This quasi-experimental study attempts to estimate the effect that participation in Courage to Teach (CTT), a transformative professional development (TPD) program, has on subsequent engagement with teaching. The primary focus of a TPD program is on the "person" who teaches, as opposed to content or technique. The subjects of the study are a sample of alumni from CTT and the National Writing Project (NWP), a professional development program used as a control group. Demographic data were collected for descriptive purposes and to account for potentially confounding variables. Engagement was measured with the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), and survey data were also collected on issues related to retention and perceived benefits of participation. Propensity score matching techniques were used to match the PK-12 teachers from the two programs as closely as possible on the potentially confounding variables. On average, the CTT respondents reported higher levels of professional efficacy (indicating greater engagement), and higher levels of emotional exhaustion and cynicism (indicating lesser engagement) than the NWP respondents. The CTT respondents were also compared to the normative sample of the MBI and other contemporary studies, and consistently showed higher engagement on all three subscales. Descriptive and exploratory data were obtained regarding respondents' demographic characteristics (CTT respondents are older and more experienced), the perceived effects of the program on respondents' retention decisions (a larger percentage of CTT respondents appear to be questioning their career choice at the time of their participation than NWP respondents), and the most valuable aspects of the program (CTT respondents focus more on personal and professional benefits, while NWP respondents focus primarily on professional aspects). Future research is needed to explore aspects of professional development that promote engagement, whether or not a content focus is a necessary requirement, and to resolve some of the issues that arose around proxy variables and temporal precedence. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]