lllinois's school finance reform goals may be achieved by providing property tax relief and increasing state funding out of income tax receipts, relying primarily on the state's growth dividend. Distributing the largesse of growth to poor districts over time minimizes richer citizens' sense of fiscal loss, making reform more politically palatable.…

Uses regression analysis to examine the variation in instructional costs per full-time equivalent (FTE) student at 592 public community colleges during the 1991-92 academic year. Results suggest that instructional cost per FTE student tends to increase with the full-time faculty-to-FTE ratio. (AS)

A study involving 44 New Jersey early intervention programs estimated the cost of services. Variables affecting cost were: types of staff providing services, time allocations of providers, services setting and type, wage rates, and staff-child ratio. A fee-for-service system is discussed as a way to increase incentives for efficiency. (Contains…

The Internet's effects are spreading. Schools are purchasing computer programs, assisted by state, federal, and corporate grants. K-12 schools spent nearly $7 billion on instructional technology in 2000. The digital divide is narrowing; Generation I kids have greater computer access at home and at school. In a sidebar, Sandra Feldman urges…

Discusses academic library support for new courses and new educational programs based on experiences at the University of Illinois at Chicago health sciences library. Topics addressed include the challenge of regionalization; budget constraints; enhanced services in lieu of acquisitions; resource sharing; and faculty resistance. (Contains 12…

Compares the costs and benefits of periodical ownership against online access of a full-text periodicals database in one academic library. A full-text database allows the library to offer more than twice as many journals as it does currently for a 15% increase in expenditures. Two tables show comparisons. (Author/AEF)

An analysis of recent judicial decisions shows that the adequacy concept emerging from state courts' invalidation of school finance systems transcends minimalist education standards and focuses on "world-class" standards and ambitious, universal student outcomes. Instead of challenging per-pupil expenditures, courts are questioning…

Provides a brief historical background of electronic journals and delineates both positive and negative aspects of the technology for academic libraries. Topics include accessibility; subscription costs; multimedia capabilities; technological, sociocultural, and economic barriers; refereeing, or peer review; copyright and licensing; selection and…

Educators can learn from business people accounting models that can be applied to managerial accounting, integrated information systems, focused/activity-based costing, decentralized information, and mission-driven costing. A sidebar discusses measuring technology's impact. (MLF)

Describes an early childhood literacy program called Begin with Books and provides ideas for starting up, finding, and administering similar programs in public libraries. Topics include corporate sponsors; staffing; partnering with community organizations; training; scheduling; and budget information. (LRW)

Discusses the life cycle costs of acquiring and maintaining an academic research library and develops a methodology to determine the life cycle costs of collections based on statistical data collected by the Association of Research Libraries. Results indicate the cost structure of a research library is largely driven by its monograph collection.…

Discusses extended hours of operation for school library media centers and describes how to plan for them. Considers benefits of extended hours; planning questions; staffing, including volunteers; costs and funding; security; and patron use of extended hours. (LRW)

Discusses the alignment of resources, including textbooks, instructional materials, and school library media center resources, to the curriculum based on experiences in North Carolina. Explains resource alignment and considers assessing the library collection, discarding materials, identifying gaps in curriculum support, writing a collection…

This article considers evidence which suggests that Australia's current approach to the funding of non-government schools does not serve the common good. Educational provision is now segmented and a majority of private schools have resources that are either moderately or highly superior to those available in public schools. The current funding…

This chapter delineates the essential elements of a framework for establishing mission priorities for community colleges. (Contains 2 figures.)