This document discusses the future of teacher professional development and learning communities. It suggests that effective professional development must be sustained, focused on important content, and allow teachers to work collaboratively in learning teams to improve practice and student achievement. Traditional "sit and get" professional development is not as effective because teachers lack opportunities to apply and discuss learning with colleagues. True knowledge and improvement comes from teacher-directed learning that occurs through personal learning networks, professional learning communities, and communities of practice - all of which allow for collaboration and application of learning to the classroom in real-time.