Although most efforts to improve schools through integration of academic and vocational education recognize the need for staff development, most staff development efforts fall short. The reasons these efforts often do not succeed include the following: teachers have little authority to make decisions about the improvement process; the programs do not take into account what motivates teachers to engage in staff development; and the programs fail to consider the process by which change in teachers typically takes place. An instrument that is designed to facilitate staff development and the integration of academic and vocational education is the SIAVE Self-Assessment (Status of the Integration of Academic and Vocational Education), developed at Temple University. The SIAVE was developed through identification of the essential elements of the integration of academic and vocational education, assessment of the degree to which schools had implemented the essential elements, and use of assessment data to nurture the integration of academic and vocational education efforts. The SIAVE focuses on in-school staff development in small clusters focused around a subject area. Teachers are to concentrate on student needs and engage in continuing staff development, assessment of the efforts, and refinements based on the assessment. Using the change process directed by teachers is suggested. The SIAVE process integrates research on change, emphasizes a shift in focus from the professional development of individuals to the professional development of staff within the whole school setting. The promise of using the SIAVE process is a curriculum framework and high-performance staff capable of providing the competitive advantage in creating the high skills work force needed for the 21st century. (Contains 18 references.) (KC)