Education Minnesota’s TALL Project: Teachers as Learners and Leaders (1st Annual Evaluation Report)

The Minnesota Legislature provided assistance in the form of categorical aid for staff development. State law required school districts to set aside two percent of their basic revenue for staff development. During the 2000 session, the Legislature allocated money to the Department of Children, Families, and Learning (CFL) for a number of Best Practice grants. One of these Best Practice grants was earmarked for Education Minnesota. This grant became the Teachers as Learners and Leaders (TALL) project.
During the first year of TALL (2000-01), approximately 600 Professional Development Activists (PDAs) representing 250 school districts systematically analyzed the condition of professional development in their school districts (Phase I) and wrote action plans to address weak areas (Phase II). Most action plans focused on the compliance with professional development statutes and state requirements. Many districts needed to work on issues such as the structure of their Staff Development Committees and the use of money that was to be set aside for professional development.