Based on a sample of school districts, this study determined that magnet schools generally cost more than nonmagnets; however, most extra costs were fixed. As enrollments increased, per pupil costs actually decreased to a point near or below nonmagnet costs. Magnet schools with higher costs tended to have higher integration and educational…

Introduces two distribution schemes that partition documents over multiple processors and the corresponding multiprocessor retrieval algorithms that match relevant documents to user queries. The suggested framework is based on a general purpose hypercube multicomputer architecture with a dedicated disk for each node. A timing analysis for the…

Attempts to identify professional concepts present in practical adult education work and to analyze the value orientations of these concepts. Identified are (1) promoting educative growth (using a missionary approach), (2) promoting educative growth (using a critical approach), (3) conscientious fulfillment of one's duty, and (4) efficient…

A population of 41 manufacturing salespeople, 32 distributor salespeople, and 24 manufacturers' agents used a 7-point scale to rate 82 selling competencies. The resulting classification groups, in order of importance, are communication skills, customer relations, professionalism, selling skills, problem solving, business maturity, and management…

An exercise derived from observation of students' common notetaking practices is designed to make plagiarism less likely by involving the student in the writing from the beginning and by making the notetaking process more efficient. (MSE)

Uses data-envelopment analysis to investigate UK university economics departments' technical efficiency as producers of research, highlighting the role of external funding. The data set is an extended version of that employed by the 1989 Universities Funding Council peer review. DEA contributes positively to developing meaningful indicators of…

Johnes and Johnes demonstrate use of data-envelopment analysis to construct an efficiency frontier comparing different UK university economics departments' efficiency without having to assign uniform weights to inputs and outputs. Since desirability of departmental goals cannot be compared, DEA's usefulness is limited to comparing relative…

Staff communication patterns were observed during 13 open-heart surgeries to identify the transfusion decision makers. It was determined that targeting decision makers for continuing medical education would improve the quality of transfusion practice and increase the efficiency of continuing education. (SK)

Literacy efforts in China have the following characteristics: (1) awareness of the necessity to eliminate illiteracy; (2) active participation of all levels; (3) combination of literacy education with skills acquisition; (4) emphasis on efficiency; and (5) compulsory schooling and prevention and follow-up efforts among the young. (SK)

The most common time-wasters for principals (poor filing system, priorities, open-door policy, untrained secretaries, numerous meetings, telephone interruptions, and delegation problems) are easily corrected. Negative working environment, heavy staff turnover, and student discipline problems present greater obstacles. (seven references) (MLH)

New postal rates are structured in such a way that colleges can save money on both individual letters and large mailings if they do some planning and some extra work. Letter size, accurate addresses, ZIP+4 codes, prebarcoding, and presorting are important components of a cost-effective mailing system. (MSE)

Argues that instructors may mislead students when they credit efficient performance as flowing entirely from competition. Distinguishes between competitive behavior and market structure; refines the implications of opportunity cost and profit; and derives useful conclusions about the nature and sources of productive and allocative efficiency. (DB)

Focuses on the methods being used to examine processes of innovation development that pertain to the selection of cases and concepts, observing change, coding and analyzing event data to identify process patterns, and developing theories to explain observed innovation processes. (42 references) (MLF)

Key adult education management functions (planning, directing personnel, organizing work, staffing, and evaluating) can be enhanced through appropriate technologies. Of particular interest to administrators are computer-based communications, management information systems, and desktop application software such as spreadsheets, groupware, and…

School districts are constantly seeking alternative purchasing methods to ease paperwork, lost time, storage problems, and overstocking. A study showed that in large districts, fast-track electronic requisition and online purchasing were most commonly used alternative electronic purchasing methods. Most common nonelectronic methods were direct and…