Declining enrollments and the trend toward alternative certification for teachers and their impact on schools of education and staff development programs are discussed in this paper. Although alternative certification programs are meant to eliminate the practice of issuing emergency certificates by school superintendents, the effect is that they virtually eliminate preservice training of secondary teachers by colleges of education, and the burden of training them falls on the school district. The trends nationally toward more stringent teacher and administrator evaluation, career ladders, and merit pay plans also have significant impacts on staff development. Florida law stipulates that prospective candidates in the alternative certification program will need to satisfactorily complete a modified beginning teacher program during the first half year of teaching, and successfully complete the Florida Beginning Teacher Program during the second half of the school year. The burden this places on school districts' staff development programs is discussed and prospective changes in staff development based on certification trends are considered. (JD)