This article describes how an effort to help two schools achieve high levels of teacher implementation of the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) resulted in a deeper understanding of the true learning value of a sustained and committed partnership among university faculty, district personnel, and school-based educators. The partnership began when, as faculty members at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, the authors facilitated a three-day summer workshop and developed a plan for ongoing follow-up with the schools. This effort yielded high levels of implementation of the model, improved teacher attitudes, and most importantly, developed higher levels of professionalism and leadership within the schools. Partnerships such as these create valuable relationships where university faculty are welcomed into schools, teachers and administrators benefit from research-proven methods, and all stakeholders learn. The goal of this partnership was to implement the SIOP model in rural North Carolina elementary schools. The SIOP model gives teachers the necessary skills to teach content while simultaneously focusing on academic language development. Primarily designed for use with English language learners (ELLs), the model is being implemented widely in schools with high ELL populations, where all students benefit from an approach that focuses on both language and content knowledge. The two schools in the study have a 40% ELL population, which makes them perfect for implementing the SIOP model. The positive relationship that developed between the school district and university has replaced former skeptics with true partners for the benefit of all stakeholders.