Using the production-function approach and data from Baltimore (Maryland) public elementary schools, a study shows that school size minimally affects student performance on standardized achievement tests. Regression analysis shows the importance of students' socioeconomic status and negative effects of school input measures such as teacher/pupil…

In "Board of Education of Boone County v. Bushee," the Kentucky Supreme Court upheld school site councils' power and autonomy in a dispute involving a school improvement plan. Implications of "Bushee" are enormous. School-based decision making presents school business administrators with brave new challenges and increased…

Discusses library collection evaluation and its relationship to the acquisitions budget. Topics addressed include the publishing industry; library services that are more user centered; acquisition of versus access to sources of information and knowledge; the concept of value; library accountability; objectives and setting priorities; and levels of…

Presents five charts and graphs drawn from the latest "Bowker Annual" that show the average cost of books, periodicals, textbooks, videocassettes, and cassette tapes for elementary and secondary school libraries from 1979-89. (LRW)

Describes the microcomputer-based online search services provided by the library of the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Topics addressed include databases used; users; searcher characteristics; computer printouts; costs and user fees; interlibrary loans; and CD-ROMs. (four references) (LRW)

Reports on the Public Library Association's data collection project for 1987-91. Statistics show most libraries are progressing in terms of financial support and use, although not dramatically. Data on the role selection process and output measures are included. (Contains seven references.) (EAM)

Discusses bookmobile service as it exists today and projects its future for the 1990s based on a survey of public libraries identified through the Adult Services in the Eighties (ASE) project. Topics discussed include costs; circulation figures; service areas, including rural communities; staff training and public services; collections;…

Describes a survey of library development officers in state library agencies that was conducted to investigate the types of governance structures of public libraries. Highlights include consolidation of public library services, public library boards, trends in public library governance, financial support and managerial effectiveness, and…

Federal regulations concerning recovery of indirect costs of university research projects are changing. Institutions should explore possible alternatives for managing reporting of indirect costs for individual projects. One system, reporting indirect cost categories in the same format as direct costs, may give insight into expenditures and help…

Reviews recent research exploring the relationship between school inputs and student outcomes, focusing on the work of Ronald F. Ferguson (1991). Ferguson's research provides new information about what school inputs are important in predicting outcomes, and where expenditures are most likely to improve student performance. (SLD)

Analysis of resource allocation in Michigan's higher education institutions indicates that spending is not driven by fixed costs, as often assumed. Most functions connected to the fundamental missions of the universities have been given lower priority than ancillary functions. Faculty compensation has lost ground overall, rather than leading…

Suggests that Latin American education systems suffered disproportionately from "economic adjustment" programs of the 1980s that addressed external debt. Examines declines in educational expenditures, access to education, and educational quality. Focuses on Costa Rica and Venezuela as highly indebted democracies where education has had…

Examines effects of local taxes and schooling on private nonfarm employment growth in Illinois since 1980, assessing educational outcomes determinants (ACT scores, school attendance, and dropout rates). Jobs are negatively affected by property taxes, positively affected by ACT scores, and unaffected by expenditures per pupil. Family background…

Describes a study that examined changes in the directors of Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member libraries from 1970-89. Directors' characteristics are discussed, including gender, previous position held, age, and highest degree; library characteristics are described, including size of collection and expenditures; and literature about…

Discusses changes that are occurring in academic libraries as they try to keep up with the growth in sources of information. Topics discussed include acquisitions; interlibrary loan; new technologies in libraries; library expenditures; library staff; collection development; and the need to redefine the library's role to that of an information…