Michael A. Copland is currently assistant professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in the College of Education at the University of Washington (UW). His previous roles include classroom teacher, assistant principal, and principal, all in middle schools in Washington state. Dr. Copland has extensive experience with the preparation and professional development of prospective and practicing school and district leaders. Currently, he is teaching and developing curriculum roles for the Danforth Educational Leadership program at UW, the Center for Educational Leadership at UW, and the UW Leadership for Learning Ed. D. program. Prior to his current duties, Dr. Copland was the director of the Prospective Principals Program at Stanford University. His research interests include issues related to the preparation and professional development of school and district leaders, learning-focused leadership in school and district reform, transformation of comprehensive high schools, and distributed leadership in the context of whole school reform. Dr. Copland's recent publications include pieces in Phi Delta Kappan, Journal of School Leadership, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, and Educational Administration Quarterly.