Analyzes first-year retention rates for the 16 colleges of the South Carolina Technical College System, focusing on first-time freshmen enrolling full-time during the fall 1990 and 1991 semesters. Reveals that regional employment and the ratio of instructional and support expenditures per student to regional income per job are the most predictive…

Describes budgetary authority at the federal, state, school district, and school site levels, discussing spending patterns and reviewing research on site-based management. In spite of great differences among districts, most are remarkably similar in allotting 60% to 63% of their budgets to instruction and dividing the rest among student services…

A teacher who has taught in two Chicago high schools chronicled in Jonathan Kozol's "Savage Inequalities"--an alternative Westside high school and an affluent, suburban Eastside school--ponders benefits of teaching on both sides of the economic chasm. Although inner-city problems often stem from parents lacking power and expectations,…

Offers guidelines for consultants from developed countries who are establishing automated libraries in developing countries. Topics discussed include needs assessment; collection characteristics; computer needs of the institution; user characteristics; funding; physical environment; personnel; local resources and services; and choosing…

The policy issues confronted by state governments in the area of early childhood programs are examined. Important points in decision making are the contents and financing of the programs and the trade-off between cost and quality. Three appendices include data sources, financial information, and policy options. (Author/VM)

A study investigating factors in the variation in direct costs of medical residency programs across hospitals found that much of the current variation is attributable to accounting and not structural or location-related factors. A federal policy providing for a national payment rate per resident is proposed to replace the current system based on…

Discusses federal government support for school library and media centers. Topics include the relationship between library spending and student achievement, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), potential sources of funding, anticipated problems, and the need for librarians to continue to communicate with legislators. (LRW)

In 43 rural Maine communities that pay tuition to send their students to high schools in larger towns, achievement test scores appeared to influence parental school choice but explained only 20% of the variability in enrollment trends. Enrollment trends were not related to school socioeconomic status or expenditure per pupil. Contains 40…

Discusses problems in scholarly communication, particularly pricing strategies for scientific and technical journals and their impact on academic libraries' collection development. Highlights include the growth rate in scholarly titles; serials expenditures; research and development expenditures; expenditures at Louisiana State University; shared…

Addresses an article written by Nicholson Baker in 1994 that lamented the demise of the paper card catalog, and points out important aspects of online catalogs and library computerization not discussed by Baker: authority control, collection preservation, collection costs, and access to materials. (JKP)

Reviews the literature for studies conducted in the United States and in Canada on the use of magazines in elementary school libraries, and describes a study of Oklahoma schools that investigated titles most frequently used by children. Results are reported that indicate most use is for pleasure reading. (six references) (LRW)

Considers trends and influences that affect the relationship between libraries and vendors. Topics discussed include information in electronic formats; selection criteria; economic factors and library budgets; resource sharing and cooperative collection development; sociological changes; preservation activities; and the evaluation of dealers. (six…

Reviews the collection development literature of 1992. Topics addressed include selection and collecting policies; cooperation; assessment and evaluation, including citation studies and user studies; organization and staffing; budget and allocations; electronic technologies of the present; and possible future developments. (Contains 178…

Examines educational expenditures, 1975-87, in Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, and Senegal as a proportion of total government expenditures and with regard to resource allocation. Discusses educational expansion during this period; process indicators such as dropout rates, repetition rates, and availability of trained teachers; and…

Nationwide data were partitioned into wealth, fiscal policy, fiscal orientation, and Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) performance and participation. Largest between-group differences show that low SAT achieving states have a larger percentage of seniors taking the SAT, along with higher per capita income, per pupil expenditures, and teacher…