An individualized time plan questionnaire and an individualized time plan were developed from a review of the literature concerning effective teaching and time management as well as personal experience. These tools can help teachers increase their efficiency in the areas of planning, paperwork, collaboration, and instruction. (DB)

Small colleges can be effective in consortial arrangements because they are more independent and often less fiercely competitive than larger institutions, making better personal relations possible. The Associated Colleges of the St. Lawrence Valley in northern New York, with four member institutions, has expanded student opportunities, shared…

State aid programs for local schools have not kept pace with New York State's ambitious, revamped Regents examination program. This paper explains a method for developing a comprehensive education cost index and shows how to incorporate it into a performance-based foundation aid system. (Contains 36 references.) (MLH)

Outlines basic organizational skills to aid early childhood service directors to maximize time and efficiency. Recommends recording priorities and auditing how time is spent; noting wasted time; and organizing desk, supplies, and resources. Includes eight steps for staying organized. (DLH)

Data-based decision making is a process of inquiry, analysis, and decision making that draws inferences from the interplay of school input/process and output variables. A case study involving a Connecticut district's response to falling SATs illustrates the need for fast, sophisticated information technology systems. (MLH)

Pre/posttest data from six elementary teachers who received inservice training in science showed that the training enabled them to acquire a scientific view of the concept of energy efficiency. Before training, they tended to confuse it with energy conservation. (SK)

Examines the Fort Worth Independent School District's decentralized decision-making system through three lenses: a review of site-based decision-making procedures at several schools; an examination of who participates; and stakeholders' perceptions. Some schools operated democratically, significantly including teachers, parents, and community…

Private colleges across the country are collaborating to cut costs, streamline services, and increase efficiency. An ambitious Ohio project, involving 35 colleges, to redesign business operations hopes to save $20-25 million. Other efforts include joint classes using interactive television, shared library resources, cross-registration, jointly…

Clear funding/achievement relationships are emerging from the recent body of production-function research. Money does matter in producing educational outcomes. Factors such as small class size and teacher experience can drive up instructional costs. Schools cannot operate efficiently with scanty resources. Equalizing quality resource inputs is a…

Although organizational theorists have long acknowledged control processes as integral to organizational operations, we may be entering an age of more insidious, deleterious forms of control. Recent technological and managerial innovations disguise control in emancipation rhetoric. The papers selected for this special issue cover various…

Explores how the social reconstructionist tradition in teacher education provides insights for developing teacher leaders. Describes three other historical traditions (academic, social efficiency, and developmental) guiding teacher education, identifies primary features of social reconstructionist programs, and discusses five specific domains that…

Responding to criticisms from James Gallagher, Richard Jaeger, John Hattie, and Robert Slavin, the authors contend that detracking creates both winners and losers. Policymakers face a tradeoff between helping low-achieving students and hurting high-achieving ones. The decision depends on how society weighs competing notions of equity and…

Discusses methods of managing queues (waiting lines) to optimize the use of student computer stations in school library media centers and to make searches more efficient and effective. The three major factors in queue management are arrival interval of the patrons, service time, and number of stations. (Author/LRW)

A unique partnership of industry, government, and the University of Sunderland involves a holistic approach to manufacturing, integrating efficiency with quality of life for a profitable and sustainable competitive advantage. (SK)

Transition courses for licensed practical nurses moving into associate degree programs and for registered nurses earning bypass credit in bachelor's degree programs was evaluated through surveys of 237 students and graduates, 68 supervisors, and faculty. Students invested half the time and money as regular students; they wanted better advisement…