Minnetonka lays out professional‑learning schedule for 1,000 educators, emphasizes job‑embedded work
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Summary
District leaders described a multi‑session, multi‑site professional‑learning rollout covering literacy, SEL and culturally responsive practice; administrators said they run multiple schedules (21 elementary schedules in August, 40 secondary schedules in November, 34 on Jan. 5) and vet vendors before districtwide adoption.
Superintendent Law and Associate Superintendent Amy LeDoux presented a districtwide professional‑learning update during the Dec. 18 study session, saying the district has worked to align adult learning time with district priorities and legislative requirements.
Sarah Ward, director of staff learning, described a planning process that vets presenters and vendors through workshops, aligns outcomes with site administrators, and produces complex schedules to serve large numbers of staff across buildings. "In essence, we're running a conference for 1,000 educators three times in a semester," she said, noting the district uses available venues (including the Vantage Momentum Building) to host sessions.
Ward and LeDoux outlined recent and upcoming PD topics: K–5 literacy sessions (arts and letters, functional phonics and morphology), SEL rollouts (Superflex and Social Thinking resources), secondary workshops with Character Strong, culturally responsive practice residencies with Dan Beyer of Impact Lives, and middle‑school support with national consultant Rick Wormley.
Paraprofessional training was highlighted as a state‑mandated area: an eight‑hour science‑of‑reading course was developed in partnership with the Regional Literacy Network and MDE; the district ran cohort sessions and created asynchronous modules for staff who were absent or hired after workshops. Ward said district leaders will survey teachers after the Jan. 5 PD day to collect feedback and refine priorities for 2026–27.
Presenters emphasized balancing in‑person collaborative work with some asynchronous options (for license renewal and catch‑up), saying relational learning and built‑in collaboration time make the full‑day PD model preferable to short late‑start sessions. They also discussed intentional use of instructional technology and plans to revisit guidance on when to use tools versus creating screen‑free instructional time.
Next steps: Jan. 5 professional learning day (follow‑up sessions planned), teacher feedback via Google form to guide 2026–27 priorities, and continued collaboration between teaching & learning and student support services.