In recent years, an increasing number of districts have turned to district education foundations (DEF) for added fiscal support. Similar in many ways to university development offices, DEFs are privately operated, nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations that solicit funds from individuals and businesses and then distribute these funds to public school…

The purpose of this report is to comment on practice in the use of existing data bases in program evaluation and school improvement and to explore directions of increased and improved use. The report's impetus is the role that existing data plays in current efforts in local school districts and the possibilities for the future. To a great extent,…

The findings from a series of case studies of nine successful demonstration programs are summarized. The programs, funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission, included child development, vocational education, technology, economic development, and housing. The primary purpose of the case studies was to discover what makes programs successful. A…

This manual covers the fundamentals of managing student activities, including program management, budget guidelines and cost-cutting methods, and ways to gain support for the student activities program. General advice is provided in the opening section on initial assessment of program options, setting priorities, and resource allocation. The…

This study is an evaluation of the functions and activities of two educational resource centers in Ghana. Issues examined and evaluated are: (1) accessibility and availability of the centers' facilities and services; (2) adequacy of the centers' materials and facilities to meet teachers' various needs; (3) relevance of the centers' activities to…

Results of changes to the planning process at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands are described. During the past years, government actions related to retrenchment prompted the Dutch universities to change their planning process in order to increase flexibility and to account for differences in quality. Two important procedures were…

Profiles of the 14 states of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) provide information on the structure of these states for public postsecondary education and budgeting. For each state, the following areas are discussed: state-level coordinating and/or governing agency, institutional governing boards, state board for vocational education,…

Discusses different systems of allocating educational revenue and examines their impact on educational administration at the state, district, and school levels. Four allocation systems are considered in light of recent demands for more equitable school finance systems. Part two of article in Vol. 15, No. 3. (JG)

Presented here are reviews of the reports from the National Institute of Education (NIE) on the Compensatory Education Study (an evaluation of compensatory education programs in the United States). Ernest House's article addresses the evaluation study directly. It covers the study's assessment of funding allocations, program administration,…

This report discusses the use of funds provided by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act in California, Florida, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Texas. Objectives of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act are discussed and requirements for states to receive formula grants are reviewed. Observations from project…

Problems relating to program discontinuance and the role of institutional research are discussed, drawing on a study supported by the Exxon Foundation of 10 predominantly large public universities that have either reviewed and closed programs or have gone through recent financial difficulties. Careful analysis is necessary to know that savings are…

As a result of an evaluation of Florida State community service programs financed under Title I of the Higher Education Act of 1965, a set of 16 guidelines was drawn up. The first six, in order of priority, are: a project should be directed toward filling a community (rather than an institutional) need; objectives should be realistic and…

This study attempts to develop a decision framework to aid project directors in planning change under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Literature on change, the change process, decisions, and the decision process is reviewed and a framework within which to study planned change is constructed. Decision making, in the change…

This paper suggests that while evaluation means different things to different people, the focus is characteristically on what has been, or is being done. It is proposed that evaluation also be applied to things not yet done; that evaluation has a significant and continuous role in planning any educational program. Evaluation is seen as…

This conference paper discusses the role of the Planning, Programing, and Budgeting System (PPBS) in planning for educational programs. Proper PPBS analysis includes (1) correct problem definition, (2) consideration of alternative solutions, (3) ascertainment of peripheral effects of the alternatives, and (4) estimations of the cost and…