This paper explores the nature and extent of outsourcing by higher education institutions, benefits and challenges associated with outsourcing, and the implications of outsourcing for effective management. The principal investigator conducted a national study of outsourcing by four-year colleges and universities at two points in time, 1998-99 and…

After a study of 3,000 classrooms in 130 schools in 16 states, the Environmental Protection Agency urged all schools to conduct tests for radon. Explains a 6-step screening test, methods of reducing radon concentrations, and how the risk from radon exposure compares with other risks. (MLF)

Describes how educational institutions are recognizing the short-sightedness of deferred maintenance. Discusses the challenges facing schools as they confront maintenance costs and what they must do to address the problem. Offers advice on proactive stances toward maintenance such as computerized work control processes, maintenance zones, and…

Physical facilities represent a substantial investment for institutions of higher education, and the costs for maintenance and operation represent a sizable part of the annual operating budget. Higher education is moving toward a comprehensive form of facilities management to assure that this investment is adequately preserved and effectively…

Background: Policies set at the state, district, and school levels can support and enhance a healthy and safe school environment. Methods: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducts the School Health Policies and Programs Study every 6 years. In 2006, computer-assisted telephone interviews or self-administered mail questionnaires were…

This research brief documents higher education's infrastructure needs, examines the effectiveness of existing financing vehicles and methods, and explores new approaches and methods of financing and long-term investment for buildings, equipment, and facilities. Currently, the bulk of capital funding occurs at the state level, and to a lesser…

This chapter of "Principles of School Business Management" reviews the extensive range of activities associated with planning for and constructing school facilities. These activities include (1) organizing the staff and organizing the task; (2) conducting long-range planning (involving the gathering of data, the development of a planning document,…

School systems have been forced to postpone purchases of new equipment and to defer repair and renovation projects. At present, 39 states provide support for local school district capital expenditures through five primary mechnanisms: full state assumption, state/local sharing, state flat grant, state equalizing grant, and state loans. In response…

A number of disadvantages cripple school efforts to face current energy shortages. Most schools were built at a time when energy was inexpensive and abundant and their structural design gave little regard to energy efficiency. Coupled with poor maintenance programs, school facilities may waste as much as 25 to 50 percent of the energy used. As an…

Deferring maintenance in small rural schools creates poor conditions that can affect the health and safety of everyone who uses the facility, damage the morale of students and teachers, impair their ability to teach and learn, and threaten the facility itself. Numerous recommendations for policy changes that affect maintenance are presented. A…

Examines court decisions in 1995 concerning college and university tort liability in accidents. Issues addressed include defects in premises, inadequate facility maintenance, school policy concerning safety, recreational activities on campuses, student field experience programs, campus activities involving children, operation of campus housing,…

Principals of 62 elementary and secondary rural schools in a 20-county area of the upper Cumberland region of Tennessee were surveyed about the status of rural school facilities and their accommodation of various curricular and extracurricular offerings. Small class size was reported by 58 percent. The high incidence of Internet-operable schools…

A synthesis of ideas and proposals that have emerged in the course of recent Programme on Educational Building activities places emphasis on issues relating to the economic management of existing building resources. In recent years the development and administration of educational building policies have been affected by changes in the organization…

This sixth chapter of "The Yearbook of School Law, 1986" identifies 354 state and federal court decisions handed down in 1985 affecting local district boards of education or the property of institutions of elementary, secondary, and higher education. Topics involve the relative power of school boards of education and state officials;…

Practitioner papers and research papers on higher education planning and budgeting are presented. "Before the Roof Caves In: A Predictive Model for Physical Plant Renewal" by Frederick M. Biedenweg and Robert E. Hutson outlines a systematic approach that was used at Stanford University to predict the associated costs of physical plant…