Between 1990 and 2010, the demographics of Everett, Massachusetts underwent significant change. Families that were new to the community, and new to the United States, arrived to the predominantly white working-class community, bringing ethnic and linguistic diversity. Everett Public Schools faced a challenge in accommodating a more diverse student body at the same time that academic performance was plateauing. District leaders felt like they had too many initiatives that did not support a coherent vision for the district, and they knew they were not serving all students well. Keverian School Principal John Obremski saw promise in the Bay State Reading Institute (BSRI), a small-group instructional model using literacy as an entry point to changing teacher practice and culture. After visiting a BSRI school in Revere, Massachusetts, and examining performance data for other BSRI schools, he decided to pilot BSRI in the hopes that it would jump-start performance. In this study, the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy sought to uncover a model of the early stages of BSRI implementation, including necessary conditions and supports as well as shared challenges. This study examines the following research questions: (1) What does the first year of an initiative designed to impact educator culture look like?; (2) How has BSRI impacted educator culture in Everett elementary schools?; and (3) What promising practices about school change and improvement can be learned from Everett? To address these research questions, the Rennie Center team collected data at Keverian, Lafayette, and Parlin, the three schools implementing BSRI. At each school, researchers observed classrooms and teacher team meetings during BSRI implementation. The study team also conducted two rounds of interviews with groups of teachers, administrators, and the instructional leadership team at each school, as well as one round of interviews each with district leaders and BSRI staff members. Many of the teachers and administrators in this study feel that adopting BSRI has been beneficial. From initial implementation through the first year, Parlin and Lafayette teacher perspectives on the model became increasingly more positive. At the same time, interviews with staff at all three schools offer insight into the challenges inherent in BSRI implementation. [Support for this project was provided by the Bay State Reading Institute.]