This paper presents a brief overview of the changes made during our department level reform (DLR) process (Grant Title: "A Systems Approach for Civil and Environmental Engineering Education: Integrating Systems Thinking, Inquiry-Based Learning and Catamount Community Service-Learning Projects") and some of the effects of these changes on…

Over the last decade, Colorado has emerged as a national leader in crafting innovative solutions for challenges facing its public school system. From implementing the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) and No Child Left Behind (NCLB) reforms to more recent legislation including standards and assessments for a preschool-through-college…

U.S. transportation data suggest that the number of vehicle miles traveled has far surpassed new capacity, resulting in increased traffic congestion in many communities throughout the country. This article reports on traffic congestion around a university campus located within a small town. The mix of trip purposes varies considerably in this…

In May of 1876 three men took a private Santa Fe railroad car from Topeka, Kansas, to the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. One was the Santa Fe land commissioner and the director of the railroad's exhibit, another was secretary of state for the Kansas Board of Agriculture, and the third was a self-trained artist in the railroad's employ and the…

The decision to develop a transportation master plan for a school or university is often is a gradual process determined by changes that might have seemed insignificant in the beginning, but have combined to create problems that no longer can be ignored. Many circumstances can bring to light the need for a transportation master plan. In some…

Four units are provided for formal classroom instruction in advanced competencies for school bus drivers in Illinois. Units cover passenger control, accidents and emergencies, detecting hazards, and first aid. Each unit contains some or all of the following components: table of contents; a list of objectives; informative material, including an…

The goal of this study was to describe student transportation programs in Georgia and to identify common areas of concern and common characteristics of these programs. The report summarizes the literature regarding transportation issues and the accumulated knowledge of experienced transportation managers. The study team met with the…

Due to increasing costs for bus service, the Millard School District in Nebraska has instituted a successful plan whereby students pay partially for bus service by purchasing coupon books. While elementary students more than one mile away are still bused at district expense, junior high students more than two miles away must pay the partial cost…

TWO MODELS ARE PRESENTED TO AID PLANNERS IN SELECTING THE SITE FOR AN AREA SCHOOL WHICH IS MOST EFFICIENT IN MINIMIZING TIME AND COSTS OF TRANSPORTING STUDENTS. THE FIRST MODEL DEALS WITH THE RELATIONSHIP OF SCHOOL SITE AND BUS TRANSPORT PROBLEMS. SOLUTION TO THE SITE PROBLEM IS FOUND BY COMPUTING A LOCATION COEFFICIENT FOR EACH POTENTIAL SITE…

This report, one of a series of eight, provides findings from a study of the Ohio pupil transportation system, a locally administered system partly regulated and financially supported by the State. After reviewing current transportation facilities for both regular and special education students, the study assesses various alternatives.…

A number of factors--including the reorganization of school administrative structures, the availability of new technology, increased competition among groups for limited resources, and changing patterns of communication--suggest an increased need for quantitative analysis in the school district decision-making process. One area of school…

Energy conservation in school transportation is a major area of concern to the educational community. School buses travel in excess of four billion miles annually consuming 900 million gallons of fuel, transporting 55 percent of the school enrollment (grades K-12). Since the fuel allocation emergency, school transportation managers have begun…

To protect special education students fully, bus drivers must be trained to respond to emergencies in an organized fashion. This article describes special equipment and procedures used in Baltimore County buses for the handicapped, along with yearly evacuation drills to hone drivers' skills. Speed was not a factor in these exercises. (MLH)

Demonstrates the application of a mathematical model to the problem of cooperative busing across school districts for transportation to regional centers for occupational or special education. (Author)

This digest summarizes information suggesting that long bus rides are part of the hidden costs of school and district consolidation. Rural school districts spend more than twice per pupil what urban districts spend on transportation. A review of studies shows that rural school children were more likely than suburban school children to have bus…