Focuses on the major issues faced by a school district throughout the implementation of a financial management information system. Describes how commercially available software was tailored to the specific needs of a Virginia school district. (MLF)

Besides redistricting problems engendered by higher elementary school enrollments (and decreasing secondary enrollments), school administrators face student transport challenges. Acquiring new routes and larger buses could be costly. This article advances computerized systems as the most cost-effective way to optimize routes and manage…

Describes features of existing software packages for circulation control (borrower and item files, data capture and verification, issue, return, renewal, loan conditions, reservations, overdues, updating, and management information), and serials control (ordering, recording receipt, reader access, binding and financial control, listings, and…

For the past six years, Los Angeles County Office of Education (California) has used a state-of-the-art computerized transportation management system that produces $2 million annual net savings and provides prompt, accurate bus service for students, parents, and teachers. This article details routing and scheduling programs used. Includes seven…

This paper examines the administrative uses of the microcomputer, stating that high performance educational managers are likely to have microcomputers in their organizations. Four situations that would justify the use of a computer are: (1) when massive amounts of data are processed through well-defined operations; (2) when data processing is…

Describes the use of online accounting systems as a means of integrating diverse data and providing different levels of analysis for managers. An appendix provides examples of reports produced by online systems. (CLB)

A tracking system which monitors Allegheny County (Pennsylvania) mentally retarded students leaving the school system to make their transition to adult life, was developed to: (1) enhance the prospects for successful follow-up; (2) enable program planners to conduct systematic inquiries regarding the abilities, living arrangements, and work…

The Further Education (FE) sector in the United Kingdom has devoted time, energy, and resources in recent years to the development and improvement of information systems known as management-information systems. This report presents the findings of a research project on the use of management-information systems in student tracking. The project was…

This report describes the development in 1986 of a management information system by the Sacramento City (California) Unified School District for use in high schools. A nine-page attachment, which comprises two-thirds of the report, offers profiles of selected schools drawn from the databases. Data sets of 200 information items, collected from all…

Continues the discussion of the Association of School Business Officials' 1987 member survey on automation, citing computer applications in use by enrollment size. Only the number of applications in wide use increases with enrollment size. A rough measure of satisfaction with software vendors highlights two companies. (MLF)

In the fall of 1993, the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Office of Management Services conducted a survey to determine the status of automation activities within preservation departments in member libraries. The survey was sent to 68 ARL libraries that have established preservation departments under the management of a preservation…

In the past decade significant advances have taken place in the development of management information systems (MIS) to support managerial decision making. Recent literature has shown, however, that educators have yet to make full and efficient use of these computer-based systems. A number of authors have discussed factors that may affect…

This paper reviews computer software designed for the development, management, and updating of Individual Educational Plans (IEPs) for disabled students. Selection criteria required that the software perform multiple tasks related to the writing of IEPs, be appropriate for use in a medium-sized school district, and be appropriate for a severely…