THE SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION
A Guide to Library Resources for EPOL 420 (SOC 420)
STATISTICS
U.S. Education Statistics
- The Almanac of American Education, 2008 (370.973021 Ed8331, Education Reference)
Compare statistics by national, state, and county.
- The Chronicle of Higher Education Almanac, 2011 (Q. 378.73 C468, Education Stacks)
Variety of data about the most important trends in higher education.
- Digest of Education Statistics
Compilation of American education statistics from prekindergarten through graduate school. It’s possible to view the full text or tables by year, level of education and / or education topics. Published by the National Center for Education Statistics.
- National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
Great starting place for various statistics about education in the United States. NCES Fast Facts organizes data by topic and education level. Look at each area and their sub-categories. NCES Surveys & Programs has links to more detailed reports about specific subjects or education level. Common Core of Data collects information about public schools, school districts and state education agencies. The Condition of Education is an annual report that discusses important developments and trends in education.
- United States Department of Education
The U.S. Department of Education releases reports, surveys, and statistics about issues and trends surrounding American education.
U.S. General Statistics
- Explore Census Data
Use the links or search box to find data in tables, maps, and other visualizations. Topics in the Advanced Search option include education, employment, race and ethnicity, and much more.
- FedStats
Statistics from over 100 U.S. government agencies. Search by topic within yearly compilations or use the search box to search across the website.
- Statistical Abstract of the United States
A compilation of important and useful data from several government agencies on a wide range of topics. The web version has selected features, including USA Statistics in Brief and State Rankings.
- U.S. Census Bureau
Provides a wide range of information about the population. The People section includes information on education, families and living arrangements, fertility, income, marriage and various other subjects.
U.S. Disability Statistics
- Disability Statistics (Cornell University)
Cornell releases “Disability Status Reports” on the US and individual states. These reports include information about demographics, employment, income, education, and insurance of people with disabilities.
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Data
This website provides access to data about children and youth with disabilities. DAC is funded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), U.S. Department of Education.
- Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), U.S. Department of Education
The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) prepares the Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act which includes information about the education of students with disabilities, assistance provided to states and localities, and assessment of support given to children with disabilities. While the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) oversees grant programs and releases data and statistics about outcomes of various programs.
International Statistics
- CIA: The World Factbook
Wide range of information and statistics about countries around the world.
- Library of Congress: Country Studies
Diversity information of all types, e.g., education, race, ethnicity, language, religion, etc., for individual countries outside the United States.
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
The OECD releases a report about the Programme for International Student Development (PISA) yearly. This report includes information about students performance in reading, mathematics and science; equity in learning opportunities and outcomes; student engagement; school resources, policies and practices; and changes in student performance.
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics: Education
Includes data from over 200 countries and territories and covers all education levels (prekindergarten to university). Also available in print, Education Reference 370.21 G512. The Global Education Digest 2011 also provides data and statistics.
- UNICEF: Information by Country or Programme
UNICEF provides statistics about various aspects of the countries they work in including education, nutrition, health, women, child protection, and economic indicators.
- United Nations Statistics Division
Start here first for international statistics. The UN collects, analyzes and disseminates a wide range of statistical information to the general public. Links to information on statistical methods, links to data and reports, and other sources. See the site, UNdata, for UN statistical databases.
- The World Bank: Education Statistics
Includes information about school enrollment, completion indicators, learning outcomes, education inequities, education projections, and expenditures on eduction by country or topic.
HINT: The U.S. Government releases many reports about topics in education. Since many of these reports are in PDF format, run a Google search, but limit your search by filetype. For example, the Google search: bullying statistics us government filetype:pdf , finds the “Student Reports of Bullying and Cyber-Bullying” report from the U.S. Department of Education. Change the keywords and add others if necessary.
HINT: For additional international statistics and information, check a country’s department of education website. For example, the United Kingdom’s Department of Education has a section about data, research and statistics.
REFERENCE RESOURCES
Reference resources are sources of solid background information about the trends, history, and social movements in education. All books are located in Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library reference collection unless otherwise noted.
General
- The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology. 2007.(301.03 B568)
- The Education Systems of Europe. 2007. (370.94 Ed836 and Online)
- Encyclopedia of American Education. 2007. (370.973 Un32e 2007)
- International Encyclopedia of the Sociology of Education. 1997. (306.4303 In8)
- The Routledge International Handbook of the Sociology of Education. 2010. (306.43 R765, Education Stacks)
- Statistics Sources. 2010. (016.31 ST2)
Online Reference Collection
www.library.illinois.edu/eref/
Start by keyword searching larger collections of encyclopedias, dictionaries and handbooks. It’s also possible to browse an specific online reference source by subject. Suggestions of specific reference sources are listed after the collection name.
- ABC-Clio E-Book Collection
- Credo Reference – Key Concepts in Education
- Gale Virtual Reference Library – Human and Civil Rights: Essential Primary Sources
- Oxford Digital Reference Bookshelf – Encyclopedia of Human Rights
FINDING ARTICLES
Scholarly journal, newspaper, and magazine articles are one of the primary means of communicating research ideas. They are an important component of academic research and give you some insight into ongoing debates and scholarly conversations about your topic. You can find articles through database searches.
Finding articles is a two-step process:
- First, find the citation to the articles you want. You can use bibliographies or suggested readings lists, or you can search for the topic you are interested in by using one of the article databases listed below. If you get stuck, ask your professor or a librarian for help getting started.
