Methods by which annual evaluation and review of departments at Michigan State has moved from a limited exercise to a valued administrative tool are described. A model is used that has as its basic unit the academic department and that is an operational system for departmental review and resource allocation in a complex university. (Editor/LBH)

In its broadest terms, the learning paradigm calls for institutional change and institutional responsibility for learning outcomes. Leaders have to develop structures and processes that allow for more flexibility and creativity. Decisions have to become more data-driven. Barriers to student success have to be identified and removed. This book…

This report describes two alternative approaches to measuring resources in K-12 education. One approach relies heavily on traditional accounting data, whereas the other draws on detailed information about the jobs and assignments of individual school personnel. It outlines the differences between accounting and economics and discusses how each…

Develops an economic model for schooling efficiency problems. Combines estimated educational production functions and cost relationships that allow for factor substitution and quality control to find the most efficient method for producing a given output. Minimum size of school district is related to student density and other geographic area…

Addresses the distribution and composition of educational investment among social classes, discussing topics related to equality of educational opportunity, and detailing a plan for financing equal educational opportunity. (JM)

A new approach to college financial self-assessment is described that focuses on changes in resources as the indicators of the institution's flexibility to respond to changes in its environment. The model is designed so that assessment results can be easily communicated within and outside the institution. (MSE)

New strategies for allocating limited resources to achieve maximum program effectiveness in times of declining enrollments coupled with inflation are discussed. A model for resource allocation is proposed and a case study presented. (Author/SF)

Presents an analysis of problems of resource allocation in the school library and a practical operations research approach toward accountability. Four planning instruments are included in the solution procedure: inventory of services; preference form; data collection guide; and program costing matrix. (Author/MBR)

An awareness of all the forces affecting higher education today is not enough; carefully planned strategies to deal with them are also necessary for effective administration. Organizational-environmental concerns, the seven-component model for managing organizational complexity, and forecasting technologies are among topics discussed. (Editor/TA)

Allocation of a lump sum appropriation among seven colleges and universities in a single system can often be a source of wide dissention. Institutions in Oregon have achieved consensus on a budget allocation model that rests on recent advances in cost analysis. The model allocates funds on an equal basis for each major discipline and by level of…

Priority setting is examined from the perspective of planning practitioners operating in a major federal regulatory agency. Causes of ambivalence in setting priorities are considered, and ways to reduce ambivalence are suggested. Three models are proposed for setting priorities in the public sector. (SLD)

U.S. college faculty salaries are based on merit and market factors, not a fixed scale. This article proposes a structural model for faculty performance evaluation that considers quality and quantity of output in teaching, scholarship, and service, awarding merit pay in proportion to an instructor's contribution to overall departmental…

Academic administrators are frequently asked to make difficult decisions related to resource allocation. Should a new academic program be approved? Should an old program be discontinued? How should resources be allocated between programs? Although resource allocation decisions are based on many factors, administrators must always consider the…

The purpose of this analysis is to describe the research base that undergirds the emerging concept of learning-centered leadership. We begin with our definition of leadership. Leadership is "the process of influencing others to achieve mutually agreed upon purposes for the organization" (Patterson, 1993, p. 3). Next, we make a number of…

Over the last generation, the instructional staffing system in American higher education has experienced a significant reduction in the proportion of jobs for full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty members and a dramatic growth in fixed-term full- and part-time instructional jobs without tenure. About 70 percent of the people teaching in…