Tucson (Arizona) Unified School District involved its entire work force in generating cost-saving maintenance strategies. Savings were made in carpenter and mower repair shops, evening programs, property control, grounds maintenance, custodial operations, food services, utilities, and rental space agreements. Replacing outdated equipment and…

A study compared a 4 s constant time delay and a simultaneous prompting procedure on teaching receptively identifying animals to three children (ages 7-10) with mild/moderate mental retardation. Both procedures were effectively implemented by sibling tutors, simultaneous prompting was more efficient, and constant time delay resulted in more…

The school board president can ensure better board meetings by following tips on planning the agenda, conducting the meeting, and following up on board decisions. (MLF)

Two studies of classification strategies of three and five year olds and adults found that five year olds and adults used different sorting strategies for each of two sorting tasks, whereas three year olds relied on the same strategy for both. Children most successful in producing correct groupings were most likely to modify their strategies…

Describes a typical configuration for a local area network (LAN), and discusses positive and negative factors to be considered when deciding whether to implement a LAN in a library setting. Situations in which LANS are or are not appropriate are identified, and alternatives to LANs are described. (CLB)

Some Kansas school administrators are spending less time in meetings and accomplishing more by (1) asking if a meeting is necessary; (2) being punctual; (3) stating the focus of the meeting; (4) limiting meetings to five to seven participants; (5) providing minutes; and (6) using team-based management. (MLF)

A discussion of the Greek university system finds that most of the attention during retrenchment has focused on governance, with little concern for its administrative machinery. Administrative reforms that could allow the system to become more economical, academically effective, and accountable are suggested. (Author/MSE)

College and university fund raisers are offered three recommendations for targeting the best donors: (1) make effective use of indexes and directories, electronic or manual, to match foundation and college interests; (2) narrow the pool to true prospects; and (3) make preproposal contact geared to the foundation's style or organization. (MSE)

Principles of motion economy were assessed with two vocational tasks for two adults with severe to profound mental retardation. The motion economy-based task analysis was not superior in acquisition, but once each task was mastered, it enhanced fluency across both tasks for both participants. (Author/DB)

Increasingly, higher education institutions are using Total Quality Management (TQM) as a vehicle for delivering cost-effective programs and services. The TQM philosophy is that quality can be improved by ceaselessly improving the processes that support the institution's mission. TQM is applicable to institutional research and planning as well as…

Kernel smoothing methods for nonparametric item characteristic curve estimation are reviewed. A simulation with 500 examinees and real data from 3,000 records of the Graduate Record Examination illustrate the rapidity of kernel smoothing. Even when population curves are three-parameter logistic, simulation suggests no loss of efficiency. (SLD)

New information technology is viewed as analogous to a railway network that serves many, in diverse areas, and leads users to new frontiers. It is suggested that higher education can contribute to this system by developing useful new applications, providing guidelines for appropriate "passenger" behavior, and enhancing quality. (MSE)

Discusses the similarities of information handling by corporate records managers and librarians, and proposes combining their functions and physical locations into a central information center that would result in more efficient service at less cost. Records management is explained and advantages of a merger are described. (28 references) (LRW)

Delays in publication of articles in economics are examined, drawing on a survey of researchers in the field. It is concluded that members of this and other disciplines are responsible for more efficient peer review. A restructured selection process, better communication with referees, and enhanced policing of reviewers are also recommended. (MSE)

Boston University's (Massachusetts) online requisition system allows authorized users in 130 campus departments to originate a variety of transactions, eliminating all manual processing of requisitions. The system is described, its two-year system development cycle is chronicled, and its impact and reception by users are discussed. (Author/MSE)