The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities' (APLU's) Commission on Innovation, Competitiveness, and Economic Prosperity (CICEP) views university contributions to the economy across a spectrum of activity--from educating students and creating the talent necessary for the 21st century workforce to developing innovation ecosystems and…

Threshold analysis (TA) is introduced as an evaluation model. TA converts unknown variables into questions as to whether a given benefit, cost, or success probability is more or less than a threshold, above which the proposed project would be profitable, and below which it would be unprofitable. (Author/PN)

Presents a method for holistic organizational analysis that provides developers with a rationale to obtain data and decision bases for successful internal and extraorganizational intervention and change. The analysis, based on the Organizational Elements Model, relates organizational resources, efforts, results, and organizational impact. Presents…

Strategic planning, accountability, and restructuring efforts often exacerbate targeted problems because the accurate information required for success is unavailable. This document offers a model monitoring system for utilizing important information by schools and districts. Part 1, "Basic Assumptions About Schools and Districts," explores how…

Today, administrators must assume a different mindset if public schools are to remain viable and functional. Changing populations resulting in heterogeneous communities, the diversity of community values, and the finite resources available to meet the infinite desires of a demanding constituency have created the necessity for political acumen on…

The second of two related pamphlets, this guide describes how to design an outcome study and outlines procedures for collecting outcome data. After an introduction that delineates the purpose of the two-part series, the pamphlet is divided into four major sections. The first section explains how to select a cost-outcome analysis. The next three…

This guide is designed to provide basic guidelines and points of reference for participation in discussions on policies and practices related to the inclusion of students with disabilities in large-scale assessment programs. The results of a survey of statewide assessment programs are discussed, including findings that very few states currently…

Discusses the Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB) research concerning the identification of indicators of service efforts and service accomplishments. The GASB has proposed that financial reports should not only be useful in assessing accountability, but they should also assist in making economic, social, and political decisions. (six…

The Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model, a conceptual model for measuring productivity and efficiency, is presented and applied in this report. First, the DEA model is described, and three of its properties that make it particularly useful are identified; i.e., it measures efficiency of units relative to each other rather than to absolute…

To help school staffs, students, parents, and community members understand and apply accreditation processes, ten booklets outline the new accreditation procedures adopted by the Washington State Board of Education for individual elementary and secondary schools. The booklets contain forms, checklists, and explanatory materials for two general…

The first of two related pamphlets, this guide provides information on how to conduct cost-outcome analyses, with an emphasis on measuring costs. After an introduction that delineates the purpose of the two-part series, the pamphlet is divided into six major sections. The first section, "definitions and rationale," introduces…

Steps for taking the guesswork out of predicting a school's financial outlook include gathering extensive information on the school system's financial condition; sorting, assessing, and ranking the data; and organizing the information into a presentable, comprehensible form, if possible with the help of a microcomputer. (JBM)

Based on a doctoral dissertation that involved a study of the nation's 100 most successful school computer systems, this report summarizes the study's purpose, scope, methodology, resultant model, general observations, and future implications. The model is divided into two major sections: (1) strategic planning activities, focusing on computer…

Intended to provide guidance to Extension specialists and agents faced with requests for impact analyses from communities experiencing economic development, this report also summarizes issues that need to be considered. The first section, on private sector impacts, addresses questions on predicting changes in production, employment, and housing…

This document contains (1) a monograph investigating and describing conditions under which it is cost-beneficial to operate an enriched YCCIP (Youth Community Conservation and Improvement Project) design and (2) a guidebook to work project enrichment. The first sections of the monograph focus on the attributes of an enriched YCCIP activity in…