The quality of teaching is the most important in-school factor that affects student learning and achievement. Professional learning and development are deliberate ways to improve the quality of teaching. Nations and systems differ in how they approach professional learning and development. For this reason, Learning Forward commissioned a groundbreaking study on The State of Educators’ Professional Learning in Canada (Campbell et al., 2016) in anticipation of its 2016 Annual Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. We use this excellent study of professional learning and development (PLD) in 13 systems across one of the world’s highest-performing nations in education as a stimulus for offering a new approach to developing and deepening the teaching profession in Canada and elsewhere.

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What is the essence of PLD? -- 2. Why do advocates keep making a flawed case for PLD? -- 3. How are critics making a misdirected case against PLD? -- 4. What’s the symbiosis (mutual benefit) between students and their teachers in terms of their learning, well-being, and development? -- 5. How do we understand and underscore the importance of the individual and the collective aspects of PLD? -- 6. How do we build a culture of professional capital — our call to action?.