Abstract
Problem of the Study. The problem of the study was to address school principals' need to provide a coordinated staff development program that meets both general and individual staff needs. This need was based on three major factors: (1) Increased emphasis on staff development in education; (2) Principals' responsibility to implement AB 65 in California and its major requirement for schools funded through the School Improvement Program (SI) that a coordinated staff development program be provided; (3) General dissatisfaction with current staff development practices that stem from the lack of individualization of staff development programs. Purposes of the Study. One major purpose of the study was to develop guidelines for planning a coordinated, general and individualized staff development program. These guidelines were to be based on the findings from the Rand Change Agent Study and supported by existing guidelines from the literature. The second major purpose of this study was to design a management model for a coordinated, general and individualized staff development program. The model was to be based on the aforementioned guidelines and designed to meet the requirements of SI that pertain to staff development. Procedures of the Study. The findings from the Rand Change Agent Study that had implications for planning staff development programs were analyzed and synthesized into a set of guidelines for planning a coordinated, general and individualized staff development program. The literature was reviewed to further document the guidelines. A management model for a coordinated, general and individualized staff development program was designed based on the aforementioned guidelines and to meet the requirements of SI that pertain to staff development. The management model was analyzed and recommendations were made. Results of the Study. The first major result of the study was this set of guidelines for planning a coordinated, general and individualized staff development program: (1) Obtain commitment for the staff development program from the board of education and/or district administration. (2) Identify a staff development leader. (3) Ensure maximum teacher involvement. (4) Establish a staff development plan that incorporates our knowledge about adult learners, strategies to individualize learning, and elements of instruction, or teaching behaviors, that affect student learning. The second major result was the management model for a coordinated, general and individualized staff development program in which these guidelines and the requirements of SI that pertain to staff development were incorporated.