Describes a project developed at the Northern Virginia office of Central Michigan University (CMU) to analyze reference questions received at an off-campus library services program for graduate students. The development and use of a software program--the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences SPSS/PC+ Studentware--is explained. (LRW)

Racism in the United States is more than a moral issue. There are serious threats to national security posed by racial divisions, and there are costs that constrain society's ability to produce and progress. Societal commitment to the goal of racial parity will have economic as well as moral effects. (SLD)

Discussion of factors to consider in purchasing a personal computer covers present and future needs, computing environments, memory, processing performance, disk size, and display quality. Issues such as bundled systems, where and when to purchase, and vendor support are addressed; and an annotated bibliography of 28 recent articles is included.…

A system of school process indicators is needed to provide descriptions of educational opportunity, monitor reform, and explain student outputs. A model of school process is proposed, against which problems of definition, measurement, and sampling are identified. Criteria of importance, validity, and cost are considered. (TJH)

The magnitude of special education funding requirements has placed strains on both state and local budgets. Funding formulas for special education can be grouped as resource based, child based, or cost based. A table provides a summary of the incentives and disincentives associated with each type of funding. (13 references) (MLF)

A wellness program is a formalized approach to preventive health care that can positively affect employee lifestyle and reduce future health-care costs. Describes programs for health education, smoking cessation, early detection, employee assistance, and fitness, citing industry success figures. (eight references) (MLF)

A recent shift in allocation of public resources away from elementary and secondary education to higher education in Pakistan is criticized as not cost-effective, unjustified, inefficient, and inappropriate public policy. Issues of equity and privatization and the impact of the current student loan system are considered. (Author/MSE)

Advocates hail privatization as an effective, cost-efficient tool for school boards in meeting their wide-ranging obligations and diverse responsibilities. Critics see privatization as movement away from a publicly owned and operated institution with broad citizen support to a hollow structure that compromises public education's goals. A sidebar…

Asserts that traditional field study, widely regarded as an essential part of geographical higher education, is under attack because of high costs and poor administration. Describes a case study of an undergraduate program that combines training in field study with research and presentation skills. (CFR)

Strengths and weaknesses of three types of semiquantitative methods used by the federal government in research impact assessment are presented, and examples of their use are reviewed. These include the classic retrospective method, another retrospective approach, and accomplishments books used by selected research-sponsoring organizations. (SLD)

This article reviews the principal methods economists and cost benefit analysts use in evaluating research. Two common approaches are surplus measures (combinations of consumer and producer surpluses) and productivity measures. Technical difficulties and political and organizational constraints are discussed for these measures. (SLD)

Deliberately designing-in alternative, commercial, and future uses for new educational facilities has been utilized in a number of different projects in South Australia. Describes four facilities including drawings of the Port Adelaide College of Technical and Further Education. (MLF)

Discusses a prototype multimedia application that was designed to help college students solve problems and generate practice tests for an economics textbook. Highlights include step-by-step problem solving; a friendly interface; student tracking; inexpensive development costs; examples of screen displays; and generating random, scored tests on…

Outsourcing of school services creates a need for educators to learn how best to select a contractor. Contracted student transportation is used to illustrate flexibility and creativity in writing a request for proposal, the evaluation process, and the importance of contractors' willingness to work alongside the district as a genuine business…

Describes MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) technology and music education; provides information on conducting a MIDI workshop for all ages; and offers guidelines for creating a MIDI workstation for the classroom. Hardware and software vendor contact information is provided. (PEN)