Possible Alternatives to the Current ERIC System

1. The What Works Clearinghouse: The Statement of Assistant Secretary Grover J. Whitehurst Before the House Subcommittee on Labor/HHS/Education Appropriations on the FY 2004 Budget Request for the Institute of Education Sciences does not mention the ERIC system at all. His vision of the What Works Clearinghouse is included:
   

   I want to draw your attention to the ground-breaking What Works Clearinghouse. Unlike the situation in fields such as medicine, there is no single place for policy makers, practitioners, and parents to turn for information on what works in education. Virtually all education products, curricula, and approaches are advertised as based on research, but few are. The What Works Clearinghouse, launched in 2002, has specified clear and rigorous methodological standards for demonstrations of program effectiveness in education. It is now embarking on the ongoing task of examining the degree to which programs and products, within subject areas, have been shown to be effective under those standards. The first Clearinghouse reviews on topics such as reading and math curriculum, dropout prevention programs, and programs to reduce violence and misbehavior in the schools will be available later this year. We expect the Clearinghouse to become the principal source of valid information on effective educational practice. The 2004 budget includes an increase to speed the inclusion of additional topics in the coverage of the Clearinghouse.

   This is the Whitehouse announcement of the formation of the Clearinghouse.. The purpose of the Clearinghouse is to provide educators and policymakers with an easily accessible web-based database of information on what works in educating students.
   A search of the Department of Education Web pages shows the evolution of the Clearinghouse:
   1. U. S. Department of Education Awards Contract For What Works Clearinghouse The U.S. Department of Education has awarded a five-year, $18.5 million contract to a special joint venture to develop a national What Works Clearinghouse
   2. U. S. Department of Education Requests Proposals for 'What Works Clearinghouse'
   3. The What Works Clearinghouse presents a PowerPoint presentation on Scientifically Based Research October, 2002
   4. Key dates for the developement of the clearinghouse
   5. As of February 2004, many of the What Works Clearinghouse web pages are out of date. There is no "news" on the news page beyond June of 2003 and the update newsletter has been suspended. Still they are scheduling presentation and seem to be a continuing project. Contact information is listed as wwcinfo@w-w-c.org or 1–866–WWC–9799.
2. FREE formed in 1997 when more than 30 Federal agencies worked together to make hundreds of Federally supported teaching and learning resources easier to find. The result of that work is the FREE web site. Also in 1997, the U.S. Department of Education (ED), on behalf of the FREE Working Group, was selected by the Government Information Technology Services Board to support federal agencies to partner with teachers in developing online learning materials. The project, known as the "Consortium for Education," documents the lessons learned from these partnerships.
3. Gateway to Educational Materials, which offers a database of more than 17,000 education resources across more than 100 web sites. This database is made possible by the Federally supported GEM Consortium, a group of non-federal organizations and Federal agencies that have developed an education-specific metadata profile, controlled vocabularies, and tools for using the profile and vocabularies

The Activities of the Current ERIC System

Clearinghouse-by-Clearinghouse information is posted on a separate page as it becomes available. Changes are beginning to appear in the Department of Education Web pages that eliminate references to Clearinghouse web services. One noteable change, the chart comparing features of the various ERIC interfaces has been taken down. Also activities like SaveERIC that were supported by some Clearinghouse staff are disappearing.

ERIC homepage announces May 1, 2003 launch of a new ERIC Database Search Engine and Redesigned ERIC web site. This was actually available on May 20th..

The 2002 ERIC Annual Report lists a number of activities performed at the Clearinghouses that go beyond database creation. On page 43, in the budget descriptions it lists that while 82% of ERIC funding goes to the Clearinghouses, only 23% of the Clearinghouse funds go toward indexing materials for the database. This is the largest portion to any single source, but the Clearinghouses also provide outreach by answering individual questions, publishing materials, and conducting training sessions (combined representing 45% of their budgets).

According to a January 23, 2003 press release, the ERIC Clearinghouse alliance has joined NEKIA (National Education Knowledge Industry Association). NEKIA describes itself as the only national trade association representing the education knowledge industry. The members of this industry include researchers, educational developers, service providers, and a rapidly increasing number of entrepreneurs. Members of NEKIA are listed on the Web page. The organization also has a non-profit publishing arm called NEKIA Communications.

Friends of ERIC have launched a Website called SearchERIC.org. This is not an official ERIC website but they've been successful in compiling information about the ERIC system that I have not yet uncovered elsewhere. Please see their page, "A Little About ERIC" which provides an excellent overview of the activities of the ERIC system, beyond just the database.

The Spring 2002 ERIC File published by the ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education contains an item entitled ERIC's Role in Dissemination which discusses the importance of the Clearinghouse role in producing synthesis products and directly assisting educators and researchers.

Posted anonymously by supporters of ERIC, SaveERIC.org (this site is now gone 8/03) is an effort to provide an alternative view of possible changes to the system and information for those preparing to respond to the call for comments.