Budget decisions in large institutions should be decentralized. Decentralization can be accomplished by responsibility center budgeting, block budgeting, or combinations thereof. The system should be designed so that organization unit heads have maximum incentive to be efficient and to optimize decisions on an institutionwide basis where…

Tests the effect of school and school district size on a model of the process used by elementary school principals to allocate teachers. Finds that the decision-making model was appropriate across all sizes of schools and for small- and medium-size districts, but not for large school districts. (FMW)

Argues that, as institutions of higher education make the transition from the initial planning of technological infrastructures to the stage of forming linkages between information technology and academic goals, the chief information officer becomes responsible for forming strategic relationships that integrate the goals of the institutions's…

Faculty members must understand the actual finances of educational institutions in order to achieve less biased allocations. Increased faculty awareness of total resources can help shift allocation patterns, making institutional resources more effective in accomplishing the mission of higher education. (MLW)

The results of a study at Virginia Tech which has a recent history of decentralized computing, are reported. The advantage of increased control in the decentralized environment was offset by the lack of experience in planning for computing at the academic and administrative operating levels. (Author/MLW)

Asserts that, although many arguments in favor of user fees for library services are based on economics, little economic benefit is actually gained by levying charges for some services. A microeconomics model that has been used to demonstrate the benefits of user fees is critiqued, and the issue of accountability is discussed. (23 references) (CLB)

Describes the development of the American university and uses the political economics paradigm to describe the relationship between the academic library and its parent university. The discussion covers the anarchic nature of the university and the implications for the academic library. (35 notes with references) (CLB)

This exploratory resource allocation model for implementing community-based supported employment services for persons with mental retardation uses a multivariate linear regression approach to project the hours required to develop a job site based on the size of the community, the rate of unemployment, and the percent of service jobs. (Author/DB)

An examination of data on school expenditures between 1966-1967 and 1990-1991 in nine school districts chosen as representative of districts nationwide revealed that most of the new resources going to public education in the last 25 years was spent to achieve goals other than academic achievement for students in the regular school program. (MLF)

Reviews, from a management accountant and funding council chief executive's perspective, relationship among (British) funding council models for competitive funding of higher education institutions, resource management, and quality assessments of teaching and learning. Posits a constrained funding environment for the rest of the 1990s. Concludes…

Unless more resources are devoted to the development of social programs, summative evaluation will increasingly become a waste of time. Formative evaluation and tactical research will become more important to the extent that they actively assist in creation of social programs, increasing challenges to the integrity and validity of their work. (SLD)

Surveys costs of education in China, focusing on three areas: national expenditures on education; unit cost of education; and educational cost functions. Relates the analysis of education costs to four enduring policy issues: resource mobilization, inequality, inequity, and inefficiency. Compared with other Asian countries, China's public…

Research and the lessons of practical experience suggest that successful interdisciplinary programs share a few key beliefs about teaching and learning. Important ingredients include time to plan, implement, and evaluate as a team; adequate resources; incentives for participants; talented and committed teachers; and patience and flexibility to…

In October 1994, legislation established a requirement that Public Health Services (PHS) programs spend at least 0.2% of appropriated funds on program evaluation. Legislative changes are a result of a study of the use of PHS set-aside funds from 1988 through 1992. They are intended to encourage more and better evaluation. (SLD)

This article urges leaders at institutions of higher education to analyze the decision to pursue a Total Quality Management improvement strategy in the same way as any other strategy--as a return on investment. Evidence of costs and benefits of TQM from industry and campus is summarized, and barriers to a "return on quality investment" mindset are…