A study assessed the feasibility of sequential testing of medical students using standardized patients. Sequential testing passes students who score well on the first segment of the test thus eliminating additional student-standardized patient encounters. Subjects were six classes of Southern Illinois University students (n=404). Results strongly…

The growing concern for eliminating duplication and overlap within and between organizations in a school system has led to neglect of the varied forms of redundancy and a disregard for the benefits that accompany it. A particular benefit is increased reliability of the system. Four forms of redundancy are described. (KS)

Truly democratic politics is lacking in mainstream teacher education. Instead of being structured around efficient production and personal ambition, teacher preparation should be organized to reflect more elevated concerns about educational quality and emergent political and social consequences. Move to professionalize teaching has risen from…

Addresses the question of how to determine the overall effect of the vocational education and training system on efficiency and equity. Suggests criteria to guide allocation of public resources for education and training to meet efficiency and equity goals. (Author/JOW)

Problems between educational visionaries and business leaders arise from a lack of meaningful dialogue about accountability. Instruction cannot change without changing evaluation. The new dialogue should focus on five premises: children are not products; content and process are interrelated; school flexibility is a two-way street; educational…

Evaluates efficiency of a sample of Spanish secondary schools, focusing on the measurement model's theoretical specification and the "ex post" analysis of results. Highlights characteristics that differentiate the most efficient schools from the least efficient. Stresses the importance of employing information supplied by both…

A study of 17 charter schools in 10 California districts concludes that these schools have not lived up to the assumptions propelling them. Charters fell short on accountability, administrative autonomy, funding efficiency, choice and admissions, infusion of competition, and instructional innovation. Public school educators claim charters are…

The Chesapeake (Virginia) Public Schools developed a strategic school-improvement plan with 178 recommendations representing certain goals: school safety, standards, effectiveness, efficiency, staff training, technology integration, community involvement, and facilities. The implementation process consisted of assigning responsibilities,…

The Northwest Evaluation Association helped an Indiana school district develop a computerized adaptive testing system that was aligned with its curriculum and geared toward measuring individual student growth. Now the district can obtain such information from semester to semester and year to year, get immediate results, and test students on…

Calls for the continued privatization of public schools and the application of business solutions to school management problems are nothing new. Successful small-scale experiments at privatization will continue to have an incremental effect on educational reform. Even failed experiments offer opportunities about how to manage public education.…

This study of 15 children with feeding disorders investigated identification of effective behavioral reinforcers by comparing outcomes and time requirements of two procedures in which presence in a particular area produced access to a preferred stimulus (i.e., zone discrimination). Both procedures were viable reinforcer identification tools, but…

In an engineering technology course at Coventry University (England), the utility of computer-assisted tests was compared with that of traditional paper-based tests. It was found that the computer-based technique was acceptable to students, produced valid results, and demonstrated potential for saving staff time. (Author/MSE)

Argues for a unified consideration of how markets fail based on how an efficiency rule (marginal benefits to society equal or exceed marginal costs to society) is violated. States that repetition of the efficiency decision rule framework reinforces basic concepts and emphasizes the normative foundation underlying the analysis of market failure.…

Administrators looking for budget relief might look for cost savings in pupil transportation. The basic school bus that meets federal standards, with no optional equipment, is the safest vehicle on the road. The best investment in a transportation program is driver training. Route and schedule changes might lead to an increase in efficiency…

Examines the modernization of Scotland's higher education funding during the Thatcher years; trends in funding since 1995, when support based on unit costs was reduced; and the 1996 allocation of university funding based on research assessment. Concludes that continued emphasis on "efficiency-based savings" will increase teaching loads…