In this article, the authors argue that district and school leaders continue to struggle with the apparent dichotomy between "traditional" and "reform-oriented professional development," especially with increased presence of professional learning communities in schools and their use in replacing other forms of professional development. Traditional professional development, most practitioners agree, is an expedient way to build the fundamental knowledge and skills associated with innovations in curriculum and instruction. Reform-oriented professional development, however, increases implementation and transformation of practice, researchers are finding. Implementation in classrooms is what impacts student learning. The authors propose that practitioners can negotiate the dichotomy between traditional and reform-oriented professional learning through the use of the macro-learning and micro-learning continuum. Macro learning experiences are those that occur at the broad level. They involve explicit occurrences of cognitive learning; staff engages in these experiences to acquire knowledge and skills. Macro learning deepens content and pedagogical knowledge and skill but does not guarantee that learning is transferred to practice. Teachers engage in micro learning as they apply their new knowledge and skills gained through macro learning, thus transferring learning to practice. The authors conclude that the artful weaving of macro and micro learning produces the greatest benefits for students. As school staffs continue to refine the implementation of professional learning communities, it is essential that they step back to determine if their practice incorporates sufficient macro and micro learning to produce the changes they intend--for both adults and students.