DE1 board vs Cyclone II FPGA Starter Development Kit

Both kits are identical.

The only difference is that one is Altera branded, the other is Terasic branded. The CD content might be slightly different, but you can download newer versions from Terasic website.

Please note that despite being marketed for educational purposes, and as with most other Terasic boards, the reference designs are barely commented or documented. They are actually more "demonstrations" than reference designs.

The hardware you get for the price, especially if you can get the educational discount, is still great IMHO.