The Education Resource Center (ERC) is a community-based teachers' resource center located in Chicago (Illinois). Its conceptual base is broader than that of a typical teachers center as ERC represents a community-based social movement with a wider orientation than teacher training. ERC's policy board reflects community organizations and the community at large, while its staff includes artists, craftspeople, certified teachers, and people who have switched or retired from a number of other jobs and fields. A wide variety of activities and workshops are offered at ERC, not only to public school teachers but also to parents and others in the community who are interested in learning or helping others to learn. This paper offers an overview of the activities of ERC, a history of the program, and an analysis of the costs and benefits of the community-based model. A description of ERC activities during one year (1980) presents specific information on the problems faced by the organization and shows the gradual development of new programs designed to meet changing needs. Appended are essays that: (1) trace the planning of one ERC workshop; (2) supply a narrative tour of the center; (3) and (4) describe staff activities and ERC's community-based board of directors. Also included in this report is a paper by Rebecca G. Adams and Steve Wilson entitled "The Survival of a Social Movement Organization: The Broad Mission of the Education Resource Center," a case study of ERC activities. (JD)