Lays the foundation for other articles in this special issue by providing an overview of managed health care as it now operates. Children are increasingly being enrolled in such plans even though there is little information about the effects of managed health care on this population. (SLD)

Discusses difficulties within higher education management in achieving expected outcomes because of problematic elements in: artificial internal structures, funding formulae, the relative importance of system parameters versus system structure, and the significance of time scales and delays in influencing system behavior. Suggests that university…

Provides guidelines for consistent maintenance of staff information by schools, school districts, state education agencies, and other institutions. The handbook includes guidelines for designing automated staff accounting systems for use by schools, school districts, state education agencies, and other institutions. (Author/SLD)

Introduction: Website accessibility is a problem that affects millions of people with disabilities. While most current accessibility initiatives target government or commercial sites, a growing segment of online content is being created by non-professionals. This content is often inaccessible to users with disabilities. Everyday inclusive Web…

The WIFO Gateway to Research on Education in Europe (http://www.wifo-gate.org) is an Internet portal focusing on vocational education and training and human resource development. Launched 10 years ago by the Research Forum Education and Society (Wissenschaftsforum Bildung und Gesellschaft-WIFO) Berlin, it has developed in several stages in close…

The present paper provides a task analysis for creating a computerized data system using a Pocket PC and Microsoft Visual Basic. With Visual Basic software and any handheld device running the Windows MOBLE operating system, this task analysis will allow behavior analysts to program and customize their own functional analysis data-collection…

This white paper proposes bringing the federal government, state governments, and the private sector together as part of a new approach to making high-speed Internet services available across the country. It proposes the creation of a new federal Universal Broadband Fund (UBF) that, together with matching funds from the states and the private…

The Integrated Library System remains a true innovation that forms the baseline of service provided by the contemporary library. The purpose of this paper is to take a moment and reflect upon this innovation, and also to comment about ways to boost and revive innovative endeavors that can further develop the ILS. (Contains 1 table.)

The current project brings together academic and governmental specialists from Cambodia, Laos, and Viet Nam (CLV), in a collaborative study of the prospects for distance education (DE) in those countries. The study's overall objectives are to: (1) survey and take stock of existing educational scenarios and problems in CLV; (2) document the…

Increasingly, machine learning is entertained as a mechanism for improving the efficiency of planning systems. Research in this area has generated an impressive battery of techniques and a growing body of empirical successes. Unfortunately the formal properties of these systems are not well understood. This is highlighted by a growing corpus of…

The point is made that systems thinking should be combined with dialectical thinking and constructivist thinking for effective systems design and systems change. To establish a context, a set of assertions on "How the World Works" in regard to systems design and systems change in education is laid out, as value assumptions undergirding…

This series of reports explores a statewide solution to the work force problems in Texas. The previous report, A Call to Action, described the current status of the Texas work force and introduced the concept of the Human Investment System as a means to improve that status by making human investment and people-serving programs and services in…

Computer-based instruction can provide effective education at minimal cost. Its acceptance is hindered by lack of mature instructional methodology and course development expense. Systems should use ordinary language, should be modular and multi-purpose, individualized and flexible. Administrative and support systems must be carefully planned. (CHK)

Developed under a contract with the International Council on Archives, these guidelines are designed to emphasize the role of automation techniques in archives and records services, provide an indication of existing computer systems used in different archives services and of specific computer applications at various stages of archives…

A functional design model for a computerized adaptive testing (CAT) system was developed and presented through a series of hierarchy plus input-process-output (HIPO) diagrams. System functions were translated into system structure: specifically, into 34 software components. Implementation of the design in a physical system was addressed through…