A number of school boards have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy out their superintendents' contracts. Offers advice from school board members, superintendents, search consultants, and school attorneys on the issues of contract buyouts. Calculates the cost of contract buyouts in four large school systems. (MLF)

Findings are related from a study designed to determine the effect of verbal-only, imagery-only, and integrated (verbal-to-imaginal) strategies on third graders' (N=111) levels of economic reasoning (use or nonuse of cost-benefit analysis) in their personal decision making. Implications of these findings for curriculum planning are discussed.…

Provides some basic guidelines for converting a card catalog to a computerized catalog in school libraries. The advantages of using the MARC format are discussed, and three conversion methods (on site, records created by the vendor off site, and full vendor conversion off site) are compared in terms of the work involved, costs, and time. (CLB)

This continuation of an earlier article discusses online vendors' responses to users' concerns as well as the future of online services. Maxwell Online, Dialog, Mead Data, Data-Star, and Dow Jones News/Retrieval address user needs, search strategies, databases, document retrieval and display, user interface, and cost and economic issues. (LRW)

Discussion of the workflow involved in desktop publishing focuses on experiences at the College of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Highlights include cost savings and productivity gains in page layout and composition; editing, translation, and revision issues; printing and distribution; and benefits to the reader. (LRW)

Describes a pilot project at the Department of Commerce Mountain Administrative Support Center Library that compared the cost effectiveness of CD-ROM with that of other media and examined the acceptability of CD-ROM by staff and users. A list of the CD-ROM products evaluated and the evaluation form used are appended. (CLB)

Discusses the growth of computer networks in elementary and secondary schools and describes numerous benefits for both instructional and management functions. Topics discussed include ease of use; educational advantages; examples of use in physics, writing, and journalism classes; student records management; cost benefits; and greater efficiency.…

Describes TRESNET, a fully automated resource sharing network that provides an interlibrary loan and film booking system for the public libraries of seven counties and three municipalities in Ontario. The discussion covers the implementation and operation of the network and benefits being derived from it. (Author/CLB)

Reasons underlying a low demand for vocational skills in United Kingdom industry, relative to major competitors, are investigated. Low demand leads to a low supply of skilled labor, since the rates of return to vocational training are unattractive to potential trainees. Suggestions for reform are made. (Author)

Tests five hypotheses about attitudes toward illegal immigration and undocumented migrants using public opinion data from southern California. Data supported cultural affinity between respondents and undocumented migrants and to the role of education. Respondents' evaluations of tangible costs and benefits to themselves also influence their…

Identifies and discusses four problems librarians face in dealing with the Internet: (1) how to locate information; (2) how to ensure that information is from a quality source; (3) what price should be paid for Internet access; and (4) what recourse is there for incorrect information. Sidebars include Internet site addresses and a discussion of…

Discussion of the educational system for black children in South Africa focuses on a project that was developed to teach map skills to elementary students. Topics addressed include unqualified teachers and the need for teacher training; producing affordable instructional materials; and spatial and visual perception skills. (Contains 12…

Analyzes the studies on the correlation between school expenditures and student achievement. Examines the effects of court-ordered equalization of interdistrict spending. Discusses a possible change of focus in recent educational research on the cost/quality problem as scholars grow concerned with designing more efficient policies. (86 footnotes)…

Discusses the need for community colleges to assess their participation in automated library networking systems (ALNs). Presents results of questionnaires sent to 253 community college learning resource center directors to determine their use of ALNs. Reviews benefits of automation and ALN activities, planning and communications, institution size,…

Examines issues of CD-ROM networking for companies; identifies cost savings and focuses on administrative and technical problems. Highlights include slower access speed, technical design deficiencies, inconsistency in search engines and user interfaces, installation problems, drive letter selections, designs that work for LAN access, questions to…