Thirty young and 10 elderly adults were assessed on orienting auditory attention, in a mixed-modal condition in which stimuli were either auditory or visual. Findings suggest that the mechanisms involved in orienting attention operate in audition and that individuals may allocate their processing resources among multiple sensory pools. (Author/JDD)

This special issue on international perspectives on educational restructuring focuses on cross-national analyses of the experiences of Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand, and the United States in seeking appropriate allocations of authority over education given their current circumstances. (MLF)

An interview with a college student activities director addresses topics concerning student activities planning including the need for good planning, activities planning as leadership training, roles of staff and students, planning phases, effective use of financial and human resources, contracting with artists, effective promotion, event-day…

Analyzes trends in student achievement and student and teacher attendance--outcomes rewarded by South Carolina's School Incentive Reward Program since 1984. Results show modest improvements in student achievement and no significant improvements in attendance patterns for students or teachers. Grouping schools into socioeconomic bands to compete…

Problems in the financing of higher education in India, particularly in the large proportion of costs borne by the government, are examined. Several policy proposals to remedy the problems, including privatization, are critically reviewed. It is concluded that there is a need for experimentation with a number of alternatives. (MSE)

Trends toward increasing numbers of immigrants and shrinking federal resources for language instruction highlight a mismatch between a population in need and a funding source that does not meet those needs. The economic and social benefits of learning English suggest that the payoff for language instruction is great. (SLD)

Replies to E. A. Hanushek's questioning of the validity of meta-analysis as used by the authors in analyzing resource allocation and its effects on improving student academic performance. Statistical analysis procedures are examined. (GLR)

Survey data from the United States, Brazil, and Ghana revealed that, in all three, mothers' education had a greater effect on daughters' height, fathers' education on sons' height. There appear to be differences in the allocation of household resources, nutrition, and child rearing that are dependent on children's and parents' gender. (SK)

In Australia, school-based curriculum development (SBCD) encountered significant problems during the 1970s because of insufficient teacher preparation, unchanging school structures, and conservative community expectations. This article examines SBCD as a 1990s policy option and places it within a professionally oriented context. Because of equity…

A methodology is presented for minimizing mean error variance in generalizability studies when resource constraints are imposed. The optimal number of observations and conditions of facets for random model, fully crossed one- and two-facet designs can be decided. Parallel closed form formulas can be determined for other designs. (SLD)

Describes movement toward quasi-market-based systems of resource allocation in Britain's universities. Considers the appropriateness of existing organizational structures to meet the cost and quality pressures generated by these systems. Draws on ideas from the total quality movement to analyze the implications for organization, control, and…

Nineteen directors at institutions where cooperative education and career planning/placement functions merged felt that the combination created a much better system for students, including more usage, easier publicity, greater resources, better relations with employers, and more effective use of budgets, staff, and space. (SK)

Discusses the Public Library Data Service survey results in regard to children's services. Data are presented on annual circulation, circulation per capita, program attendance, collection turnover rates, and the materials budget. (EA)

Implications of two trends in Australian higher education are considered. These trends are shift to a fee-for-services system in which the government pays less of the cost of higher education; and move toward deregulation, with elimination of centralized planning and emphasis placed on institutional response to student demand. (MSE)

The potential of educational finance reform to create more uniform, equitable educational opportunities for minorities and low-income students may exceed previous desegregation efforts via court litigation. This article discusses the ability of state-controlled finance reforms to meet a major segregation goal (improved educational quality)…