A discussion of multicultural education in elementary and secondary schools gives an overview of principles, considerations, and methods in implementing multicultural school programs, and offers sample lesson plans. The first section examines the origins of multicultural education and outlines four types of curricula: (1) focusing on discrete contributions of various cultures to the mainstream culture; (2) addition of a unit or course on a particular ethnic group without other changes to the basic curriculum; (3) infusion of different perspectives and content, representing change in the basic curriculum; and (4) all of the above, with the added feature that students are encouraged to make decisions and take action related to the concept or issue discussed. Common questions and concerns about multicultural program implementation are answered, and a list of indicators of how the school environment reflects a truly multicultural approach is presented. With this list, school staffs can assess the areas in which they could improve performance. Basic categories of indicators include language role, discipline, community role, testing, staffing, family participation, curriculum design and content, instructional materials and library collections, classroom practice, and instructional grouping. Four sample multicultural lesson plans, and several lists of references are included. (MSE)