Large amounts of money can be wasted and serious disillusionment with the potential of distance education can set in when agencies decide to install extensive and expensive telecommunications systems before they conduct adequate planning. The State of Alaska spent $30 million to purchase and install the equipment for the Learn Alaska Network, a…

This report is based upon an inquiry into the policies, principles, and practices in correspondence educating processes worldwide. It includes results of a survey of current reliable information and data on ongoing correspondence education processes worldwide; a survey of literature on correspondence educating processes and related subjects; and…

The attractive features of various strategies for resolving a simulated commons dilemma (a paradox in which a long-term benefit requires the individual to forego immediate gain) were determined in conditions where 40 groups of college age participants (total number = 136) were acting as a world policy making body or local advisory group when there…

This document is a 1983 assessment of the Florida Juvenile Justice System based on an extensive analysis of the most recent statistical data and literature produced in Florida and several other states. The purpose of the report is to provide a preliminary overview of the impact of changes within the juvenile justice system and its relationship…

Two papers consider the capital recovery difficulties of telephone companies in the current deregulatory environment. The first, "Capital Recovery in the Transition Period" (Gail Garfield Schwartz, New York State Public Service Commission) describes the process determining depreciation in both regulated and deregulated environments, and…

Using a cost analysis system developed by the Maryland State Board for Community Colleges, this report presents information on cost per course, cost per student credit hour, and cost per full-time equivalent (FTE) student for each instructional discipline at Prince George's Community College (PGCC). Total cost figures are the sum of faculty…

A study was conducted in 1988 by a community college librarian who was seeking an objective guide for weeding unused library books. It was hypothesized that a book not used in a certain number of years would never be used. At the beginning of the study, no books had ever been weeded although the library had begun acquiring books in 1969. To test…

Costs have long been an important consideration in educational programming. Only recently, however, have systematic cost analysis methodologies been applied in educational evaluation. This report identifies and documents the application of cost methodologies within evaluation and service projects conducted by Northwest Regional Educational…

Teleconferencing is an effective and cost-efficient means of providing the staff of the school district access to consultants and inservice programs. Teleconferencing differs from televised programs in that it is interactive, allowing participants in a conference or program to be in different places, yet still communicate. Experience at the San…

One of four reports designed to assess the current state of new technologies, the document reviews the current and future 5-year status of videodisc technology in special and regular education. Described first are the history, technological features, and prices of videodisc systems (which consist of a player, programing material stored on a disc,…

This presentation describes the features of the PRO-SEARCH front-end software package and how they can enhance online searching. The cost savings in terms of decreased connect time and convenience for the inexperienced searcher are discussed. The relationship between the quality of reference services and the effectiveness of using PRO-SEARCH in a…

Relevant macroeconomic perspectives to improve investment planning and managing of resources in colleges and universities is discussed. Five sections are as follows: (1) simple relationships between expenditures and giving (simple costs and returns); (2) conceptual refinements: predisposition and capacity (effects of predisposition, effects of…

This paper addresses three questions policymakers may have concerning the results of the Project STAR data. First, when reducing class size, is there a "turning point" at which class size reductions lead to increased gains in student achievement? Second, do small classes help low socioeconomic status "at risk" students more…

This paper provides a conceptual framework for addressing the issue of effectiveness and efficiency in education. It considers alternative criteria for identifying efficiency and discusses constraints on improving efficiency. The first section distinguishes efficiency from effectiveness, and also distinguishes "internal" from "external" efficiency…

Designed to propose ways for the Colorado Department of Education to provide leadership in the implementation of a statewide educational telecommunications network, this study examines ways in which telecommunications can be used by the state department of education, school districts, libraries, and other informational or educational agencies to…