This book explores the meaning, necessity, and benefits of multicultural education for students from all cultural backgrounds. The constant and complex interplay and interactions among personal, social, political, and educational factors in exploring the success or failure of students in schools and the benefits of multicultural education are considered. In Part I, the author develops a conceptual framework for multicultural education in the sociopolitical context and emphasizes structural and cultural factors in schooling as well as individual and group responses to education. This section focuses on understanding the myriad forces that may affect the school achievement of students. Case studies appear throughout to highlight salient issues. Part II focuses on the implications of the case studies for teaching and learning. Using the definition of multicultural education developed in the first section, the author presents a rationale for multicultural education as a way of equalizing educational experiences. This section also explores school and home life and conflicting expectations, collaboration for positive student achievement, ways to remove barriers that inhibit learning, suggestions for developing environments that foster high-quality education, multicultural education as a process, and a model of multicultural education that affirms all students. (Contains 366 references.) (JB)