Inservice education is primarily planned and justified on the basis of its contribution to and impact upon the classroom. Although the student must remain central, staff development programs can and must concurrently address and relate to other institutional and/or organizational goals and objectives. Inservice or staff development should not be viewed as a perfunctory activity but as an integral component of a higher, more complex system, and should be viewed as a facilitator of change toward achieving program and organizational development goals as well as impacting on student behavior and enhancing professional growth. Five factors influence successful development of programs: cooperative inservice education planning, relationship to the school program, resources, commitment to professional development, and rewards. The establishment of priorities for local inservice staff development could be based upon a composite of five different variables. These include institutional goals, anticipated program development and/or redirection, staff performance appraisals, an assessment of student development, and perceived teacher needs. (JH)