A national study was conducted to determine both the perceived importance and the current practices of ongoing staff development programs in different regions in the United States. Responses to questionnaires were received from 267 school districts. A total of 51 school districts from the South, 49 from the Midwest, 44 from the East, and 39 from the West comprised the sample. The study focused on the following questions: (1) What differences existed between states in the four geographical regions of the United States in both the importance and utilization of staff development concepts and practices? (2) What effect did funding allocated to staff developent programs have upon such practices? (3) What differences existed between rural, suburban, and urban school districts in the perceived importance and utilization of staff development concepts and practices? and (4) What differences existed between the size of district (based upon student enrollment) in the importance and utilization of staff development concepts? Responses from each geographical region are discussed and analyzed. (JD)