One of the most crucial roles of the school leader is to develop and maintain the professional level of the staff which he/she supervises. It is generally agreed upon that the desired school culture is one in which the focus is on the development of a community of learners. Consequently, intellectual growth can never happen for children unless it first happens for adults. It is of great concern to many practitioners that staff development experiences for educators are not of the serious, intellectual caliber as other professions. This article presents the findings of a formal study of practitioners' perspectives on staff development efforts and the relation to professional improvement. Additionally, the article discusses elements that make for quality staff development and those elements that hinder the intellectual growth of adults. (Contains 2 tables.)