Continues a discussion of how library media specialists can become more organized. Topics include reducing the time spent dealing with paperwork by having someone else sort the mail; organizing paperwork by the use of folders and files; and desk space and other appropriate furniture, including space for computers. (LRW)

Presents cleaning profiles for educational facilities that help clarify and quantify the cleaning process, thus aiding labor allocation and addressing contract specifications as well as verifying standards through quality assurance. Strategies cover various cleaning levels from overall spotlessness to constantly utilized areas only affording…

Examines whether the technicist-rational approach to school development planning, advocated in England's Office for Standards in Education guidelines, is appropriate for primary schools, based on case studies of nine schools. School staff remain unconvinced that technicist-rational planning is key to implementing change. (Contains 39 references.)…

In the last decade, consensus around equality and efficiency in New Zealand adult education shifted to a focus on autonomy and accountability, economic rationalism, and vocational skills. Adult educators seeking change should emphasize participative democracy, connectedness, and valuing and advancing groups with diverse identities and interests.…

Uses simulated data to assess the adequacy of two econometric and linear-programming techniques (data-envelopment analysis and corrected ordinary least squares) for measuring performance-based school reform. In complex data sets (simulated to contain measurement error and endogeneity), these methods are inadequate efficiency measures. (Contains 40…

Fundamental tax reform is examined in an overlapping-generations model in which heterogeneous agents face idiosyncratic wage shocks and longevity uncertainty. A progressive income tax is replaced with a flat consumption tax. If idiosyncratic wage shocks are insurable (i.e., no risk), this reform improves (interim) efficiency, a result consistent…

Purpose: Laboratories typically consume 4-5 times more energy than similarly-sized commercial space. This paper adds to a growing dialogue about how to "green" a laboratory's design and operations. Design/methodology/approach: The paper is divided into three sections. The first section reviews the background and theoretical issues. A…

Integral to school restructuring is the need to create time for school staff to participate in developing a vision, setting goals, formulating plans, training, and exchanging experiences. The use of time is both the object of and the chief impediment to change. The study surveyed educational literature, and business management journals,…

This publication outlines some of the techniques school districts are using to survive in an era of fiscal restraint. Information in this resource directory is based on a national survey of 108 school districts affiliated with the National School Board Association. Section 1 summarizes the survey findings, which indicate that school districts have…

When items are selected during a computerized adaptive test (CAT) solely with regard to their measurement properties, it is commonly found that certain items are administered to nearly every examinee, and that a small number of the available items will account for a large proportion of the item administrations. This presents a clear security risk…

Intended for adults with learning disabilities, this paper offers time management strategies in a work-sheet format. The paper, which was written with the assistance of adults with learning disabilities, explains setting goals, planning, organizing time, and avoiding stress. Guidelines for goal setting include: focus on the present; set goals that…

In view of differences of opinion as to what is meant by quality goals, this article approached the problem of quality through considering procedures. (Author/RK)

The problem of obtaining designs that result in the most precise parameter estimates is encountered in at least two situations where item response theory (IRT) models are used. In so-called two-stage testing procedures, certain designs that match difficulty levels of the test items with the ability of the examinees may be located. Such designs…

To help secondary school principals make meetings more effective and personally satisfying, this pocket-size pamphlet contains guidelines in the form of 40 rules. Each page contains a rule, a paragraph elaborating on the rule, and a key self-evaluation question. For example, "Better Meeting Rule No. 12 'Stay on Task'" concludes with the question…

A description of the State of Arizona and its educational system is presented as a working paper in a final report by the Arizona Board of Regents' Task Force on Excellence, Efficiency and Competitiveness. Facts about the state include the following: indications are that the present growth in Arizona will continue for at least a decade more;…