It also reflects current concepts of professional networks, communities of learners, and learning organizations. Research in these areas has illustrated the importance of dialog, self-reflection, and community among the members of an organization if change and improvement are to occur. PAL participants, interacting as part of a professional community, improve inquiry and dialog skills that, in turn, can be applied to change efforts at their schools. One of the most important aspects of the PAL experience, as voiced by one participant, is that a principal s personal experience of collaborative and constructivist professional development encourages him or her to support teachers to learn in the same way. During the initial development year, program staff worked with a volunteer group of 14 principals who piloted the effort and served as an advisory group in refining the process.
Results indicate that participants experience benefits in both affective and cognitive areas.
Additionally, a survey of all past participants was conducted at the end of the third year to determine if the program had sustained effects. Barnett and Mueller showed that participation in PAL promoted sustained changes in principals actions and activities, particularly in causing them to more routinely examine their actions against their professional belief systems and longer-term goals. In another example of sustained results, participants from one school district continued to meet as a group after their PAL experience and became a forum for problem solving and for influencing district policies and practices. By working directly with groups of school leaders and by certifying others to deliver the program, WestEd's PAL staff have disseminated the program broadly in the United States and internationally. Within the United States, approximately 2,000 school leaders in 15 states and the District of Columbia have participated, and approximately 45 PAL instructors have been certified.