Rather than questioning equal educational opportunities for disabled students, the authors suggest that research and curriculum development should focus on three areas: criteria of educational validity to demonstrate appropriateness; variance in learning associated with specific student characteristics and interventions; and valid curricular…

American taxpayers are currently investing more than $160 billion annually in public elementary and secondary education. Concerned citizens continue to ask: For what purposes is the money being used, and is it accomplishing its purposes? This seven-chapter study addresses these concerns and provides factual answers to related questions about the…

This report analyzes a 1981 survey of public school districts receiving energy conservation measure (ECM) grants under the National Energy Conservation Policy Act, Title III, Cycle 1. The report contains charts of data, analyses of projects, and sections presenting study design, data treatment, findings, and conclusions. The survey's purpose was…

Efforts to compare the costs of exactly the same things in different geographic regions involve comparisons of the same "market basket" of goods in two geographic areas. Measuring cost differences in education, however, is difficult, since most of the costs are in personnel, rather than in supplies. This publication explains the differences…

This document contains the following manuscripts: "Effects of Alternate Scoring Options on the Classification of Entering Freshmen Writing Competencies," by Edys Quellmalz and Eva Baker; "Implications of Learning Research for Designing Competency Based Assessment," by Edys Quellmalz; "Effects of Alternative Discourse and…

This compilation of 214 monograph abstracts by 109 researchers and practitioners from the United States and several foreign countries encompasses a broad range of topics in education. The monographs report on regulation and legalization in education, finance and cost models, education and labor markets, educational technology, governance, tuition…

The l975 Educational Testing Service (ETS) Invitational Conference provided an overview of the social indicators movement, and the relationship between schooling and quality of life. The concept of educational indicators was discussed. Educational indicators are defined as statistics used to provide information regarding the status of particular…

A model is presented for analyzing the cost benefits of a school reorganization in which ninth graders are moved to senior high schools and sixth graders to junior high schools. Data from a Maryland school district show the reorganization will save money through increased capacity utilization and economies of scale. (Author/RW)

Year-round education (YRE) is much more than a space utilization program; it is a philosophy that considers the total learning environment. Lifestyles, work patterns, and communities are continuing to change, and YRE is designed to custom fit the individual needs of students and parents. The current opinion on YRE is split among those who support…

The second in a series of four publications on energy conservation, this booklet suggests energy-saving strategies that can be developed and implemented at the program and operational levels or that involve changes to the physical plant and its operating system. The strategies include variations in scheduling, techniques for cutting waste in…

The effects of school size and school plant utilization on pupil costs of maintenance and operation (M & O) in a large city school system in the South were investigated. School size is significantly and negatively related to pupil costs of M & O. Utilization rate, computed by dividing average daily attendance by the design capacity of the…

Reducing educational services, including community education, does not appear to be an effective method of reducing energy consumption. Increasing efficiency in existing services reduces energy consumption more effectively. (Author/MLF)

The closing of a school is a difficult step for everyone involved. In this review, 11 entries in the ERIC system about school closing are summarized. Included are suggestions for administrators to involve the community in the decision-making, and alternative uses of school buildings. Case studies are included that highlight how school districts…

Costs that may increase the original school construction estimates include school-design inefficiency, architect fees, and costs for land, site development, technology, demolition, consultants, and security. A quality-review team can plan to avoid hidden costs and ensure that the new facility will meet instructional needs at the least possible…

Using existing and new facilities more efficiently could accommodate increased student enrollment while producing significant savings in capital and operating costs. Ontario's Ministry of Education has identified 10 ways to increase facilities utilization, including innovative scheduling, year- round schooling, varied attendance plans, offsite…