Teachers' centers are places and programs for staff development that are designed and used by inservice teachers of their own volition to fill their self-identified training and curriculum needs. Centers operate on two basic premises. First is the assumption that teachers, rather than educational researchers, can most accurately assess their own professional needs, based on direct classroom experience. Teachers can then speak to their own and others' needs in the design of inservice facilities and programs. The second assumption deals with the developmental nature of the learning process. Teacher-initiated inservice programs allow participants to learn at their own pace and in the areas most appropriate to their own interests. This leads to a more enduring acquisition and improvement of teaching skills. The overall effectiveness of a teachers' center hinges upon the successful incorporation of communication, collaboration, and direct experience into a program format that is both accessible and attractive to teachers who may be wary of researcher-based inservice education programs. (LH)