In this article, we describe the promise of professional development for teachers by considering the following questions: (1) What do teachers who work in urban public schools see as the intended purposes of professional development, and what do they identify as their needs? (2) Can a move from professional development as absent of what teachers say they need to professional development as publicly engaged scholarship center justice, equity, and humanization in teaching and learning? To address these questions, we analyze qualitative data from preK--12 teachers, teacher educators, and education support professionals who participated in a professional development initiative in an urban school district in the U.S. Midwest.