This exploratory research project will study the feasibility of a major national initiative to change the standard practice of staff development in the United States. Current reform movements call for teachers to take on new responsibilities for school decision making and instructional leadership and then to be held accountable for student outcomes. Our teachers must, therefore, be provided with opportunities to advance their understanding of subject matter and to build collegial networks in support of their efforts. A shift to this new view of staff development will require broadscale changes in policy, practice, and public opinion. As a first step, this study will address a number of unanswered questions about the nature and extent of the dominant paradigm of staff development and about the interest and commitment of individuals or organizations whose attention to the issues of staff development is a necessary ingredient for future success. The study should have two important results: 1) It will provide a much more accurate picture of the dimensions of the problems surrounding the funding, organization, and delivery of staff development in mathematics and science, and 2) It will lead to greater understanding of and investment in the issues related to the reform of staff development in the United States.
