Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) is used in the U.S. Marine Corps task analysis program for occupational field studies. Scheduling sequential tasks, estimating time requirements, determining staffing needs, and locating checkpoints for control all can be accomplished using PERT. Examples of operational aspects of PERT, PERT…

"Data Management and Decision Making" is a set of instructional materials designed to teach practicing and potential educational administrators about the uses of operations research in educational administration. It consists of five units--"Operations Research in Education,""PERT/CPM: A Planning and Analysis…

This digest discusses the use of benchmarking as a strategy for assessing and improving efficiency and productivity of administrative processes and instructional models in colleges and universities. Benchmarking, developed by the Xerox Corporation in the 1980s, is defined as an ongoing, systematic process for measuring and comparing the work…

Operational analysis is defined as a part of formative evaluation, taking place while a course is in progress. Student-perceived problems, as reflected by student-initiated reports, are the source of data for this phase of formative evaluation. The self-reporting techniques can reveal individual differences in student/learning-environment…

The demand for administrators and specialists trained in quantitative concepts and skills has increased across the last decade mainly as a result of the accountability movement. Quantitative methods can greatly assist the school administrator in certain decisionmaking processes, although it is essential that he be able to distinguish between those…

The status of State management information systems (MISs) is documented in this study, in which interviews were conducted with MIS directors and senior administrators from agencies in the 47 participating States. Constraints to improving these systems are also described and recommendations are provided to the U.S. Office of Education (USOE) to…

The status of health services components of master's degree programs in health services administration is described. Included are student coursework in related subjects such as quantitative methods, statistics, program evaluation, research design, operations research, and systems analysis, as well as student and faculty research. A general survey…

This book focuses on and utilizes the methodology and tools of systems analysis and operations research to demonstrate their use in planning for the future and meeting public demands for information on how tax money is being spent by educational administrators. The range of possible and relevant applications is demonstrated by a step-by-step…

Objective: In 1997, Michigan's Family Independence Agency piloted case management procedures designed to expedite permanency and improve services to children in foster care. Method: A 3-year evaluation examined outcomes in nine pilot and nine comparison counties to determine if children in the pilot counties achieved permanency, either returned…

This report concerns the use of benchmarking as a strategy for assessing and improving efficiency and productivity of administrative processes and instructional models in colleges and universities. The introductory chapter addresses the need for new tools and strategies to meet the increased competition and the higher demand for accountability…

Action research in the Cobb County (Georgia) school district is described. This research is being conducted in the district under three main approaches: (1) co-researcher projects addressing central level issues; (2) district-wide projects; and (3) school-focused action research, including minigrants to teachers. The first three…

Findings and recommendations growing from a 1-year study of the status of education for the children of migratory farm workers are presented. The major focus of this Ford Foundation study is an evaluation of programs financed through special Federal migrant education funds authorized by Congress in a 1966 amendment to Title I of the Elementary and…

This study attempts to analyze the relationship between Agency for International Development (AID) University contract goals and the problems encountered in educational assistance project activities through an examination of project operations and the adviser's participation in them. Documents and personnel of 5 of 13 AID projects in Thailand were…

Results of a two-year study of the cost effectiveness of cooperative programs operated by voluntary consortia of colleges and universities are reported. The findings are demonstrated in such a way that the potential benefits of such programs can be more widely understood. Six consortia were studied, including a consortium of three Catholic liberal…

The purpose of this research was to study the link between effective management strategies and the impact of educational research and development. The 19 R & D Centers and Regional Laboratories of the United States Office of Education were selected as the focal organizations for analysis. Using document analysis and interviews, the researchers…