The Metropolitan Educational Trends and Research Outcomes Center has identified seven projects in the southwestern United States and one in Massachusetts that exemplify the educational practices important in today's ethnolinguistically diverse classrooms. Preliminary findings indicate that each of these programs contains several critical elements that serve as the basis for curriculum and instruction. These elements include primary language instruction and support, a strong focus on English language development, the use of meaning-centered activities, and a strong staff development component. In this paper, an attempt is begun to translate the descriptions of effective practices into guidelines and procedures for program developers and teachers working with ethnolinguistically diverse student populations. An overview is provided of the programs studied, and their critical elements are outlined and arrayed into a framework for guidelines and procedures. In these programs, diversity has been regarded as an asset, rather than a problem. In addition, the theoretical belief that all children can learn is pervasive at the program sites. Three tables present study findings, and a 9-item list of references is included. (SLD)