Guiding principles for using sliding fee scales are presented in this paper in an effort to help states plan new child care initiatives, coordinate or strengthen existing programs, and improve sliding fee scales for current programs. Introductory comments urge states to adopt a single sliding fee scale for all their child care programs. The report…

The Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model, a conceptual model for measuring productivity and efficiency, is presented and applied in this report. First, the DEA model is described, and three of its properties that make it particularly useful are identified; i.e., it measures efficiency of units relative to each other rather than to absolute…

Issues of concern to test developers interested in applying the Rasch model are discussed. The current state of the art, recommendations for use of the model, further needs, and controversies are described for the three stages of test construction: (1) definition of the content of the test and item writing; (2) item analysis; and (3) test…

This report presents a model and an approach that institutions of higher education can use to analyze and project the impact of endogenous and exogenous factors on both net and gross tuition in the context of the increasing practice of tuition discounting. It is noted that two key questions drive this effort: (1) what influence does gross tuition…

Educators designing procedures for identifying students as learning disabled are faced with serious technical difficulties. A student with a learning disability is one who "has a severe discrepancey between achievement and intellectual ability" in one or more designated areas. The methods of quantifying achievement, intellectual ability,…

This report examines New York State's experience with multi-element formulas in budgeting for the State University of New York, and considers some of the obstacles confronting scientific budgeting in a political environment. A specific budgeting formula (the Academic Discipline Model) is examined, its evolution and application discussed, and the…

Drawing on the authors' extensive experience at Stanford University as well as the work of others, this book offers the first systematic approach to fiscal and human resource planning at colleges and universities. It shows how decision models can and should become an integral part of the planning process. The uses and misuses of planning models in…

This text provides educational administrators with a working knowledge of the problem-solving techniques of PERT (planning, evaluation, and review technique), Linear Programming, Queueing Theory, and Simulation. The text includes an introduction to decision-making and operations research, four chapters consisting of indepth explanations of each…

Tries to develop a method for empirical evaluations of the impact of a school system on measurable cognitive and affective outcomes in students. Concentrates on the Partial Least Squares (PLS) methodology, and illustrates the potential of PLS for system analysis. (BW)

A system designed to evaluate investment in Ohio's vocational education programs is described in this monograph which also serves as the system manual. Major features emphasized are (1) the system enables calculation of rate of return and of present value of investment in the training of an individual in a vocational program, when education is…

Greater knowledge about the practical application of Rasch technology can help in avoiding misapplications and confusions in testing programs. Equal interval curriculum-based scaling makes possible the following improvements in measuring basic skills achievement by enabling testing programs to: (1) individualize the difficulty level of…

A budgeting handbook for academic administrators and faculty is presented. Economic and political influences on budgeting are considered, along with sources of funds for public and private colleges, and the chronology of the budget process. Multiyear summaries of the budget process in different types of colleges are included. Some major policy…