About ERIC

about us

What is ERIC?

The Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) is a federally supported system of 16 clearinghouses and supporting organizations that makes various written materials about education accessible to all who are interested. The ERIC system produces a computer-searchable bibliographic database of the literature in education. Currently the database describes nearly 1 million articles, reports, curriculum guides, books, and other information resources. The ERIC system is funded by the U.S. Department of Education through its National Library of Education.

What is the ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools (CRESS)?

It is the component of the ERIC system that is responsible for information about the following areas of interest:

American Indian & Alaska Native education

Mexican American education

Migrant education

Outdoor and Experiential education

Rural education

Small schools

What does ERIC/CRESS do?

Within its scope, ERIC/CRESS
acquires and screens (for timeliness, usefulness, clarity, and richness of content) education-related materials such as journal articles, reports, curriculum materials, and conference papers.
writes detailed descriptions of the selected materials and feeds these descriptions into the computer-searchable bibliographic database.
answers requests for information.
maintains this Web site, making hundreds of resources available in downloadable form.
develops and disseminates free publications, low-cost publications,and a free newsletter.
conducts workshops.

Be an ERIC Author

Submit your work for inclusion in the ERIC Database.
What are ERIC/CRESS Partners?

These are professional and community organizations--for the most part--that are involved in work related to our Clearinghouse areas of specialization. Learn more about our partners or see a list of our current partners.

Who works at the clearinghouse?

Six of us work here. You can call clearinghouse staff toll-free (800-624-9120) if you like, or send us individual e-mail messages.
Where are we located?

Our host institution is the AEL, Inc. For more information about our Clearinghouse or AEL, contact
ERIC Clearinghouse on
Rural Education and Small Schools
AEL, Inc.
P.O. Box 1348
Charleston, WV 25325-1348

E-mail: ericrc@ael.org
Toll-free telephone: 800-624-9120
TDD: 304-347-0448
Fax: 304-347-0467

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Contact any of our staff members with questions or for help.

Last updated 01/28/2000

An EO/AA Employer * Serving educators since 1966

This site is maintained through funding provided by the U.S. Department of Education, National Library of Education under contract no. ED-99-CO-0027. The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of the National Library of Education or the Department of Education. The ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools is operated by AEL, Inc. AEL is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.