A correlation is sought between a teacher's stages of professional growth and levels of invitational teaching. It is posited that stages of teacher professional growth are sequential, with each stage involving specific types of classroom behavior. Stage one is characterized by self concern, or a teacher-centered period. In the second stage, concerns over content, instructional strategies, discipline, and curriculum are paramount. Stage three is characterized by concerns clearly centered on the individual students' progress and achievement. The capacity to invite or disinvite students to learn is seen as a reflection of the teacher's developmental stage. A professionally mature teacher is capable of intentionally using behaviors that clearly invite students to actively participate in learning and that promote independent thinking. Invitational education, viewed in conjunction with stages of professional concern, might prove useful as a variable in reconciling some of the conflicting results in teacher effectiveness research. (JD)