Return on investment (ROI) has become part of the policymaking toolkit, particularly pertinent for activities like school-based career guidance deemed optional by some policymakers. There are institutions supporting ideal ROI methods alongside an academic critique, but little research on how ROI has been applied in practice in a guidance setting.…

It is increasingly maintained that cost-benefit analysis (CBA) should play a greater role in educational policy-making. This article critically examines the rationale guiding CBA and its compatibility to educational settings. Drawing on philosophical discussions, it argues that the rationale guiding CBA has some fundamental limitations that render…

In this article, we perform cost-effectiveness analysis on interventions that improve the rate of high school completion. Using the What Works Clearinghouse to select effective interventions, we calculate cost-effectiveness ratios for five youth interventions. We document wide variation in cost-effectiveness ratios between programs and between…

The common reporting of effect sizes has been an important advance in education research in recent years. However, the benchmarks used to interpret the size of these effects--as small, medium, and large--do little to inform educational administration and policy making because they do not account for program costs. The author proposes an approach…

Cloud computing is a growing field, addressing the market need for access to computing resources to meet organizational computing requirements. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the factors that influence an organization in their decision whether to adopt cloud computing as a part of their strategic information technology planning.…

Identifies, classifies, and describes the range of cost studies in education and how they may contribute to improved policy analysis. Presents three examples illustrating applications of cost analysis, and reflects on key issues from previous applications in educational policymaking and evaluation. (SLD)

Indicates that nurses' voices are not heeded in national policy and health care decisions, even though nurses know as much about cost/quality relationships as any health care professionals. (Author)

The attractive features of various strategies for resolving a simulated commons dilemma (a paradox in which a long-term benefit requires the individual to forego immediate gain) were determined in conditions where 40 groups of college age participants (total number = 136) were acting as a world policy making body or local advisory group when there…

The coming decade will be one of accelerated change and limited resources. The pressures of continued bugetary constraints will be felt in every phase and at every level of the academic community, and the responses to these pressures will, in large measure, determine the complexion of private higher education into the next century. The ability of…

A procedure for the use of financial analysis in decision making about implementing cable television and securing all possible services is outlined. A six-stage decision making flow chart is provided; the six stages then explained and elaborated. The six stages are: define all realistic options; eliminate certain options because of lack of…

Efforts of the 96th Congress to use evaluation data in considering whether to change policies about reimbursement for psychotherapy services. (Author/BW)

The advent of microcomputers, laser printers, FAX machines, and desktop publishing has brought about an alarming increase in the amount and variation of printing. Coordination between service units is essential to create a coherent set of print choices, pricing options, and policies for the campus as a whole. (MLW)

A research program at Trinity College in Ireland is reported that focused on the decision-making process, particularly the committee structure. Described are the role of individuals within committees, centralized versus decentralized decision-making, costs, sources of rigidity, and problems of the concentration of power. (Author/LBH)

Suggests five questions for trustees to consider as they evaluate the costs and contributions of using part-time instructors. Questions address: (1) proportion of instruction assigned to part-time faculty; (2) type of program taught by part-time faculty; (3) comparability of qualifications for part-time and full-time faculty; (4) comparability of…

A social anthropologist suggests that other decision making models besides the consensual one (which assumes that the public behaves in accordance with values and attitudes) should be adopted by education as a result of shrinking resources, and discusses approaches to making decisions resulting from P.L. 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped…