Explains how standardizing computer system hardware and software throughout the school campus can increase efficiency; reduce costs and acquisition lead time; and make training, technical support, and hardware replacement and repair easier. Questions to ask when choosing among different hardware and software systems are highlighted. (GR)

Discusses the McDonaldization thesis that suggests that many aspects of the fast food industry are making their way into other areas of society. Explores whether this thesis is applicable to academic libraries, focusing on efficiency, calculability, predictability, control, user expectations, pros and cons of teams, and creativity and information…

There has been strong governmental pressure on British schools to adopt a technicist-rational approach to management. This paper investigates the relationship between efficiency of resource management and school effectiveness, using data from 117 secondary school inspection reports undertaken by the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED).…

Applies data envelopment analysis to measure value added in Master of Business Administration education in the United States. Highlights the MBA program as an example of a value-adding process in education, and demonstrates how such programs' efficiency in providing value to students may be evaluated. The top 20 MBA programs resemble the second 20…

If money truly does not matter, and disadvantage cannot be quantified in terms of valuable social or economic goods, then questions of justice become aridly academic. How are resources to be valued? Faulty research design skewed Eric Hanushek's results. More precisely designed studies are revealing relationships between school expenditures and…

Explores two underlying dimensions of school effectiveness: instrumental and expressive functions. Explores Paul Mott's idea of perceived organizational effectiveness as a concise measure capturing both these dimensions. Tests a model incorporating expressive elements (trust and school health) and instrumental elements (student achievement). Each…

A survey of 145 schools found that all had experimented with innovative purchasing approaches. Many used electronic methods, such as credit-card, fast-track requisition (most popular), bidding and purchasing, and data interchange. Results suggest that nonelectronic innovations (just-in-time, cooperative, direct, and consortium leverage purchasing)…

Tools from industrial psychology and business can be designed to help schools select the best teachers. Hiring systems should identify and screen for desirable attitudes, behaviors, and skills; validate the selection process to predict excellence; ensure legal compliance; and eliminate unproductive paperwork. A five-stage application, testing,…

This article explores the meaning of efficiency and equity in the context of independent living programs for people with disabilities. Conflicts in costs and trade-offs in various scenarios of the efficiency/equity equation are examined in terms of theories of utilitarianism, contractarianism, justice and mutual advantage, and justice as…

Describes how Deer Park School District, Long Island, New York, is saving money while boosting efficiency by centralizing its high-volume printing and duplicating operations. The new arrangement saves space, time, and expenses. (LMI)

Drawing on a study of Ohio's 2-year colleges involving an evaluation of their challenges and business practices, presents recommendations for streamlining operations, enhancing programs, taking advantage of positive partnerships, and more. Includes information on obtaining the full report. (EV)

Considers an unexpected and remarkable preference for second language reading among some dyslexics that has been noted, presenting a challenge to accepted theory on dyslexia and the capacity for second language learning. Shows that two dyslexic groups differed significantly in the degree to which task performance, including reading efficiency, was…

Florida state officials promoted the lottery as a successful revenue-producing source for public education. Yet, increases in lottery revenues (even when combined with increased student fees and other revenues) were insufficient to offset significant declines in state allocations to community colleges after the lottery was introduced and reached…

Examined the revenue and cost structures of higher education institutions. First, documented the reduced importance of state appropriations and the increased importance of tuition revenues during the early 1990s in public universities. Second, considered how the changed revenue structure influenced cost efficiency in public higher education…

Results of study of student academic efficiency of two types of public (government and community) and two types private (Christian and Wazazi) secondary schools in Tanzania finds the private schools less efficient; that is, they produce lower student achievement test scores than the public schools. (Contains 29 references.) (PKP)