A school improvement process that relies on professionals learning in concert with each other also holds the key to developing the leadership capacity and sustainability that schools and systems so desperately need. Professional learning communities thrive when districts experience consistent leadership across the district, so succession planning and learning community development must go hand-in-hand. Michael Fullan suggests in Leadership & Sustainability (2005) that established professional learning communities are more likely to be disrupted or discontinued when a new leader steps into the principalship. Focusing on internal leadership sustainability can counter this discontinuity of direction (Fullan, 2005, p. 31). Building professional learning communities is the first step in ensuring continuity. There are a number of ways schools and districts can promote leadership development to survive the