This study examines the relationship between organizational structure and elements of three social system processes: (1) input and output boundary exchanges, (2) system production, and (3) use of facilities. The specific system processes are enrollment planning and student placement, curriculum continuity, and use of physical and social…

This study produces demonstrable evidence that content analysis of school board minutes is a useful and promising methodology for studying demand processing. Demand processing is the conversion to outputs of the demands, needs, desires, or inputs presented to the school board. Use of the technique in a school district in each of two States showed…

This report examines the feasibility of implementing a student unit record system to replace the student-related components that currently are based on aggregate institution-level data collected as part of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). The feasibility study was initiated by the National Center for Education Statistics…

This book gives an updated account of the present use and status of performance indicators (PIs)in British higher education, a decade after their controversial introduction into higher education policy. The first chapter explores some key issues in the development of PIs, noting that since their introduction as a largely, externally imposed…

The New York State Child Care Coordinating Council recently released "Investing in New York. An Economic Analysis of the Early Care and Education Sector". This report is based on New York City specific information and data provided in their report and focuses on the economic impact of the early care and education sector in New York City.…

The relationship of teachers' allocation of time to individual student achievement was studied. It was concluded that teachers prefer to increase students' average achievement rather than to decrease the variance in achievement within the classroom. (MH)

Noting that there are no de facto standards by which to measure and evaluate U.S. depository library collections, this article reviews developments in the evaluation of public libraries and recommends output measures based on public library practice for depository collections. Specific measures for the depository community are also suggested. (31…

The utility of cost-benefit analysis in program evaluation is illustrated using hypothetical examples of the consequences of natural environments service provision. Areas for further research related to cost and benefit implications are presented. Early intervention programs can use the cost-benefit framework to evaluate the social impact of…

Based on the findings of a 1998 conference on the new assessment and accountability requirements in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), this report discusses critical issues that surround the assessment provisions included in the 1997 IDEA amendments and contains recommendations related to state and district-wide assessments…

This report discusses the findings of a study that compared identified desirable characteristics of state accountability reports with 20 accountability reports generated by 7 states. Desirable characteristics included (1) clarity (the intended audience, statements of purpose, a description of the population being reported on and the states'…

This report presents a plan for an Educational Assessment and Accountability System for Hawaii. The purpose of this plan is to provide an analytical as well as a descriptive account of the condition of public education in Hawaii. It is meant to be a vehicle to provide the means by which educational outcomes can be examined in light of contextual…

Designed for high school economics students as a public service project of the American Fletcher National Bank, the booklet examines the American free enterprise system as it relates to the traditional lemonade stand and its ability to make a profit. The parallel is made by considering some basic principles: (1) the constant need for capital to…

To investigate school districts' responses to fiscal constraint, this study examined the relationship between districts' expenditures per student and allocations of funds to instructional, support, and administrative costs. Budget allocations, as indicators of the districts' priorities, were compared for 1978-79 and 1981-82 in 46 Oregon school…

This book gives an account of the present use and status of performance indicators in British higher education, set against the developing literature and experience of performance indicators in the United States and other countries. The book provides a critical survey of the range of devices being proposed but also points to possible patterns or…

Those interested in textbook research, theory, and practice need to identify the independent or context variables that influence the making of a textbook--the intervening variables that come into play as textbooks are conceived, developed, and designed--and to show how these impact on the textbook, or dependent variable. To begin, critics and…