Recent Australian research provides a solid body of evidence that training investments can yield very high levels of returns for firms across a range of sectors. It highlights these important factors about returns on investment (ROI): ROI come in many forms; immediate ROI are highest when training is highly focused; measuring ROI is not always…

This book presents suggestions to help teachers save time without diminishing educational quality. The list of tips focus on: working smarter; communicating effectively; managing materials; planning the week ahead; assessing students' work and keeping track of progress; learning to say no; handling printed mail; handling e-mail; using the Internet…

Describes a study of medical students that was conducted to evaluate measures of performance on factual searches of INQUIRER, a full-text database in microbiology. Measures relating to recall, precision, search term overlap, and efficiency are discussed; reliability and construct validity are considered; and implications for future research are…

Against a general backdrop of an international discourse on educational reform that has focused on accountability, this article provides a detailed and critical analysis of the evolution of accountability policy and practice in Irish primary and post-primary education during the past 20 years. The analysis indicates clearly that national policy…

This annual report of public library services is part of "The Upgrade Process," a tool for Utah's public librarians and library trustees to use as they work to improve the quality and effectiveness of public library service. The process has three major components: public library service standards; a flexible planning process for public…

This report is based on the premise that giving teachers computer tools will enhance instructional effectiveness, encourage teacher collaboration, and maximize staff efficiency. The purpose of the report is to heighten awareness of the importance of providing teachers computer tools to work with and to describe the critical components needed to…

Designed for middle school students, this award winning, six-day teaching unit helped students learn about the concepts of specialization, interdependence, efficiency, and profit. At the onset of the lesson the students were already familiar with the concepts of scarcity, goods, services, profits, supply, demand, and opportunity costs. The unit's…

To discover whether school districts can develop highly rationalized forms of instructional management, this study gathered data from a telephone survey conducted in the school year 1983-84 of administrators in 30 western districts. The instructional management practices of these districts were then compared with an "ideal type" of…

Sixty-five cost reduction efforts on college and university campuses are described, as part of the Cost Reduction Incentive Awards Program sponsored by the National Association of College and University Business Officers and the United States Steel Foundation. The incentive program is designed to stimulate cost-effective ideas and awareness of the…

As part of the final report by the Arizona Board of Regents' Task Force on Excellence, Efficiency and Competitiveness, a discussion of the numbers available to predict teacher supply and projected student enrollment is presented with an examination of Arizona's professional education programs and how they are meeting the needs. A discussion of…

A summary of recommendations for improving the fiscal data portion of the Center for Education Statistics' Common Core of Data includes a discussion of the issues surrounding each recommendation. The following actions are recommended: (1) revenues and expenditures should include a breakdown of function by funds, and further detail should be…

One of the working papers in the final report of the Arizona Board of Regents' Task Force on Excellence, Efficiency and Competitiveness, this document discusses the importance of foresight (a broad based, future-oriented evaluation) for Arizona's universities. Institutions of all types must recognize varying degrees of a need to base their…

One of the working papers in the final report of the Arizona Board of Regents' (ABOR) Task Force on Excellence, Efficiency and Competitiveness, this document discusses a survey on faculty recruitment and retention in Arizona's public universities. The importance of faculty, the projected nationwide shortage of faculty, and recruitment projections…

Fifty-two cost reduction efforts on college and university campuses are described, as part of the Cost Reduction Incentive Awards Program sponsored by the National Association of College and University Business Officers and the United States Steel Foundation. The incentive program is designed to stimulate cost-effective ideas and awareness of the…

A forthcoming study by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities is described that will examine the costs of implementing federal regulations, including academic and overall costs. Their current and potential impact on American higher education will be addressed. The study will be comprised of three phases: (1) a…