- Next, find the actual text of the articles you want. Many of our journals are online, but some of them are still available only in print format. If the journal article you are looking for is not available electronically, you will need to use the Online Library Catalog to look up the location of the journal for which you have a citation.
Education Databases
Sociology Databases
General and Other Subject Article Databases
- Academic Search Complete
- America: History and Life
- Historical Abstracts
- PAIS Index
- UIUC Library Newspaper Database
Searching Article Databases
Experiment with keywords to search article databases.
- Try words to describe your topic (e.g. cyber bullying, No Child Left Behind, sexual harassment, alternative schools, feminist movement, civil rights movement, etc.) in addition to the type of information you are interested in (statistics, penalties, laws, pros/cons, education impact, outcomes, etc.)
HINT: The starred (*) databases can be searched at the same time. After entering one database, click on Specific Databases in the center of the page; select the additional databases you would like to search. You will save time by not running individual searches in each database.
FINDING BOOKS & JOURNALS
Library catalogs are used for two purposes. First, if you know exactly what you are looking for, for example you know the exact title of a book or journal or an author’s name. Second, you can use library catalogs to find materials that might be helpful to you by doing subject and keyword searching.
- Online Library Catalog – Look here to find books, DVDs, magazines or journals containing articles that you need, and many other resources. In addition to the 12 million volumes we have on this campus, you can connect to over 70 other libraries in Illinois and request that books be sent to you. When you find something you want in the catalog, write down the following:
Location – in which library the item is kept (or libraries, if we have multiple copies)
Call Number – this number is essential for finding the item on the shelf
Status – is it available for you to check out? - WorldCat and Interlibrary Loan – The places to verify citations for books and request books and articles you cannot find elsewhere. Ordering books and journals via Interlibrary Loan is free and generally fairly quick.
PRIMARY & SECONDARY SOURCES
Definitions of and tips for finding primary and secondary sources can be found at Find Primary Sources and Find Secondary Sources.
IMPACT OF 1960’S MOVEMENTS ON EDUCATION
In addition to the sources and research suggestions above, the resources and search hints below will help you with your EPS/SOC 420 paper.
Background Research
Reference sources are a great starting point for background information about a topic. The Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library, as well as other libraries at Illinois, have general AND subject specific reference books.
- Encyclopedia of African American Education. 2010. (Q. 371.82996 En192 and Online)
- Encyclopedia of American Social Movements. 2004. (Q. 303.4840973 En19)
- Encyclopedia of Educational Reform and Dissent. 2010. (Q. 371.200973 En192 and Online)
- Encyclopedia of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement. 2000. (305.86872073 M475e)
- Encyclopedia of the Social and Cultural Foundations of Education. 2009. (Q. 370.3 En1925 and Online)
- Encyclopedia of Women and Gender : Sex similarities and Differences and the Impact of Society on Gender. 2001. (Q. 305.403 En192 and Online)
- Gay and Lesbian Rights in the United States : A Documentary History. 2003. (305.90664 G256)
- The Gay and Lesbian Movement. 1996. (305.90664 R437)
- Gender and Education : An Encyclopedia. 2007. (370.8203 G235)
- Handbook of Social Movements Across Disciplines. 2010. (Online)
- Historical Dictionary of School Segregation and Desegregation : The American Experience. 1998. (379.2630973 R122h)
- Youth, Education, and Sexualities : An International Encyclopedia. 2005. (371.826603 Y888)
Find Books, Journals and Articles
Search the Online Library Catalog and the databases in the Articles section using these suggested search terms or similar terms. Remember to search the subject or keywords field rather than the all text/anywhere field; this will provide more relevant results.
- Civil rights
- Civil rights movements
- Feminism
- Feminist movement
- Gay liberation movement
- Labor movement
- Peace movements
- Protest movements
- Social movements
- Student movements
- Student protesters
- Women’s education
- Women’s rights
AND
- Education
- Learning and scholarship
- Schools
- Teaching
- 1960’s
Journals
Online Resources
- United States Department of Education
The U.S. Department of Education releases reports, surveys, and statistics about issues and trends surrounding American education.
CITING SOURCES
Library Guide to APA citation style
Additional guidelines for citing electronic and print resources are available from the Undergraduate Library’s Citation Styles guide.
Need help collecting and organizing your citations and producing a list of works cited? Citation management tools can help! The guide “Citation Managers” helps users choose a citation management tool and provides links to other guides on specific options like Zotero, Mendeley, and EndNote.
RESEARCH TIPS
Is it Scholarly? Peer-Reviewed? A Research Article?
Consult the Research Articles and Peer Reviewed Journals Guide for definitions and tips for identifying scholarly and peer-reviewed research articles.
Writing an Annotated Bibliography
This Annotated Bibliography Guide explains the purpose of an annotated bibliography, describes the content that should be included in an annotation, and provides examples and additional resources.
Avoiding Plagiarism
Plagiarism is using the words or ideas of another as if they were your own. It can be an intentional or unintentional act, but either way there can be severe consequences. The information in this Plagiarism Guide will help you understand and avoid plagiarism.
NEED HELP?
Ask-A-Librarian for Help with Your Research
Use our Ask-A-Librarian Service to IM, chat, email, phone or find a reference librarian.
Contact a librarian to request an appointment for an in-depth Research Consultation.
Finding Your Way Around
There are over 25 departmental libraries on our campus, and sometimes it may be difficult to determine where to find the resources you need. For your class, the library that you will be using most is the Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library. We are located in Room 100 and 101 of the Main Library building.