Funders and program planners want to know: What does it cost to operate a high-quality after-school or summer program? This study answers that question, discovering that there is no "right" number. Cost varies substantially, depending on the characteristics of the participants, the goals of the program, who operates it and where it is located.…

The authors discuss how to use economic techniques to evaluate educational programs and show how to apply basic cost analysis to implementation of school-wide positive behavior support (SWPBS). A description of cost analysis concepts used for economic program evaluation is provided, emphasizing the suitability of these concepts for evaluating…

The Standards and Goals Project has undertaken cost analysis of halfway houses in order to analyze and estimate the costs of implementing correctional standards, and to provide cost guidelines and cost estimation techniques for use by jurisdictions. The first volume: (1) provides a brief background on the Corrections Standards relating to halfway…

Cost-income studies are designed to serve two functions in instructional program evaluation. First, they act as the indicator of the economic value of a program. This economic value in conjunction with the other educational values needed in program evaluation allow for the most realistic appraisal of program worth. Second, if the studies show a…

Comparison of 14 different distance teaching projects showed that the projects and their costs are reasonably comparable. Methods of cost analysis are discussed, and conclusions reached on seven aspects of the economics of distance teaching are summarized. (JEG)

Data from two studies of evaluation budgeting practices are presented to determine how resources are typically allocated across budget categories in evaluation studies. A common pattern showed these allocations: (1) 61 percent to personnel; (2) 13 to 14 percent to overhead; and (3) 15 percent to all other categories. (Author/LMO)

A study of six paired schools in Prince William County, Virginia, involving schools at the elementary, middle, and high school levels operating on traditional and on year-round plans, revealed that given established attendance boundaries the schools were not operating at sufficient capacity to reduce costs through year-round operation. This report…

Data from two studies on evaluation budgeting practices are presented. In the first study, estimated budget figures are provided for formative and summative evaluations by 29 state education agency evaluators. In the second study, initial budget figures, final costs, and study characteristics are abstracted from the records of 85 evaluations…

An exploratory investigation was conducted of a college of education's major costs in providing the "education major" alternative to obtaining teacher certification. Basic procedures consisted of identifying appropriate cost categories and gathering the required cost information. Major effects data from previous studies were reviewed and…

In 1970, boarding school enrollments were leveling off and inflationary tremors beginning to register in the financial seismographs of most schools. Recently, the school survival issue has begun to emerge as a subject for serious open debate and private speculation. This handbook advances the ideas that for shortrun survival, many schools will…

This volume, part of the interim report on the National Home Start Evaluation, includes cost of the 16 Home Start projects and outcome data from the six summative sites. Findings and recommendations are presented on the intra-project cost-effectiveness of Home Start and the cost-effectiveness of Home Start as a Head Start option. Home Start, a…

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…

A cost/benefit analysis of the assessment of experiential learning was performed at Webster College, Missouri. An undergraduate and a masters degree program were studied; the costs of evaluating experiential learning were compared to the costs of traditional college programs. Total costs for experiential learning assessment were found to be…

The purpose of this report by a panel of school finance specialists appointed by the governor to guide a budget study in New York State is to summarize studies on the existing apportionment system of public school aid and to suggest short-term steps for improving the equity of the present system. Parts 1 and 2 discuss the present operating aid…

The Information Retrieval Television (IRTV) system was a unique experimental media program initiated in several Ottawa, Canada schools in the fall of 1968. The program allowed teachers to select televised audiovisual programs for their classes at any time. This arrangement freed them from having to adapt to broadcast schedules or to the rigidities…