An invitation to explore innovative practices in program and system evaluation in a medium-sized school jurisdiction of approximately 11,000 students has resulted in a model with generative characteristics. This paper will describe the process, and several of the outcomes, when a generative evaluation approach is used to assess the effectiveness…

This paper examines the current academic and policy literatures concerning school evaluation in primary and secondary education within the OECD countries. First, it provides a typology of the existing systems of school evaluation across the OECD. It encompasses the diverse criteria and instruments commonly used to carry out schools evaluation, as…

Unlike most papers on education and ecology, this one is not concerned with the content of education but its organisation as a system and hence its "purpose" or "finality". The central contention of the paper, which takes English education and training (or "learning") as a case in point, is that in a new market-state formation the pursuit of…

This paper presents an example of integrating IT skills using an interesting real life problem. We describe how the reverse- and forward-engineering of the USA National Do Not Call registry was used in our capstone course to illustrate the fusion of different (but interdependent) issues and techniques learned in the IT program. The purpose of the…

Information on patents is provided for librarians and laypersons requiring an understanding of the system and the processes involved. Chapter 1 discusses successful patents; terms and concepts; patent types; copyright; trademark; requirements; patent examiners; patent pending; expiration; patentee and assignee; and reissued patents. Chapter 2…

This guide is the third of three documents that make up a Professional Development Package for Educational Systems Design. It is intended for use by members of a core design team and assumes that the school district and community have committed themselves to a systems design process, and that a design leadership group representing the school…

Management of information services requires managerial control of information about the service itself. A critical factor for information managers that affects their ability to provide service is their own competence at handling management information, i.e., information concerning and describing the performance, income, and expenses of their…

A system study of the textbook ordering department is presented including systems flow chart, chart of activities, and description of operations and procedures for utilizing the computer system. Changes based on the study are noted. (JT)

Describes a department-level budgeting system that uses computer assistance. (IRT)

Reports the results of a corporate planning survey involving fifteen United Kingdom companies and an experimental planning system developed as a research tool to investigate aspects of interactive planning. (Author)

This digest describes proposed legislation for the implementation of the National Research and Education Network (NREN). Issues and implications for teachers, students, researchers, and librarians are suggested and the emergence of the electronic network as a general communication and research tool is described. Developments in electronic…

This compilation consists of various letters and documents issued for public comment during 1986-1987 by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) of the U.S. Department of Education, during its examination of the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) system to determine any needed changes and improvements. This…

The greater organizational complexity of libraries and information centers in recent years has given rise to more complex problems for managers. To facilitate solutions, operations research (OR) techniques have been developed that consider the quantitative dimensions of problems along with their political and organizational aspects. Eight standard…

A survey of computer scientists was conducted to identify factors that affect software complexity. A total of 160 items were selected from the literature to include in a questionnaire sent to 425 individuals who were employees of computer-related businesses in Lawrence and Kansas City. The items were grouped into nine categories called system…

Three decision-making models that have applications for college presidents and administrators are reviewed. While both individual and group decision-making are addressed, emphasis is placed on the importance of group decisions on institutional policy planning. The model of Edmund M. Burke (1979) presents specific decision-making strategies in…