This interview with a school principal, Efrain Vila, argues that staff development is crucial in school reform. Teachers cannot be asked to use new processes if they do not have opportunities to learn how to use them. His school's faculty meetings always include staff development components. Parent involvement is also essential. (SM)

This paper profiles Anna Steffin, principal of a Canadian elementary school, who has built a community of learners among her teachers and encourages quality staff development, collegiality, parent participation, and parent teacher cooperation. She promotes her beliefs by being an active participant in all activities. (SM)

Describes how a principal at a diverse elementary magnet school conducts staff development. She believes her role as staff developer is to focus development efforts. She encourages creating mandatory study groups, keeping teachers with the same students for two years, finding workday hours for training, and trying new, research-based innovations.…

Goals for the development of building level staff development in the Greenwich, Connecticut evaluation model include: (1) evaluating information sharing; (2) evaluating staff interests and concerns; (3) evaluating the acquisition of new skills, techniques, and strategies; and (4) evaluating the sense of community and commitment among staff in the…

Describes how the principal of a predominantly minority elementary school in Chicago (Illinois) took control of the school from local gangs and from the Local School Council, emphasizing her leadership and work to bring the faculty together through her active involvement and teachers' participative decision making. (SM)

Discusses the work of Larry Dixon, assistant superintendent for resources in the Junction City (Kansas) school district, who supports principals in their efforts to improve schools. The paper describes Project TurnAround Teacher, which works in a nontraditional manner to help at-risk students who are discipline problems. (SM)

Profiles Virginia Aguilar, a high school principal who, with her staff, has been exploring and implementing changes and improvements in response to state mandates. The paper describes improvement efforts by the school district and how Aguilar's school makes use of them. Aguilar's encouragement of participative decision making is discussed. (SM)

The article describes how Susan Derse, principal of a Seattle high school, works with her school to facilitate and encourage change, focusing on her approach to staff development. Ms. Derse uses a collaborative, participatory style of leadership that allows plenty of time for teachers to meet and work together. (SM)

One middle school principal stemmed the flight of white and middle-class black citizens from a Chattanooga school district and reopened a magnet middle school. Using staff development, she encouraged her teachers to learn how to work effectively to motivate students. (SM)

This article profiles Bena Kallick, a renowned consultant on thinking, assessment, and school restructuring. The constant thread throughout Kallick's staff development career has been her focus on helping educators and parents examine what they want for their schools, how to achieve their vision, and what their children are learning. (SM)