A unique covenant that sets out the mutual commitments and expectations of students, families, school staff, district leadership, and the community was adopted in public ceremonies in 1993, a visible sign that meeting the standards is the responsibility of all. All 104 sites now participate. The plan became part of the negotiated teaching contract in 1997, but 3,000 of the 4,000-member teaching staff had already voluntarily chosen to be part of the process. Each participant in the PDP writes a development plan aligned with district and school goals, especially the curriculum content standards. They meet regularly with the teacher to discuss the plan, assess progress toward the goal and help the teacher find resources and do problem solving around instructional and learning issues.
Principals are automatic members of the peer review team along with fellow teachers.
Elementary and secondary teachers even have appropriately worded surveys to use with students, seeking their opinions about the curriculum content, teaching methods and management. Guiding the PDP process are the Standards of Effective Instruction. From these, the group developed standards specifically for Minneapolis' teachers. If the PDP team agrees that the teacher needs additional help, or if the teacher recognizes the need, a Performance Support Process takes over, providing extensive support for three to six months. At that time, the teacher may return to the PDP plan or move to intensive assistance and the possibility of a recommendation from the Performance Support Process team, the direct-level governing body, that the teacher consider other career options.