The ExcEL (Excellence for English Learners) Leadership Academy is designed to grow the work of Project ExcEL, in an effort to expand the program nationwide. The Academy, being developed at the Shelton Public School district in Shelton, CT is implementing ExcEL by building on the efforts of schools across Connecticut and New York to create a model that can be replicated at districts across the country. This model involves the creation of three strands of focus, individualizing instruction, empowering students, and partnering with the community. In Shelton, general instruction teachers are teamed with ESL and bilingual teachers, as well as counselors and administrators and provided the resources to discuss their EL students in a systematic manner, focusing on their issues and their strengths, and creating an individualized learning plan for each. Community partners collaborate to provide supports for students and their families outside of the classroom to ensure student needs are being met beyond the end of the school day.