Since the beginning of the 1990's, decentralisation in Sweden has transformed the professional work of teachers. There has been a change from a top-down to a bottom-up responsibility. The teachers' own pedagogical practices have been brought into sharper focus. At the Department of Education, Umea University, this form of continuing professional development has been designated "School Development and Action Research". The initiative comes from the local schools and the teachers themselves, who explore their own practice. The teachers describe, analyse and document their experiences, spreading their new experiences and knowledge to other colleagues and schools. In this paper we will analyse the conception of decentralised professional development and discuss how teachers evaluate and consider school development in the light of these experiences.