A model program, developed by the Institute for the Development of Educational Activities (/I/D/E/A), to prepare staff development specialists for school improvement projects is described. In this model, trainees experience the staff development processes they will be implementing in schools during their training.

A recent model for the design of staff development programs for educators includes 5 stages--readiness, planning, training, implementation, and maintenance--each of which is defined by a set of 4 to 11 practices. To test this model and the relative merits of its 38 practices and its underlying assumptions, a national questionnaire survey of over…