The increasing use of computer technology for sending and receiving electronic mail messages not only signifies changes in how we communicate, but also signals changes in the skills, knowledge, and practices associated with communication by mail. Some of the characteristics of electronic mail (e-mail) are considered. E-mail refers to the capacity…

This document presents findings of an evaluation of two projects of the Aga Khan Foundation's School Improvement Programme located in Kisumu, Kenya, and Bombay, India. The program is based on the assumption that effective change consists of a focus on the individual school, clinical methods of teacher development, and improved school management.…

A study examined the benefits of investments in the University of Idaho College of Agriculture (UICA) research and extension programs. Data were collected from personal interviews conducted in fiscal year 1986-87 with all principal investigators, co-researchers, and Cooperative Extension Service (CES) subject matter specialists involved in funded…

This study used the frontier cost function framework to examine cost efficiency in public higher education. The frontier cost function estimates the minimum predicted cost for producing a given amount of output. Data from the annual Almanac issues of the "Chronicle of Higher Education" were used to calculate state level enrollments at two-year and…

This report addresses issues in the efforts of colleges and universities to reduce costs. First, some key findings are identified, including the rapid increase in tuition since 1981; decreases in academic library expenditures; increases in cooperative arrangements; use of more adjunct faculty; and increased privatization of services. Individual…

This essay explores what is known and what remains to be learned about the information value of performance items when they are used in large scale assessment. Within the context of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), there is substantial interest in answering these questions as issues of national assessment are considered for…

Small size is often cited by reformers and parents as the key ingredient necessary to create an effective learning environment. In New York City, the new public secondary schools have consistently smaller numbers of students than most existing high schools. The literature is unambiguous that smaller schools show better outputs than schools of…

Florida has recently completed a survey of energy use and related physical and operational characteristics of the state's public schools. This report presents results from 1,298 surveys received (680 providing matching utility data) revealing that total energy costs for the Florida school system totaled $205 million in 1995. Other data show that…

This Massachusetts Senate committee study examined the current policies and procedures used by the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (UMA) to monitor, manage, and report on the activities of its faculty, in particular its faculty workload. The study had originally intended to analyze faculty workload in terms of instruction (teaching),…

The costs and benefits of recent statewide and nationwide educational assessment programs are examined. The purpose of this paper is to present and substantiate some critical lessons and observations concerning: how the costs and benefits of large-scale assessments (LSAs) can be appraised, and the utility of this type of research to policymakers…

This report outlines the methodology developed by a project undertaken to gather data on client satisfaction with Technical and Further Education (TAFE) services in South Australia. These findings are reported: a system of collecting client satisfaction information is feasible and practical and such a system can be instituted largely at the…

The 1988-89 annual report presents fourth year activities and findings of 17 longitudinal studies (begun in 1986) on the effects and costs of early intervention with handicapped children. Major activities of this year focused on management of individual studies, recruitment of sites, and development of procedural refinements. For each of the…

Few reliable data exist to provide an accurate estimate of the money invested in staff development or inservice programs in the United States for elementary and secondary school personnel. There are, however, some indicators by which costs of staff development programs at the federal level can be inferred. The problem of accurately gauging staff…

A project was conducted from 1980 to 1982 to determine the costs and benefits of OCLC use in 29 small and medium-sized member libraries of the Illinois Valley Library System (IVLS). Academic, school, public, and special libraries participated in the project. Based on written attitude surveys of and interviews with library directors, staff,…

The demand for long term care is growing as the population in need of services becomes older and frailer, and as the nature of the family, the economy, and the health care system changes. To investigate the long term care system, its characteristics, trends, financing, policies, availability, and quality of care, 700 health care professionals,…