This paper presents a review of the literature, examines available empirical studies related to successful staff development programs, and provides recommendations to school administrators and teachers with respect to the establishment of effective programs. Staff development is defined as any inservice activity that can potentially increase an educator's effectiveness within the school system, and more specifically, any planned process of education and/or training which will benefit the teacher, student, and school system. Based on the literature review, the following recommendations are offered to school systems: (1) establish a viable staff development philosophy; (2) involve and encourage the cooperation of teachers and administrators; (3) establish a staff development committee comprised of volunteer teachers and administrators to find out what teachers know and what they need to know through the use of a needs assessment instrument or the use of the Delphi Technique; (4) establish an effective delivery system including inservice evaluations; (5) locate inservices in school buildings; (6) encourage teachers' peers to do inservices; and (7) give serious thought to the provision of quality time for inservice to take place. (LL)