Abstract
We examine the work of one professional development school by studying the question, "What characteristics support change in a professional development school?" We suggest six guiding principles: (a) Role shifts of members of the school's steering group need careful nurturing; (b) the nature, direction, and pace of change need to evolve from the school community participants; (c) school community strengths need to serve as the foundation for change; (d) the expectation of continual growth needs to be established in the school community; (e) a balance needs to be struck between supporting and challenging professional development efforts; (f) the school community needs to acknowledge and embrace the complexities of curriculum and instruction.