This research is a qualitative, reflective case study regarding a cohort in the form of a district-university partnership between the Oak Park Schools in Oak Park, Michigan and the College of Education at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The initiators of the program envisioned a more successful urban school district by offering training beyond the traditional professional development to district teachers with an incentive of a Master's Degree. The criteria of this particular initiative mandated that the program be field-based where all courses met in district buildings and be nontraditional, where all content was focused on the needs of the district while encapsulated within university requirements. The narratives and findings of this study unveil some of the processes of its creation, design, implementation, and impacts it had on its participants during the cohort and 12 years after. The analysis of the data reveals that the success of the program is directly related to its evolution as a professional learning community by its qualities and characteristics. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]