ABSTRACT
Staff development policy and practice in California are examined in several ways designed to be helpful to an international audience. First, it is shown that the broader educational context in California is having considerable influence on staff development policy and programmes; some of these external factors or forces are identified and discussed. State-funded programmes in staff development and the state government organization related to these programmes are described and analysed. To illustrate significant programme features, several of the more innovative staff development efforts are described. Government strategies for assisting the implementation of state-funded staff development programmes are discussed along with views about the relative effectiveness of these strategies. Several recent studies are discussed which shed light upon the results of the state of staff development policy and practices. The chapter concludes with a review of some unresolved issues which are related to the policy and practices discussed earlier in the chapter. The implications of this review for an international readership are also discussed.
