Searching the Databases

The ECER Database
ECER, Exceptional Child Education Resources, is the proprietary database of The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). It is devoted exclusively to the published professional literature in special education, gifted education, and related services. CEC will offer ECER online in April 2004.

Ovid Technologies, Inc. offers the ECER database on CD-ROM and online (by subscription account).
More information on ECER
How to get a copy of the ECER database on CD-ROM

The ERIC Database
ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) is the information database of the U.S. Department of Education. It covers all aspects of education-related issues through journal articles, conference proceedings, papers, speeches, research reports, teaching guides and curriculum, and books. (Please note: The database contains the abstracts—not the full text—of documents.)
Tutorial on How to Search the ERIC Database
Search the ERIC database

Other Databases of Interest
OSEP Directory of Discretionary Grants and Contracts
This database contains descriptions of more than 1000 projects currently funded by the Research to Practice Division of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). Funding for these projects is authorized by the discretionary program provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). All projects funded through fiscal year 2001 are included, and projects from fiscal year 2002 are added as funding decisions become finalized.

National State Policy Database (NSPD)
The NSPD is a full-text searchable database containing state special education regulations and a copy of the federal regulations for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The files can be searched in a number of ways, and the complete file for any state can also be downloaded.