School climate is defined, four instruments used to assess various dimensions of school climate are described, and implications of a school climate profile for developing an individualized staff development program in a rural school setting are discussed. Developed from the professional literature, the definition of school climate includes the values, beliefs, and attitudes of school community members as reflected in the institutional patterns, processes, and behavioral practices utilized in the school across time. A positive school climate is seen as a platform upon which productive learning and teacher job satisfaction are built. The four instruments to assess school climate described are: the Attitude Toward Inservice Scale, the CFK Ltd. School Climate Profile, the Purdue Teacher Opinionnaire, and the Survey of Effective School Processes. Reasons why an assessment of a school's climate can provide valuable information for the design, implementation, and evaluation of professional inservice development programs are discussed. An example of an on-site staff development program at an elementary and secondary school in a large rural Pennsylvania school district (Keystone Central) is described: a local inservice leadership team was chosen, staff development needs and school climate assessed, immeditate and long-term goals set, and implementation begun. Tables provide results of the CFK School Climate Profile for Keystone Central. (MH)