Presents a case for and poses a procedure including techniques for a systematic approach to planning in education as a means of improving efficiency and effectiveness. Available from: Australian College of Education, 916 Swanston Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia, $2.50 single copy. (Author/MLF)

Of 150 Huntington Beach (California) high school teachers participating in a survey on block scheduling's efficacy, 106 (70%) took time to make written comments. Teachers enjoyed having less up-front lecturing, more one-on-one interactions with students, and a less hectic schedule, but had concerns about interruptions and…

Describes a systematic curriculum development approach in Dutch and French universities for a modularized curriculum on biodiversity. Suggests that it is effective, efficient, and adaptable to new research results. (SK)

The focus in this book is on steering a course between rigorous definitions and theory and applied attempts to measure costs and benefits in the real world. As an introduction to the concepts underlying cost-benefit analysis, this volume is well-written and comprehensive for a book of its length. (SLD)

Richard Clark's writings indicate that any number of media are capable of delivering any instruction, so media choices are about cost and efficiency but not about cognition and learning. If it is accepted that one type of efficiency is cognitive efficiency, it follows that media choices can profit from an understanding of cognitive processes.…

Discusses a postal survey of British primary headteachers showing that most principals have senior management teams (SMTs). Makes comparisons with secondary-school SMTs; summarizes heads' accounts of their teams' origin, structure and role; and presents tentative models of team decision making. Describes heads' criteria for judging team…

Analyzes the organizational context of emergent market forms in education, focusing on policymakers' management of a mixed economy of provision. To examine the effects of different mixed economies, this article draws upon efficiency and equity concepts and applies them to recent field research in the United Kingdom. Currently, there is far too…

Advises the educational administration field to pay closer attention to research developments in educational resource allocation. Presents a microlevel conceptualization of resource allocation; outlines research implications; and discusses relevant policy issues, including concerns over productivity in education and adequate distribution of…

Discusses the impact of trends in higher education regarding increasing demands for accountability, greater financial efficiency, increasing use of technology, and changes in organization and governance. Discusses the implications for law schools. (EV)

Describes the results of a study that tested the customer service responses from 11 companies selling online information including online hosts, database producers, and World Wide Web search engine companies. Highlights include content-oriented issues, costs, training, human interaction, and the use of technology to save time and increase…

In education, competition and devolution are two dominant forces driving schools to become leaner, faster, smarter, and more viable institutions. This article presents 98 ideas for helping administrators raise funds and reap cost savings on employee salaries, facilities, financial management, food service, maintenance, purchasing, scheduling,…

Britain's new inspection system requires that schools be assessed for efficiency and value for money. Drawing on a content analysis of 66 secondary school inspection reports, this paper considers implementation problems and whether schools have adopted the rational approach to resource management. Few schools had successfully adopted all elements…

Business students were taught a total quality management-based outlining process for course readings and a tally method to measure learning efficiency. Comparison of 233 who used the process and 99 who did not showed that the group means of users' test scores were 12.4 points higher than those of nonusers. (Contains 25 references.) (SK)

The article reports preliminary observations on data from six colleges on application of a regression model to help explain observed differences in instructional efficiencies of specific curricula. A major finding was that the most efficient distribution of students is in the humanities and social sciences. Tentative explanations for this finding…

The Kentucky constitution's intent was to found a free system of common schools. Historically, local support for Kentucky public schools has left much to be desired. Taxpayer reluctance to support schools through local property taxation is exacerbated by state legislation overtly discouraging this approach. Efficiency is, therefore, impossible.…