Special issue traces 20-year history and mission of Appalachian Regional Commission. Outlines changes in highways, transportation, education, health, child development, community building, housing, enterprise development, energy, natural resources, environment, leadership, economy, and development diversity. Presents 15-year economic outlook,…

The development of a system of resource allocation for an entire faculty of science at a major Swedish university, using program units smaller than the department unit, is outlined. Special problems of continuous evaluation, allocating additional resources, and initiating new specialties are discussed. (MSE)

This paper presents proposals for improving the way the District of Columbia decides how to improve its public facilities and other infrastructure. It recommends a practical decision process that will help the District plan effectively for capital improvement, up-grade the condition, utilization, efficiency and attractiveness of its public assets,…

Proposals to expand opportunities for children to attend independent schools prompt heated and complex debates. Proponents and opponents bring a number of philosophical and ideological arguments to public policy discussions, while lawmakers often justify their decisions on the basis of the perceived economic and fiscal impacts of the proposals.…

This 2002 Unit Cost Study for the Illinois Community Colleges is part of an annual project involving the direct participation of all public community colleges in Illinois. The Study consists of basic enrollment and cost data: (1) midterm enrollments in student semester credit hours; (2) costs for direct instructional salaries; (3) direct…

The Southeast Center for Teaching Quality (The Center) has conducted a study of the costs of high quality Teacher Preparation on behalf of the Regional Education Laboratory at SERVE and at the request of the Alabama State Department of Education. In light of the recommendations issued by Alabama's Task Force to Improve Educator Preparation and the…

This description of the gifted education program of the Des Moines (Iowa) public schools is organized into five sections: (1) context evaluation, (2) input evaluation, (3) process evaluation, (4) product evaluation, and (5) future planning. The context evaluation section notes that the state-mandated programs provide services to students…

Designed for use in calculating the distribution of state aid to colleges in the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) and in preparing financial and enrollment reports, this document provides a summary of projected cost allocations for the WTCS for 1997-98, derived from data submitted by the colleges on cost allocation schedules. Following a…

This policy research brief summarizes changes in out-of-home placements of children and youth with mental retardation since the implementation of the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) entitlements. Statistics are reported for 1977, 1987, and 1997 to show trends. Statistics were obtained from…

This report reviews special education costs and funding for Wisconsin public school districts, as well as the funding relationship between special education and regular education. In addition, it compares Wisconsin's method of allocating categorical aid to methods that other states use in allocating special education funding, and presents survey…

This worksheet is part of a series of technical assistance resources on financing and sustaining out-of-school time and community school initiatives. The worksheet is intended to help developers of such programs to create one type of financial projection--an operating budget--that identifies the range of costs that their initiative will incur. To…

This paper describes the Tennessee Children's Plan, a program phased in between 1991 and 1993 that implemented a coordinated service system for children, youth, and families. A study involving children and youth (birth through 21 years) who were in the custody of the State of Tennessee investigated the effectiveness of coordinated service systems…

A series of reviews of the Department of Transportation's (DOT's) Job Access and Reverse Commute (Job Access) Program explored DOT's and grantees' challenges in implementing the Job Access program and the status of DOT's program evaluation efforts. DOT and grantees faced significant challenges in implementing the Job Access program. DOT's process…

Analysis of the University of Michigan's eight-year-old medical service plan looks at its revenue and expenses, impact on medical school programs of education, research, and patient care, and the environment influencing chairman and faculty recruitment and retention. A survey identified factors important in the plan's success. (Author/MSE)

Given growing demands for cutbacks in aid to programs for the disabled, it is essential to choose carefully designed policy that benefits many and seriously harms few and to document program effectiveness through unbiased economic analysis. (Author/MJL)