Describes specific factors contributing to questionable validity and reliability of cost information used by mental health administrators. Presents a case study in which 17 different cost figures were derived for a single program using various methods currently employed. Discusses implications of nonuniform cost data. (Author/RC)

The National Preventive Dentistry Demonstration Project (NPDDP) delivers school-based preventive dental care to approximately 14,000 children in ten United States cities. The program, begun in 1976, is to be conducted over a six and one-half year period. The costing definitions and allocation rules to be used in the project are the principal…

The State University of New York's (SUNY) Budget System and the Course and Section Analysis (CASA) System, which were developed to ensure accountability at the campus level, are described. Problem areas and resulting inaccurate and potentially misleading information are examined for the 12 state university colleges. The Budget System and CASA…

Continuing education programmers must be risk takers; however, they should not be gamblers. The most successful of them are able to estimate a balance between potential rewards and risks, taking chances when the odds are favorable. Although it is essential that course planners balance potential financial rewards and risks, it is important to bear…

The first of two related pamphlets, this guide provides information on how to conduct cost-outcome analyses, with an emphasis on measuring costs. After an introduction that delineates the purpose of the two-part series, the pamphlet is divided into six major sections. The first section, "definitions and rationale," introduces…

To determine what lies ahead for a school system and to be ready for it, school board members need to plan, this paper maintains. The author makes suggestions for several components of planning, including goal setting and developing priorities for facility use, staffing, programs, and services. The importance of the school district budget and…

This report on Compensatory Education (CE) documents the kinds, amounts, and costs of resources used in providing reading and mathematics instruction. A resource-cost model translated the measures of resource exposure into estimates of standard dollar costs for each student's instructional program. The overall strategy for estimating costs…

A formula model is presented for use by the chief academic officer, college deans, department chairpersons, and section heads to make the specific dollar allocations to the academic units for which they are responsible. The following calculations and estimations of the factors in the formula are explained: total adjusted amount to be allocated, in…

Used to determine grant rates for state financial support and as an accountability report to citizens, this report presents data for fiscal year 1998 on course offerings, enrollments, and costs for Illinois public community colleges. The unit costs are shown for a student semester credit hour. Highlights for fiscal year 1998 include the following:…

Suggests that cost-benefit analysis can be a helpful tool for assessing difficult and complex problems in child care facilities. Defines cost-benefit analysis as an approach to determine the most economical way to manage a program, describes how to analyze costs and benefits through hypothetical scenarios, and discusses some of the problems…

This report is designed to serve as the basis for the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges' proposed budget to be submitted to the state Department of Finance. It makes recommendations for Budget Change Proposals (BCP's) for the 1991-92 fiscal year. The BCP's are organized into five broad categories, corresponding to the Board…

One critical aspect of costing system methodologies is examined: the effects of average costing by course level on program unit cost. The direct costing methodologies used in two costing systems are compared. One is the internally developed Purdue University Cost Study; the other, the NCHEMS Costing and Data Management System. The comparison…

This manual is designed to provide primary health care program managers with guidance on how to use cost analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis as tools to achieve better understanding and management of resource flows. Although it has been prepared primarily for program managers at national, regional, and district levels, other health…

The relationship between the costs of central administration and academic teaching and research production was studied, based on a large sample of British universities and a separate analysis of the Free University of Brussels, Belgium. To determine variables important to central administration costs, a cross-sectional and intertemporal regression…

This report delineates the data and the analytical procedures necessary for comparing educational demonstration programs. Used as a means of encouraging the introduction of new practices into the educational process, demonstration programs and their effectiveness depend, in part, on the quality of the data about the program and its availability to…