The evaluation stage in instructional design should extend beyond the preparation of tests to measure student learning to include evaluation of such outcomes as program costs, program effectiveness and efficiency, student attitudes and opinions, teacher and staff reactions, and follow-up evaluations. (CMV)

A research program at Trinity College in Ireland is reported that focused on the decision-making process, particularly the committee structure. Described are the role of individuals within committees, centralized versus decentralized decision-making, costs, sources of rigidity, and problems of the concentration of power. (Author/LBH)

In the face of reduced resources, recommends a well-considered, productive approach to decision-making, rather than a reactive approach, in areas of increasing faculty productivity, reducing full-time faculty, assessing community needs, developing new resources, and evaluating management. (MB)

The author briefly outlines a socially-based accounting system which evaluates not only economic but also social and aesthetic variables in arriving at a quantification of the benefits and costs of any action or failure to act. This system is designed to provide an additional tool in decision-making. (Author/MA)

A discussion of three power generating systems is presented. The discussion focuses on the economic characteristics of each system. A summary table is included. (MR)

The effectiveness of direct media employed for promoting marketing, service and sales management conferences and institutes was analyzed. Direct mail was the preferred media for program promotion for business clientele. Three enrollment tables illustrate the effectiveness of different media by program area and course type. (EM)

Fabric roofs can span great distances at far less cost than conventional roofs. Seven athletic facilities and one secondary school are featured. (Author/MLF)

Compares the cost-effectiveness of two delivery systems for elementary learning-disabled students--the self-contained special learning disabilities classroom, and the regular classroom with resource room or learning center. (JG)

Senior medical students have originated and taught an elective course in physical diagnosis to entering students at Stanford since 1971. This study tested the ability of these first-year students against that of students taking the traditional faculty-taught course. It emphasizes the effectiveness and benefits of the student-taught course. (LBH)

The focus of this article is on the contextual nature of structure and its influence on organizational assessment and learning. Assessment mechanisms are part of the organization's learning system, whereby it reflects on its actions and alters its notions of how the internal and external world work. (Author/LMO)

While pressures to revise administrator evaluation systems are increasing, the actual process demands great time, energy, and commitment to planned change. This article describes a large urban school district's efforts to redefine evaluation purposes, develop a process and principles, and implement and assess the new system. Includes 23…

Outlines the development of thinking concerning equal educational opportunities as related to school finance. Discusses effective schools research and its implications for educational equity, school operation, and professional preparation and practice. The roles of individual schools and competent leadership should prevail over preoccupation with…

Explores the link between the management of fiscal retrenchment and the need for more effective schools. Describes school improvement strategies based on the school effectiveness research and on past experience with educational change programs. A final section discusses the potential role of these strategies in the larger context of educational…

Describes a pilot project in automated storage and retrieval of library materials which uses miniload cranes to retrieve bins of materials, and an interface with an online catalog that patrons use to request materials. Savings in space and money and potential problems with the system are discussed. (CLB)

Two criteria are discussed for determining cutting scores on a predictor variable for identifying cases of likely child abuse--utility maximizing and error minimizing. Utility maximizing is the preferable criterion, as it optimizes the balance between the costs of incorrect decisions and the benefits of correct decisions. (Author/JDD)