This special report is a collection of seven essays exploring issues in professional development and teacher improvement: (1) "The Missing Link" (Ann Bradley) looks at the elements of effective staff development and new attention focused on teachers' on-the-job training; (2) "Union Dues" (Jeanne Ponessa) examines the role of unions in professional development; (3) "Money Talks" (Drew Lindsay) is a case study of a plan by the school district in Flint (Michigan) to reform professional development and improve student learning by turning much of the money and control of staff development over to school principals; (4) "Teacher to Teacher" (Joanna Richardson) discusses how networks based on teachers' interests and experiences offer a strategy for improving teachers' knowledge; (5) "A Virtual Network" (Peter West) explores how easy-access electronic tools provide teachers a support system for professional development; (6) "The Long Haul" (Ann Bradley) is a case study of two trainers with the Public Education and Business Coalition, a nonprofit organization in Denver (Colorado) that brings five school districts together with business and community groups; and (7) "Let the Buyer Beware" in which 10 teachers relate their professional development experiences. (ND)