Most recent initiatives to improve teaching may be characterized as top-down, compliance-oriented policies that seek to increase accountability and regulate different aspects of the profession. Little regard has been paid to the development of assistance programs at the state level that aim at building capacity among teachers and local school systems and that call for or allow significant discretion and involvement on the part of local teachers and administrators in policy development, adoption, and implementation. This paper describes the Arkansas Classroom Management Training Model, a state-level assistance program for teacher improvement that was developed through a collaborative effort involving the Arkansas Department of Education, local school systems, and an educational researcher. A description and a brief history of the program are presented, and research findings on the conditions necessary to the successful adoption, implementation, and continuation of educational innovations are examined in detail to explain the initial success of the program. A general model is presented that is based on the Arkansas model, for the development and implementation of staff development programs that link research, training, and practice. References, tables, and figures are appended. (JD)