"One of the most persistent findings from research on school improvement is, in fact, the symbiotic relationship between professional development and school improvement efforts" (Hawley & Valli, 1999, p. 129). These researchers, and others in the field, argue that there must be a direct relationship between the professional development of educators and efforts to improve learning for students. As public schools receive increasing pressure to show improvement in student achievement it is appropriate to examine the current status of this "symbiotic relationship." Given this reported claim of a direct correlation the obvious question is, "what is the status of the relationship between professional development and school improvement as efforts to improve the American public education system continue?" This study, which was part of a graduate principal-preparation program attempts to analyze the level of school development in local schools and districts. The principal-preparation program is offered at a research-intensive university that serves a regional network of school districts and schools in a highly diverse area of rural communities, suburbs, and cities. Faculty members and numerous graduate students have dedicated the past several years to conducting a systematic study of the relationship between professional development and school improvement. The authors report empirical findings and conclusions in this article. (Contains 6 tables and 2 footnotes.)