To increase understanding of teacher staff development in the United States, a research study of staff development programs and their associated costs was undertaken in three large urban school districts. These districts were selected as having, respectively, high, medium and low apparent levels of staff development activity. The study was designed primarily to construct a method for analyzing staff development programs in other school districts with a focus on organizational routines and related costs. Data were collected through interviews with school district personnel and through examination of pertinent documents. From the information collected, descriptions, analyses, and comparisons of the three school districts were made in terms of: numbers of teachers and pupils; education expenditures and funding sources; organizational structure; staff development activities at central office, district, and school levels; teacher participation in staff development; and staff development expenditures. Analysis showed that patterns of actual staff development activity and resource allocation contradicted conventional ideas of how staff development is conducted. A major conclusion was that the weak political position of staff development and the organizational dynamics of school districts make unlikely any substantial reforms of actual staff development practices in the near future. (Author/MJL)