Last revised: June 2008

Special Education Resources

Scope: This guide lists selected reference resources, both print and electronic, for information on Special Education. It is intended as a general reference for students, faculty, and others interested in general and professional literature in special education. The print resources listed here are available in the USM Shady Grove Library(SHADYG REF).These resources cannot be borrowed from the library.

For more information, please contact Shady Grove Library at shadylib@umd.edu or call (301) 738-6020.

Reference Books

These reference resources are useful in providing background information on the research literature. They provide a detailed definition, an overview and scholarly articles on special education topics. They usually have extensive bibliographies at the end for further research. You can search the catalog to look for books on your topic.

• Dictionary of Multicultural Education.
  AZ: Oryx Press, 1997
  Location: SHADYG REF
  Call Number: LC 1099.D53 1997
  This is an excellent resource for scholars, students, education practitioners and general public alike. There are many cross references and under each entry the original contributor is mentioned. It is a very good source of information for the growing minority population.
  
• The Complete Learning Disabilities Directory.
  CT: Grey House Pub.1994-
  Location: SHADYG REF
  Call Number: LC 4704.6.C66
  The directory is useful both for education professionals as well as for parents and families. Shady Grove Library has 2004/2005 ed. in the stacks. The latest edition-2007-is kept in the Reference collection.
  
• Encyclopedia of special education : a reference for the education of children, adolescents, and adults with disabilities and other exceptional individuals.
  NY: Wiley & Sons, 2007
  Location: SHADYG REF
  Call Number: LC4007.E53 2007
  A standard desk reference tool for both professionals and parents of exceptional children. There are over 2000 entries categorized as biography, educational and psychological tests, intervention, as well as policy and legal information.
  
• Encyclopedia of American Education.
  NY: Facts on File, 2001
  Location: SHADYG REF
  Call Number: LB17.U54 2001
  A standard, easy to read reference tool in three volumes; covers administrative,legal and all other aspects of education system in the United States including women's education, home schooling, special education, and minority education.
  
• The Encyclopedia of Learning Disabilities.
  NY: Facts on File, 2002
  Location: SHADYG REF
  Call Number: LC 4704.5.E53 2002
  The encyclopedia presents over 400 entries which define the different types of learning disabilities, including neurological damage, perceptual dysfunction and language disorders; causes and treatments; psychological and medical terms; pharmacology; and therapies.
  

Databases

• ERIC
  ERIC (Educational Resource Information Center), is a national information system which provides access to information from over 1000 journals and reports included in the Current Index of Journals in Education and Resources in Education Index.
  
• Education Research Complete Education Research Complete provides bibliographic citations and full text from over 1500 education language periodicals and yearbooks published in American and elsewhere. Is also abstracts book reviews, and selected series articles and supplements.
  
• Academic Search Premier
  
• LexisNexis Academic
  These two databases are multipurpose databases and they provide a good coverage of educational issues including special education.
  

Data & Statistics

• National Center for Education Statistics
  Provides statistical data from several NCES sources searchable by subject area, and through title only word searches.
  

• Statistical Resources on the Web: Education
  Provides a comprehensive listing of statistical data from Federal and non-Federal sources. This source is maintained by University of Michigan Document Center.
  

• Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice
  Funded under a cooperative agreement with the Office of Special Education Programs(OSEP), Dept. of Education, this Center provides important legislative and statistical information on special education issues at the Federal, state, and local levels.
  
• Statistical Abstracts of the United States
  This National Data Book contains a collection of statistics on social and economic conditions in the United States. You can also obtain other data from the Census Bureau,other Federal agencies, and private organizations.
  
• Disability Statistics Center
  The purpose of the Center is to produce and disseminate statistical information on disability and the status of people with disabilities in American Society and to establish and monitor indicators of how conditions are changing over time to meet their health, housing, economic and social needs. The Center receives its primary funding from National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research(NIDRR).
  
• IDEA DATA
  This website provides public access to the most recent data about children with disabilities served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act(IDEA). These data are collected annually by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. They are provided in the form of tables produced for the Annual Reports to Congress.
  

Internet Resources

• Buros Institute of Mental Measurements
  Publisher of the Mental Measurement Yearbook, this institute also provides links to other mental measurement information resources through their Buros Desk Reference Series. They also provide focused reviews of the literature to identify the tests that may be useful for specific purposes.
  
• Education World
  Includes a Special Education Subject Center; information and tools from Education World and other valuable sources for the special education community are provided.
  
• Office of Special Education: A Web Resources for Special Education
  This office is a part of Curry School of Education, University of VA. It provides extensive list of special education resources for professionals and also for the families of children with disabilities. It includes information on interventions, standards and directories.
  
• Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS)
  OSERS provides a wide array of support to families, educators, school districts and states in these three main areas: special education (OSEP), vocational rehabilitation(RSA), and research (NIDRR).
  
• LD On-line
  LD Online is a service of WETA public television. It provides basic research and legislative information related to learning disabilities.
  
• Council for Exceptional Children
  CEC is the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving educational outcome of special children. CEC advocates for appropriate governmental policies, sets professional standards, provides continual professional development, advocates for newly and historically underserved individuals with exceptionalities, and helps professionals obtain conditions and resources necessary for effective professional practice.
  

Tests and Measurements

• Classroom assessment : concepts and applications
  MA: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2008
  Location: SHADYG
  Call Number: LB3051 .A5627 2008
  
• School-based behavioral assessment : informing intervention and instruction
  NY : Guilford Press, 2007
  Location: SHADYG
  Call number:LB1124 .C43 2007
  Table of Contents
  
• A Guide to 100 Tests for Special Education.
  NJ: Globe Fearon, 1996
  Location: SHADYG REF
  Call Number: LB 1131.C5416 1996
  
• Mental Measurement Yearbook.
  NJ: Mental Measurement Yearbook, 2001
  Location: SHADYG REF
  Call Number: BF431.B8 2001
  There is also an electronic version of it available via Research Port.
  

Certification and Standards

• Maryland State Department of Education
  
• District of Columbia Public Schools
  
• Virginia Department of Education
  These regional educational sites provide information about teacher certification process, including the NTE (Core Battery and Specialty Area Tests) and the Praxix Tests.
  
• National Center for Education Information
• Content Knowledge: The McREL Standards Database

Grants and Funding

• Guide to Education Programs
  This is a subset of the larger Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. Information on grants, contracts, and other funding opportunities from the U.S. Department of Education is available here. This resource is searchable by subject, applicant eligibility, type of assistance, and level of education. Information includes program description, legislative authority, eligibility, appropriations, and contact information.
  

Journals

• Early Childhood Education Journal (MF)


• Early Childhood Research Quarterly (MF:1999-2002)


• Early Childhood research Quarterly (Print: 2008-)


• Journal of Special Education Technology (Print)


• Teaching Exceptional Children (Print)


• The Reading Teacher (Print)


• Zero to Three (Print)

Library Guides

Please also refer to the following resource guides for additional assistance in Special Education.

• Education
• Tests and Measurements
• Special Education
• Special Education (TSU)

Writing & Style Guides

When writing a research paper, you have to explain where you got your information. Some of the ideas you use will be your own, but many will have come from information you have read and people you have interviewed about your research topic. To explain where the information comes from, you have to give (cite) the source. The following resources may help you in writing research papers and also to determine how to cite references.
• APA Style Manual
  
• Citation Systems and Style Manuals
  

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