This study explored beliefs, self-reported practices, and professional development needs of three mainstream classroom teachers with language-minority students. Case histories of the teachers were composed from transcripts of interviews, classroom observation, and entries from teacher and observer journals. Analysis reveals that: (1) teacher beliefs about language-minority students may be based on hearsay and misinformation; (2) the teachers do not vary their planning but frequently vary lesson implementation; (3) choice of instructional practices may be based on naive notions of language proficiency and the demands of the mainstream classroom; and (4) teachers draw on intuitive wisdom because of lack of preservice teacher preparation and nonexistent or inadequate inservice education on issues related to language-minority students. Implications are drawn primarily for preservice and inservice teacher education: teacher educators must embrace a conception of schooling that considers the social, political, and cultural realities of a diverse student population when creating innovative curricula; inservice staff development regarding language-minority student issues should be context-specific, driven by the needs and commitments of teachers and the resources of school and community; teachers have a responsibility for engaging in dialogue with teachers, parents, and administrators about these issues; and more research is needed. (Author/MSE)