For 40 years, elementary and middle level schools in West Hartford, Connecticut, have dismissed students early on Wednesday afternoons so that teachers can spend two hours a week engaged in learning. Last fall and winter, the district interviewed high school teachers about what they would like to see happen in professional development. Under the guidance of the curriculum specialist for professional learning, a committee of teachers, department supervisors, assistant principals, and principals met during spring 2007. They developed PLACE (Professional Learning and Collaborative Experience) for high school teachers and recommended increasing the number of early dismissal Wednesdays at the high schools to equal those at the elementary and middle levels, so they have nine 2-hour sessions for teachers to design and conduct their own collaborative professional learning throughout the school year. This article describes the results of the implementation of PLACE on teacher development. Some of the projects that teachers, administrators, and staff members worked on are presented. The authors conclude that PLACE provides ongoing opportunities for dialogue and collaboration that are integral to creating a culture of learning and continuous improvement, shifting teacher thinking about professional learning from seeing it as an intrusion to viewing it as an essential component of their teaching lives. (Contains 1 figure.)