Employs a fixed-cost quadratic function to estimate multiple-output cost functions for 94 private universities in Japan for 1991. Outputs were undergraduate teaching, graduate teaching, and research. Results indicate ray economies of scale and both global and product-specific economies of scope. Product-specific economies of scale are shown for…

Describes the Huntsville, Alabama, school district's use of surveillance cameras and other high-tech equipment to ward off arson, theft, and vandalism. Discusses how these efforts reduced repair and replacement costs and helped the district retain its insurance coverage. (GR)

Describes one Massachusetts school district's solution to rising energy costs by using contract services to head off capital costs and guarantee savings. Highlights keys to successful management of this contracting system and the elements that make up a successful contract services candidate. (GR)

Beset with rising costs and inequity problems, Greensboro City, High Point City, and Guilford County districts merged to become North Carolina's third largest district, with 59,000 students. Although the superintendent had to downsize staff, eliminate special-interest programs, and refashion summer school, the merger yielded wider community…

An action learning program involved supervisors in the development of a process improvement project for their work area. Most of the 44 participants were highly satisfied with the training; many had attained National Vocational Qualifications and achieved cost savings for their organizations. (SK)

Board members from around the country identified the keys to successful school board campaigns. Generally, board members say the cost of waging an election campaign is rising. Candidates are making fuller use of voter lists to target demographic groups. A sidebar lists the high cost of getting elected in the large districts of Dade county,…

Presents a model for evaluating liability insurance limits and selecting the correct limit for an individual institution. Argues that many colleges and universities may be making overly conservative decisions that lead to the purchase of too much liability insurance. Also discusses the financial consequences of an uninsured large liability loss.…

The efficiency of public day care centers in Sweden was studied by collecting data on inputs and services for about 200 centers and analyzing the information by data envelopment analysis. Results show large differences in efficiencies among centers, but these differences have few systematic relations to quality. (SLD)

Discusses implications for school finance data collection and analysis of shifting to schools as key management and policy units. Discusses questions that school-level data can answer concerning resource utilization efficiency, effectiveness, intent, and equity. Outlines conceptual issues (school definition and identification) and database…

The author of a study which followed up the 1979 deinstitutionalization of 10 adults with mental retardation reflects on his own professional career, his specialization in researching the cost-effectiveness of residential alternatives, and his surprise at the positive adjustment of these individuals to living independently in their own apartments.…

Studied the determinants of an institution's transfer enrollment using data from a national sample of institutions from 1984 to 1997 (n=3,036 private institutions and 2,341 public institutions). Findings have implications for efficiency gains within state systems through improved planning. (SLD)

An electronic requisition and purchase-order system helps Louisville's schools stay legal and efficient. Designated individuals in schools create requisitions electronically and route them to the purchasing department, which generates and sends out paper purchase orders after checking the requisitions for correctness and legality. (MLF)

In buying school supplies and roofing, school districts need to realize that low bid too often equates to low quality, high maintenance, poor performance, and short life. The key is to write bid specifications that look at the life-cycle cost, not just the initial cost. (MLF)

Analysis of behavioral outcomes for 1999-2001 graduates of New York State's Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (n=9,524) showed significantly greater improvement for those taught individually (predominately white, upstate farm/town dwellers, higher family income and educational level). However, group instruction has increased because of…

Describes several examples of cooperative efforts between school districts and municipalities to share facilities and other resources: Loveland, Colorado; Vaughan, Ontario; Yankton, South Dakota; Bangor, Maine; Mt. Pleasant, Iowa; Pamlico County, North Carolina. Also includes two examples of school districts sharing facilities and resources with…