St. Clare’s Primary School in Dublin, Ireland, is a small school, with 330 students and 22 teachers. Walking the hallways, it could be any U.S. school — halls lined with artwork and announcements; classes with busy walls and bright windows; and a friendly staff focused on their students’ success. I met Maria Spring, principal at St. Clare’s and a member of Learning Forward, during a recent trip to Ireland. Spring and I discussed the professional learning needs and concerns of Irish educators. Although the structure of the Irish school system is much different than in the U.S., the professional learning needs and challenges are very much the same. Ireland’s Primary Schools Of the 3,169 primary schools in Ireland, more than 2,800 are under the management