Background Knowledge
An understanding of the background of any topic is essential. What is the history; what are the theories; what are the key concepts? What has been your experience already? Look up the topic on Wikipedia - many of their entries are very good overviews, cite academic sources, and are updated often. Best of all, they're free for everyone with web access. However, watch out for biased viewpoints, incomplete or incorrect material. Find corroborating material in other reference sources. Enter terms like “counseling AND (handbook OR encyclopedia)” in our Search to find them. Note that in most cases it is not appropriate to cite background sources in papers or research.
- CQ Researcher
Covers the most current and controversial issues of the day with summaries, pros and cons, bibliographies and more. Provides reporting and analysis on issues in the news relating college financing, diversity issues, education policy, students and social life, and other topics.
Featured Source: MedLine Plus Medical Encyclopedia
Sources for Current News in Education
- Chronicle of Higher Education This link opens in a new window A top news source for people in academe, the Chronicle of Higher Education is published every weekday and is truly multidisciplinary in nature. The Chronicle is also an excellent source of data on higher education institutions and careers in academe. Our subscription allows access to an arts magazine called the Chronicle Review and an annual Almanac of Higher Education.
- Democracy Now! Democracy Now features independently produced news often related to civics education and social justice issues. It includes a "diversity of voices speaking for themselves", "providing a unique and sometimes provocative perspective on global events."
- Education Week This link opens in a new window Education Week is a high quality, nationally popular source focusing on K-12 news and education policy. Our full premium access to edweek.org includes the latest news (updated daily), research, and commentary from the K-12 world. Brief ed-tech videos can be shared and embedded, and special reports and research on special topics are available. Using the Education Counts section, faculty and students can create and download custom tables of state-level K-12 education data. Older content and web-only updates are exclusive to EdWeek.
- New York Times Education Section Keep up to date with articles on education from the New York Times. A Learning Network and a Special Section on Learning are also offered.
- NPR Education Free education news in audio clips and transcripts from National Public Radio, a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization based in Washington, D.C.
- US Department of Education The federal Department of Education site offers news and main sections on student loans, grants, laws, and data.
