In this era of accountability, policymakers view professional development as the key to increasing teacher quality and correspondingly improving student learning. A recent survey of state requirements for teachers reports that thirty-nine states fund professional development programs, forty states have published specific professional development standards for teachers, and fifteen states require schools to set aside a specific amount of time for professional development. Current standards, systems, and policies give the impression of substantial support for teacher growth. Yet, the prevalent assumptions of this standards-based era depart from the ways that teachers' learning and autonomy were construed in recent history. In this article, the author first draws attention to this recent past by recalling a major report on music teacher education that portrayed more differentiated and teacher-driven avenues for advancement. Then, the author contrasts the current accountability landscape for professional development with a reform-minded conception of teachers' work, a view that is more congruent with teachers' intentions, aspirations, and challenges. To support teacher learning along these more self-directed lines, the author describes five venues for professional development and recommends how these venues could be made more supportive of teachers' desires to change. (Contains 2 figures, 1 table and 6 notes.)