This paper presents a case for the implementation of year-round education, arguing that education needs to effectively and efficiently utilize school facilities. The paper focuses on the cost of implementing and operating year-round schools--the impact on support services, transportation, facilities, and maintenance. Data are based on a review of…

Arguing that, with the advancement of new technologies, multimedia extension programs (or telecourses) can now provide two-way audio and video interaction to homebound students and to students in distant locations in a very cost efficient and effective manner, this paper provides a look at multimedia extension programs for institutions of higher…

In June 1995, the Idaho Joint Legislative Oversight Committee directed the Office of Performance Evaluations to conduct an evaluation of school district pupil transportation. This report, the last in a series of four, examines the apparent cost difference between district-operated transportation programs and those that are contracted to…

This fact sheet uses a question-and-answer format to summarize issues related to managed care and long-term services for people with mental retardation. Questions and answers address the following topics: the evolving concept of "managed care"; the application of managed care to provide cost-efficient long-term services for people with mental…

This book discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the two most common construction planning methods utilized for educational facilities: general contracting and construction management. Diagrams are provided that illustrate the chain of command and communication within each approach, and highlight considerations that every school district…

The geothermal heat pump (GHP) is winning praise for its ability to help schools reduce energy costs while providing a clean, comfortable, quiet, and aesthetically pleasing heating and cooling capability. This pamphlet examines the benefits of installing a GHP system in new and existing school facilities, suggests the type of planning and…

This report discusses the school aid increase enacted for New York State in 1998-1999. School aid for the year will increase by $850 million. However, it is argued that the Governor's vetoes of the Rebuild Schools to Uphold Education (RESCUE) program and teacher support aid betrays a certain lack of true reform within the budget. The changes made…

The Laboratory School for the Academically Gifted of the Chesapeake Public School Division (Virginia) is a pull-out program for students in grades 5 and 6. Identified students in these grades attend the Lab School one day each week to receive instruction in mathematics, applied science, writing, computer education/applications, and humanities. In…

This evaluation of Massachusett's Employment and Training Choices (ET) program indicates that instead of saving taxpayers money, the program has been costly and has contributed little or nothing to reduce the state's welfare caseload. ET offers welfare recipients a wide variety of employment services, including career planning and job search,…

In an effort to determine the economic benefits that Oakland Community College (OCC) in Michigan had on the local economy of Oakland County and on the state during fiscal year 1991-92, an economic impact study was conducted. The study utilized an economic impact model consisting of three major components: direct institutional expenditures; direct…

This study examined the federal cost incurred from the Higher Education Assistance Foundation's (HEAF) planned liquidation for fiscal year 1991 and whether the government can recover those costs. The study reviewed agreements between the Department of Education and guarantor agencies, examined HEAF's financial data for fiscal year 1991, and…

At the direction of the Superintendent of Schools of the Charleston County School District (South Carolina), the organizational structure and staff of the District's Division of Curriculum and Instruction was analyzed. The analysis was to focus on the assessment of organizational effectiveness in providing adequate support services, describe…

Cost-effectiveness analysis and cost-benefit analysis are two related yet distinct methods to help decision makers choose the best course of action from among competing alternatives. For both types of analysis, costs are computed similarly. Costs may be reduced to present value amounts for multi-year programs, and parameters may be altered to show…

Educational researchers find mail questionnaires a convenient and relatively inexpensive way to conduct a survey, but response rate remains a crucial issue. This research examines the effects of two manipulated variables, the appeal of the introductory letter and a nonmonetary incentive, on survey response rate. Gender was also used as an…

Much of the reason behind educational reform is the belief that schools are not economically productive enough, that students are not learning enough for the resources invested in education. Other critics reject economic productivity as a framework for educational reform and support philosophical, psychological, or moral frameworks. However,…