses.
URL: http://www.acenet.edu/bookstore/pdf//diversity_report/2000_diversity_report.pdf
- Language Policy (WWW)
A collection of resources by language policy scholar James Crawford. Follows current developments in language policy in the schools, bilingual education, etc. Includes links to the full-text of research papers and other essays.
URL: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/JWCRAWFORD/
Education Technology & Information Systems Association of Educational Computing and Technology - Publications (WWW) (PDF)
Includes online versions of AECT journals, reference materials, and occasional papers.
URL: http://www.aect.org/Intranet/Publications/index.html
- Conference on Educational Technology 2000 - White Papers (WWW)
Papers commissioned by the Department of Education for the Secretary's Conference on Educational Technology, "Measuring the Impacts and Shaping the Future".
URL: http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/techconf00/white_papers.html
- Fool's Gold: A Critical Look at Computers in Childhood (PDF)
New report on the detrimental effect of computers in the classroom by the Alliance for Childhood.
URL: http://www.allianceforchildhood.net/projects/computers/computers_reports.htm
- The Power of the Internet for Learning: Moving from Promise to Practice (WWW) (PDF) (WORD)
The final report of the U.S. Congress's Web-Based Education Commission. Reports on the promise of Internet-based education to "center learning around the student instead of the classroom, focus on the strengths and needs of individual learners, [and] make lifelong learning a practical reality."
URL: http://interact.hpcnet.org/webcommission/index.htm
- Teachers' Tools for the 21st Century: A Report on Teachers' Use of Technology (PDF)
A study by the NCES on the availability of technology in the classroom, teachers' use of technology, and the professional education needs of teachers preparing to use technology in the classroom.
URL: http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2000102
Educational Administration
- Consortium for Policy Research on Education (PDF)
Reports on a variety of topics related to educational policy and school finance, including resource allocation and teacher compensation. Reports produced at the University of Pennsylvania are currently online, with reports produced at the University of Wisconsin to follow (links are available from the Penn site).
URL: http://www.cpre.org/index_js.htm
Statistics
- National Center for Education Statistics: Popular NCES Reports (WWW) (PDF)
Collects the most popular reports provided by the NCES, including The Condition of Education, Projections of Education Statistics, Characteristics of the 100 Largest Public Elementary and Secondary School Districts in the United States, and others.
URL: http://www.nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/
- Note: State-level statistics are often available through the state-specific sites (e.g., EdResource: Online School Data).
- Adolescent and School Health (WWW) (PDF)
A collection of resources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including national and state data on health education programs, statistics "at a glance" on health education programs and youth behavior, guidelines for health education programs, and research reports.
URL: http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/index.htm
- Before It's Too Late: A Report to the Nation from The National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century (PDF) (WORD)
Reports on the state of math and science education in the U.S. with suggestions for reform. See also other National Commission papers (below).
URL: http://ed.gov/americacounts/glenn/toc.html
- Metropolitan Life Survey of the American Teacher (PDF)
The most recent volumes of this famous annual survey of the teaching profession are available online.
URL: http://www.metlife.com/Applications/Corporate/WPS/CDA/PageGenerator/0,1674,P2817,00.html
- National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century: Commissioned Papers (WORD) 4 papers sponsored by the Commission in preparation for its report Before It's Too Late. Papers look at the recruitment and retention of math and science teachers in the U.S. and abroad.
URL: http://ed.gov/americacounts/glenn/compapers.html
- The School Shooter: A Threat Assessment Perspective (PDF)
Reports on a two-year study by the Federal Bureau of Education on school violence.
URL: http://www.fbi.gov/publications/school/school2.pdf
- Sex Education in America: A View from Inside the Nation's Classrooms (PDF)
Reports on a survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation on parent, teacher, and student views of the sexual education curriculum.
URL: http://www.kff.org/youthhivstds/3048-index.cfm
By the very nature of its subject matter, this page is a work continuously in progress. New reports will be listed as soon as I become aware of them. If you know of a research report relevant to any area of education that is available in full-text, electronic format but is not collected here, please suggest it to me.
There are a number of electronic announcement lists that regularly include links to newly-available electronic reports. Among the most useful are the following:
- The Scout Report
One of the leading resources for information on new Web sites and other online resources. Often includes descriptions of newly-available research reports. Includes a searchable archive of previously-reviewed materials.
URL: http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/
- Information from & about the U.S. Department of Education
Announcements of new publications, initiatives, grant opportunities, and online resources made available through the U.S. Department of Education.
URL: http://listserv.ed.gov/archives/edinfo.html