This document was created as a resource to identify and describe four properties of effective resource allocation systems to help anchor the resource allocation review process in the State of Illinois and build districts' understanding of these properties. An effective resource allocation system will have the following properties: (1)…

The U.S. Department of Education (Department) continually seeks opportunities to ease administrative burdens on State educational agencies (SEAs) while ensuring strong fiscal and programmatic accountability. This letter grants limited prior approval to SEAs to approve pre-award costs and participant support costs for subgrantees for programs in…

Blended learning, which combines independent online work with in-person group sessions, can support educator development while promising time-savings, flexibility, learner autonomy, and ease of use -- all without sacrificing program quality. Indeed, two decades of peer-reviewed studies of in-person, online, and blended instruction have…

Career and technical education (CTE) is increasingly seen as a major potential contributor to the recovery of the U.S. economy. However, the effectiveness and impact of the current Carl D. Perkins Act (otherwise known as Perkins IV) that governs CTE are unclear. Is the federal investment in CTE paying off? To answer this, we need to establish the…

Schools and districts across the country are being subjected to some of the fiercest budget cuts in recent history, even as principals are held increasingly accountable for significantly improving student achievement, particularly in schools labeled "persistently low-achieving." For the 5,000 lowest-performing schools, there is the…

Most districts are facing severe budgetary constraints, and special education is one area that is feeling the effects. Special education consumes an average of 20%-30% of school district budgets. Pacing fiscal and systemic controls on special-education spending, and examining para professional placements in particular, will lead to better delivery…

As any parent with a college-bound child knows, college tuitions are rising much faster than inflation. One way to control costs is to make parents better consumers by giving them better price and outcome information. But the true cost of a college education is hard to calculate because of complex and opaque pricing structures. Today, colleges are…

Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) is poised to take action today that will lead to serving all students more effectively. Although the challenges are significant, including deep budget cuts, the district made the strategic choice to look thoroughly at how resources are currently allocated and now has a foundation for making decisions that will…

The goals and procedures of front-end analysis are described and a number of examples are cited. (Author)

A study was designed to explore what cost-effectiveness methods are being used, determine what differences exist between the methods, and recommend the most appropriate cost-effectiveness analysis method for instructional design. Analysis of questionnaires sent to appropriate institutions led to the finding that cost-effectiveness analyses differ…

Article deals with a method developed for generating or computing cost-benefits and cost-effectiveness data. (Author)

Common sense and operational research can lead to significant savings in the use of capital resources. (HS)

Cost control is the subject of this eight-lesson, three-test food service training manual. Lesson 1 deals with financial accountability and includes 17 handouts, ranging from sample balance to quarterly report sheets. Lesson 2 focuses on budgeting principles, and lesson 3 on labor controls. Professional purchasing, receiving, and inventorying…

Discusses the theory of administrative cost accounting known as "internal pricing" for the purpose of describing how it is currently affecting the operations of academic departments. (Author)

A hospital administrator and a nursing school director point out the value of realistic allocation of costs to determine the economics of the diploma program. (Editor)