Against a backdrop of increasing BPS ELL enrollment, district ELL leadership transitions, state and federal policies affecting ELL education, and with the knowledge that many teachers and administrators within the Boston Public Schools are expert practitioners with ELL students, we addressed the following research questions:

• In which BPS schools were ELL students performing at a consistently high level or showing steady improvement during SY2006-SY2009?
• What were some of the practices that these schools’ staffs credited with their success with ELL students during SY2006-SY2009?
• Which of the practices identified by school staff were shared among the selected schools?

Through case study analysis, we found that principals and Language Acquisition Team facilitators played key roles in vision and implementation of ELL best practices, including creating professional learning communities and providing professional development; that shared cultural and linguistic experiences among staff and families were prevalent; and that staff cultural competence translated into increased family engagement, quality instructional practices, and understanding of the needs of the whole child. We also found that ELL students received the standard district curriculum, and that all teachers were knowledgeable about how to modify instruction for academic language acquisition. The purpose of this report is to inform the district and other schools not only about which schools were most successful during the study period, but also to share detailed information that may be disseminated widely so that staff in other schools may consider the lessons and practices for adaptation in their own schools.