Like authors who create settings as integral components of engaging narratives, thoughtful literacy coaches and other educators who plan and implement professional development consider elements of settings to engage teachers in continuous learning. Many teacher educators, researchers, administrators, literacy coaches, and K-12 teachers understand that a great deal of continuous professional learning is required to teach effectively. Well-designed professional development settings are essential to promote and support teachers' development of new content knowledge and effective instructional practice. In these types of settings, teachers engage in intellectually deep conversations and close inspections of curriculum, teaching, and student learning issues. Such settings are integral to the everyday life of successful schools. This brief places "setting" under a lens and considers the different facets of this concept. It also offers a perspective on how literacy coaches, teachers, administrators and professional development providers can think about the design features of professional development settings that center on teacher and student learning. Although the examination of setting may apply to professional development in any discipline, this brief addresses this concept in relation to professional development in literacy education. Literacy coaches face the challenge of constructing professional development that engages teachers in meaningful and continuous learning activity throughout a school year. This brief describes some ways that literacy coaches can construct settings to support and sustain professional development that make a positive difference in teacher practice and student learning.