Outsourcing has been proposed as a method for improving effectiveness and productivity in Australian public library service. Developments, drawbacks, and potentials are discussed, and differences between contracting out whole services as opposed to selected activities are examined. (AEF)

The University of Washington (Seattle) developed an administrative process that integrates user needs assessment. The user-centered library is defined and assessment initiatives including policies, surveys, analysis of resource allocation, and professional development are discussed. (AEF)

Cost factors associated with the development, administration, and scoring of performance assessment tasks are examined in the context of a statewide or other large-scale assessment program. Resources of money, time, and expertise are discussed. (SLD)

A survey of U.S. pharmacy schools and a review of pharmacy journals examined the level of pharmacy school training in analytical and statistical techniques. It was concluded that there is a substantial gap between what practitioners are taught in pharmacy school and the skills needed to assess the literature with respect to pharmacoeconomic…

Analysis of focus group discussions, involving 21 family members (having young children with disabilities) and 19 professionals, identified issues associated with families' use of time in the area of needed supports and time as a constraint. Implications are discussed in relation to developing early intervention programs. (DB)

There are many excellent scientists in the natural and human sciences in Canada's small universities. If the institutions implement internal procedures to encourage and foster a research climate and if research councils consider alternative strategies for research funding, research productivity could expand greatly in quality and scope. (MSE)

Explores the difficulty of evaluating school effectiveness, distinguishing between school effectiveness and school efficiency. Introduces seven evaluation models, and discusses the difficulty of integrating these models. Develops a dynamic model which reconceptualizes school effectiveness and combines characteristics of the integrated and…

Analyzes two new state funding programs for low-wealth and small-enrollment schools in North Carolina, compared with funding distribution provided under the already existing Basic Education Program. The distribution of low-wealth funds among counties is erratic, and the small-school funding program benefits some small-enrollment counties with…

Since 1983, Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton has made education the central focus of his administration, raising teacher salaries and qualification requirements, encouraging participation in higher education, and raising taxes to fund reform despite resistance. Continuing problems include limited resources and low esteem for state colleges among the…

Argues that decreasing participation in accreditation will not necessarily realize financial gains for colleges, since other methods of remaining accountable will take its place. Proposes ways to reduce accreditation's real costs while preserving its traditional benefits of self-examination, external scrutiny, and participatory membership. (MAB)

Bartering opportunities to win education and benefits for Blacks are substantial because the Clinton administration needs the votes of the Black Caucus to pass contested legislation. The education proposals of the caucus are reviewed, along with the need for better-defined agendas. (SLD)

The place of peer review in the process by which the Australian Research Council allocates funds under the Large Grants Scheme, the primary funding source for basic research, is examined. Validity and reliability of peer review, the decision-making process, and cost effectiveness of the procedures are considered. (MSE)

Congressional investigations into university overhead charges, especially those at Stanford University (California), for federally sponsored research are leading universities to reexamine and change some policies, including charging some housing costs for university officers to government contracts. (DB)

Improving college stature is an ongoing and essential process needed to regain public support and trust. Administrators can elevate stature through specific techniques in innovative planning, resource allocation, outcomes assessment, and image management, and they can communicate better with the public. (MSE)

Six principal factors appear crucial to the successful operation and management of university-industry research agreements: (1) leadership; (2) understanding of cultural differences; (3) organizational structure; (4) legal issues, institutional policies, and contractual mechanisms; (5) capacity and resources; and (6) faculty workload. Balancing…