In this provocative volume, higher education experts explore innovative ways that colleges and universities can unbundle the various elements of the college experience while assessing costs and benefits and realizing savings. "Stretching the Higher Education Dollar" traces the reform continuum from incremental to more ambitious efforts.…

Simultaneous pressures to reduce costs and increase student achievement have never been greater than they are today. Not only is cost-cutting essential in this era of tightened resources, argue Hess and Osberg, but eliminating inefficient spending is critical for freeing up resources to drive school reform. This provocative book brings together a…

Education finance has emerged as one of the most pressing public policy issues of the new century. Americans spend more than $500 billion a year on elementary and secondary education, yet neither policy-makers nor practitioners seems to know how to align these resources with student learning goals. In fact, spending increases have outstripped…

"Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators" is the authoritative source for accurate information on the state of education around the world. It provides data on the output of educational institutions; the impact of learning across countries; the financial and human resources invested in education; access, participation and progression in…

Wise allocation of resources implies knowledge of which actions will yield the highest net benefit. Predicting benefit requires comparing objectives as to importance and setting priorities among them. This article discusses ways in which policy-makers can set priorities rationally. The advantages of ratios for comparing priorities are discussed.…

College and university faculties and students often dislike being reminded that the organization of which they are a part is an economic enterprise. Yet, each individual college and university is an economic entity, substantially concerned with obtaining and utilizing economic resources. In the process of getting and spending, colleges and…

This report is one of a series prepared by the National Research Council for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This report takes a critical look at the relationship of energy and the environment and focuses on three main policy questions: (1) Do environmental regulations make too great a demand on scarce resources of energy and the…

This collection of papers provides decision-makers with tools to improve resource allocation. The two primary tools, or modes, are cost-effective analysis and cost-benefit analysis, which researchers in education have devised and refined. This volume has three main goals, all intended to help decision-makers construct a useful research program:…

To search out areas for library cost reduction, a cost-effectiveness study of an overdue pickup operation was conducted. Labor and vehicle mileage costs and costs of planning the weekly pickup route were tabulated, and compared against the value returns from fines and the avoided cost of replacing lost items. Labor and mileage was determined at…

Trying to analyze developments in the federal budget in 1996 was particularly confusing to most Americans. This book serves as a guide for understanding the ever-changing, complex federal budget process. Chapter 1 explains in detail key terms and concepts. Chapter 2 provides an overview of the Budget Enforcement Act (BEA) budget process. Under the…

This book examines the advantages and disadvantages of various methods of financing education and discusses the basic issues related to increasing efficiency in education. Section 1 offers a short history of educational finance and discusses many of the traditional approaches to financing education. Section 2 presents methods for distributing…

Expertise in the technical aspects of planning and a keen appreciation of the social factors involved are not, in themselves, sufficient for satisfactory educational planning. The plan will still not be feasible unless there is attention to a third group of factors called "practical issues", "organizational features", or…

This book is the culmination of extensive discussion among a panel of economists led by Eric A. Hanushek. The panel argues that improvement of schools depends more on better uses of resources than on the provision of added funds. The book outlines a plan to improve school performance without increasing expenditures. Specifically, it calls for more…

Chapter 1, "Step 1: The Change Process," focuses on the change process and describes why and how schools engage in program restructuring and resource allocation. Chapter 2, "Step 2: Defining a New Educational Strategy," discusses decisions that must be made about the regular education program and how the various schools adopted, adapted or created…

This book presents articles that document the serious funding problems faced by higher education institutions and systems in the Asian and Pacific region, and explores possible strategies to address these problems. It presents an overview of the financial situation faced by higher education in the region, and then discusses two main strategies…