Over 18 billion dollars in the United States alone is spent on professional staff development. Yet many teachers report that current professional staff development offerings are neither relevant nor effective. So, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation contracted with the Boston Consulting Group in 2014 to reach more than 1,300 teachers, professional development leaders, principals, professional development providers, and thought leaders through a series of surveys and interviews. Read the complete findings of the study here. Professional staff development that is designed and delivered to meet the needs of the specific target audience will have long lasting positive impacts on those teachers in attendance, and the students they reach. Check out the following video with snippets from professional staff development sessions that Education Consultant, Diana Wehrell-Grabowski, PhD has conducted. Teachers attending the professional staff development sessions are engaged, empowered and inspired. When these factors come together this leads to positive learning experiences and transformations. [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vAcLXmPRw0[/embedyt]