It is argued that efficient use of cognitive strategies also involves domain-specific knowledge, metacognition, and motivation. Issues concerning cognitive strategy instruction are explored, and it is concluded that a hybrid model representing a compromise between the notion of cognitive strategies and current connectionism may best portray human…

Examines departmental production and cost structures of a homogeneous sample of 18 research universities to estimate relative economies of scale and scope. Examines three departmental clusters (social, physical, and engineering sciences), using a four-output quadratic cost function. Average incremental and marginal costs are highest for research…

Speed and efficiency of elemental processing among the gifted were studied by comparing 55 gifted and 53 nongifted junior high school students on elementary cognitive tasks of different complexity. Results reveal that differences are related to requisite processing complexity, suggesting differences in speed and efficiency of lower-order cognitive…

Borg, Mason, and Shapiro in "The Economic Consequences of State Lotteries" (Praeger, 1991) argue that the Florida lottery creates an implicit tax that is inequitable and inefficient. These conclusions are unconvincing. Are lotteries really responsible for 35% reductions in pupil spending in lottery states? Additional work by Borg and…

Responding to critique of "The Economic Consequences of State Lotteries" (Praeger, 1991), coauthor praises reviewers' analysis and deplores their harsh criticism. Income coefficient used is justifiable, since, in Florida, number of children attending state-funded schools is positively associated with income. Would have received even…

Responding to a critique of the book "The Economic Consequences of State Lotteries" (Praeger, 1991), a coauthor thanks reviewers for an in-depth analysis and comments on their remarks about the book's efficiency section. Reviewers misread the original authors' observations concerning elasticity of demand, inefficient diversions of…

Motivated by peer pressure and the principle of least effort, middle schoolers often make poor choices--not to work, listen, or hand in assignments--that can lead to failure or underachievement. To avoid "social promotion," a Colorado middle school has initiated transition classes that give students a second chance to learn last…

Educators commonly compare their restructuring efforts to rebuilding a 747 while in flight. Working smarter means monitoring the efficiency of faculty work from two standpoints: productivity in reaching desired student outcomes and depletion of important resources, including human energy. This article presents a five-stage model of the progress…

A progressive time delay procedure in individual instructional sessions using massed-trial presentation was compared to distributed trials presented during transitions from one activity to another. Results with four preschool children with developmental delays indicated that both procedures were implemented reliably, were comparable in efficiency,…

The Australian government has formulated policies for welding the country's higher education into a unified national system as an efficiency measure. Actually, the system will not be unified; institutions will achieve standing through intense competition over scarce resources. The sectoral rivalry and institutional imitation rampant under the…

Efficacious people set high, clear goals for themselves, orchestrate more efforts to succeed, persevere despite obstacles, are possibility thinkers, and are less vulnerable to frustration and depression than others. Self-efficacy and organizational efficacy can be developed through coaching techniques, such as cognitive and behavior modeling,…

Accelerated learning and teaching, classroom practices that condition students into a positive learning state, can help community educators fulfill their role as change agents. (SK)

Examines the performance of local education authorities in England, using data for a sample of 57 (out of 96) authorities for the period 1980-81 to 1984-85. Uses frontier estimation to estimate a cost frontier, finding efficiency level sensitive to the method used. Calculates costs to be between 4 percent and 16 percent above their frontier level.…

A method for downloading Lexis documents to the WordPerfect program and removing extraneous codes and characters is described. Use of a specific utility program is recommended, and a specific sequence of procedures and hints for streamlining the process are offered. (MSE)

Describes the use of the At-Risk Program Management approach to project-delivery management, an approach that guarantees results for time, scope, quality, and cost for all components of project delivery while incorporating any combination of delivery methods. Explores its general parameters and the role of the at-risk program manager, as well as…