In this report, the definitions of systems and systems analysis are examined. The role of the systems analyst is discussed, and the steps that he and the designer take in developing a system for an organization are described. Some of the steps that the organization can take to aid in the analysis are also explored. The report looks at the…

The U.S. Office of Education sought applications for a first-year proposal of a potential three-year staff development project in each of nine Health, Education, and Welfare regions. Region II (New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands) received one of the grants with the objective of designing a competency-based staff development…

This study evaluates a project proposal prepared by a California school district. Using simple arithmetic and algebraic methods, the evaluators determined that the proposed individualized instruction system would be unsuccessful. A flowchart developed from the proposal visually depicts the weaknesses in the proposal for which appropriate…

The advantages research workers will derive from the creation of the proposed computer-based information center are stressed. Most of the techniques needed have already been applied in the physical sciences and engineering. The problem remains to adapt them to the less easily quantifiable variables encountered in the political, social, management…

The emphasis of this guideline is on determining modular figures for the three main facets of the library program: (1) acquisition of library resources, (2) technical processing of those resources and (3) services to the public using those resources. The system includes the following components: (1) A Library Resources Formula which takes into…

Education and training systems are complex organizations of facilities, instructors, equipment, routines, and students. Because of this complexity, mathematical models can be used effectively to explain the behavior of educational systems and to assist in making decisions relative to better design and operation, and improved cost-effectiveness,…

The technical feasibility of a continental information network for astronomy has been demonstrated in the course of a two-month experiment conducted jointly by Dearborn Observatory of Northwestern University and the Stanford University Computation Center. The experiment simulated a scientific information network based on a high-level retrieval…

Education is too complex, multidimensional, and poorly understood to lend itself to a single cost/effectiveness criterion. Rather, analysts in the educational field seek to rank alternatives by their effectiveness, report separately on the cost implications, and leave the tradeoffs to the decisionmaker's judgment. In this context, a program is any…

Between November 1969 and September 1970, four training sessions were held--two for research directors from the 21 school districts comprising the Council of the Great City Schools, and two for members of research and evaluation staffs. The first research directors session dealt with information systems and evaluation of multiple project programs;…

Suggested is a learning systems approach designed to be consistent with the objectives and scope of developmental psychology and yet sophisticated and appropriate enough to fit the unique demands of early childhood education. Identified are eight contingencies for learning that any educational system must possess. Added to these are features…

The basic question under examination is the underlying force that brings forth changes in cultural and social organizations. By employing general system theory and communication systemic analysis, the author concludes that communication, especially human communication, is the main vehicle of change. Human interchange, it is suggested, is constant…

This paper describes an effort to implement a cost-effectiveness program using systems analysis in an elementary school district, the Rio Linda Union School District in California. The systems design cycle employed has three phases, policy-making evaluation, and action-implementation. During the first phase, the general philosophy or mission of…

Puerto Rico's economic growth has accentuated the need for a larger vocational education program capable of handling the demand for occupationally-trained personnel. The Area of Vocational and Technical Education (AVTE) operates within the general structure of the Puerto Rico Department of Education, and AVTE programs must be adapted to the growth…

This book brings together state-of-the-art papers by Resources for the Future staff members and by scholars associated with current programs of environmental quality research. Although some empirical findings are presented, the emphasis is primarily on theory and method. Divided into three parts, the initial section, "The Environment and Economic…

The functional design of the information system proposed for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is detailed in this report. The design specifies input data, processing, file formats, and report formats. The implemented system will provide information in four general areas: personnel, program/budget, educational results, and community…