The literature on teacher training seems to indicate that mastery of teaching skills can be accomplished through the use of a combination of three training elements: the study of the theory underlying the skill, the opportunity to observe multiple demonstrations, and practice and feedback either under simulated conditions or in the classroom. However, transfer of the skills thus acquired into the teacher's active repertoire appears to involve new learning which requires the addition of a further important step in the training sequence: on-site coaching. The thesis is presented that transfer involves substantial new learning beyond the acquisition of the skills themselves, explaining the difficulty of curriculum implementation and the relatively low impact of most inservice education as presently conducted. A proposal extrapolated from the literature on transfer is presented for consideration as a model for inservice training.

The authors conducted a study of teachers' perceptions of the potential costs and benefits of involvement in school decision making. The teachers interviewed rated the potential costs of decision making involvement as low and the potential benefits as high. Nevertheless, many were hesitant to become involved because they saw little possibility that their involvement would actually make a difference.

The success of school reform efforts in general and the Regular Education Initiative in particular will be dependent to a large extent on the quality of staff development programs and an understanding of the culture of the school. A review of relevant literature provides the context for construction of a model of staff development that includes (a) understanding of the underlying theory of the innovation; (b) multiple demonstrations of the innovation; (c) opportunities for practice in the training setting; and (d) coaching to facilitate transfer and integration. Application of the model in a low-income, low achieving middle school is described, and implications for the Regular Education Initiative are discussed.

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