Discusses development of digital optical discs and considers both positive and negative features of CD-ROM for information services. Topics discussed include microcomputer-based databases; cost effectiveness; online searching by users; new user populations; the status of information specialists; lack of standards; and future possibilities. (Five…

Discusses optical character recognition (OCR) for use with MS-DOS microcomputers. Cost effectiveness is considered, three types of software approaches to character recognition are explained, hardware and operation requirements are described, possible library applications are discussed, future OCR developments are suggested, and a list of OCR…

Beleaguered boards and superintendents can get the most out of the limited state funds they are allotted by lowering personnel costs. Suggestions include reducing full-time positions to part-time, consolidating positions by hiring staff with dual certification, filling administrative posts with teachers holding administrative certificates, and…

Federal allocations for special education programs are below 10% whereas the federal contribution to state medicaid programs ranges from 50-80%. Third-party billing provides a more equitable distribution of the costs among federal, state, and local governments, in addition to including private-sector contributions. (MLF)

Proposes a remodeled funding system for UK higher education that incorporates a graduate tax system and reduces dependency on general taxation. Estimates this system's effects on available resources, economic attractiveness to students, and implications for public expenditure. Proposal offers a non-means-tested grant for students, combined with an…

A South Carolina school district changed food service from a financial loss to a profit. Recommends that food service managers record meal revenues and expenses when they occur and study the profitability of each program. Selling meal tickets in advance provides some control over the number of students who purchase meals. (MLF)

An Iowa school board established a policy that included a complete ban on nonmandated school busing with the option that parents could purchase busing for their children at the full district average cost. The program has provided necessary additional revenues to prevent budget cuts in educational programs. Provides information about the…

Before implementing an instructional program in the Rowland (California) school district, planners must define success in terms of measurable student performance, calculates resources expended in relation to the expected benefits, and determine how long it will take the program to achieve the desired results. Baseline data are then compared to new…

Discusses the preconstruction planning process that can help reduce costs and minimize construction risks when building educational facilities. Factors for successful implementation of the planning process are examined. (GR)

Explains how window replacement produces significant energy and maintenance cost savings. Offers an implementation process once a decision on window replacement has been made. The assessment of fuel bills, review of maintenance costs, and analysis of security features are covered. (GR)

Recognizes the benefits of mediation for easing special education conflicts, but addresses the inconsistencies and ambiguities created by the 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Recommends that state and local education agencies use mediators certified in sophisticated mediation techniques, schooled in…

Gives detailed information on five types of job performance aids, three types of instruction sheets, and two types of modules. Presents a quality-control procedure for assessing the effectiveness and value of these instructional materials for training. (SK)

Outlines the results of a review of the cataloging operations at the library at Curtin University of Technology and the three other publicly funded universities in WAGUL (the Western Australian Group of University Librarians). Identifies cost savings to be achieved by re-engineering cataloging and related operations, and separates them from the…

Many communities are finding that agreeing to pool their monetary resources together can be a way of giving the local school and the local community room to have academic and nonacademic events. Four facilities in Ohio are designed to increase community participation with such features as a community meeting room, professional theaters, and…

Defines advanced Web-based distance learning (WBDL); examines some of its benefits, including cost effectiveness, asynchronous training, simple evaluation, and effective use of time; offers suggestions for appropriate applications of WBDL; and describes ways organizations are beginning to use WBDL, including training clients and continuing…