This study examines the preliminary results of a 5-year national study on creating communities of learners, provides findings from teachers and principals at 20 schools, analyzes characteristics of high- and low-readiness schools, and discusses the interaction of leadership, vision, values, and the conditions required for professional learning communities (PLCs.) Characteristics of professional learning communities include shared authority and power, a united focus on student learning, collective learning by staff, supportive institutions, and the sharing of personal instructional practices. Effective leadership from the entire school community is needed to implement shared visions and values, and this requires developing the personal capacities of staff, and providing for adequate times and settings for peer dialogue and departmental communication. The Southwest Educational Development Laboratory project, "Creating Communities of Continuous Inquiry and Improvement," targets the creation of PLCs with co-developers in the Southeast, Midwest, and Northwest regions of the U.S. The preliminary data clearly suggest schools that have successfully integrated shared leadership, shared vision, and a supportive school culture are much better positioned to create professional learning communities than the less "change-ready" schools, which lacked similar markers of progress. Further research may reveal particular practices that facilitate integration in these three critical areas. (Contains 15 references.)(TEJ)