The annual budgeting process is a valuable opportunity for districts to systematically examine both resource use and programming. They can then use the findings to optimize resource use and improve program efficacy in ways that will lead to increased student achievement. Bo Yan and Thomas Aberli discuss three root causes for districts' inability…

Policymakers, child care providers, and parents face tradeoffs in determining how much to spend on child care, including how many hours to purchase, and the features of programs that might influence quality. Given these tradeoffs, it is useful to understand what constitutes quality, the cost of care features associated with quality, the effects of…

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.…

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)

This report discusses the use of funds provided by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act in California, Florida, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Texas. Objectives of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act are discussed and requirements for states to receive formula grants are reviewed. Observations from project…

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…

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…

The administrative costs of the student financial aid delivery process at postsecondary institutions were analyzed. After reviewing the literature and interviewing selected experts, 1982 cost data at nine institutions were studied: three public and two private colleges, two community colleges, and two proprietary institutions. Costs were…

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…

This handbook provides information that administrators of maintenance and operations in California schools can use in systematically planning and scheduling school facility support services. The first unit, chapter 1, is designed to help members of school district governing boards establish board policies, regulations, and procedures. Topics…

Investigating the costs of instructional media systems necessitated that those systems be identified and analyzed, and that a methodology be formulated for estimating their costs, with reference to their area of operation: local, city, metropolitan, state, or regional school areas. Costs are broken down into cost per student per year, according to…