Suggesting that too often initiatives have been placed in schools without attention to the implementation process, this paper discusses a model used in a professional development program for teachers of beginning reading and then describes and documents how each feature of the model was addressed through development and implementation work. The paper does not specifically address the effects of this program on students and teachers, although evaluation data are used in describing the various features of the model. It begins by discussing the initiative, its funding source, and the context in which the initiative took place. The paper explains that the LEADERS (Literacy Project) is a 3-year multi-site effort funded by Eisenhower Grant and involving three universities and a large number of school districts across Pennsylvania. It states that what is important is what has been learned about the various dimensions of the initiative and their importance in the success of the endeavor. It notes that the plan for other papers is to address more comprehensively the effects of the initiative on teachers and students. (Contains 19 references.) (NKA)