The report describes the Center for Education, Diversity, & Excellence (CREDE), a national research and development center operated cooperatively by the University of California, Santa Cruz and the Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement, National Institute on the Education of At-Risk Students. CREDE's premises, mission, principles, theory, and research design are outlined, and the scope, range, and scale of its activities are noted. CREDE was established to assist the nation's diverse students at risk of educational failure to achieve academic excellence. The Center works to move issues of risk, diversity, and excellence to the forefront of discussions concerning educational research, policy, and practice. Central to its mission are issues in the education of linguistic and cultural minority students and those placed at risk by race, poverty, and geographic location. An appendix provides briefs of each of the 30 CREDE projects in six areas: language learning and academic achievement; professional development; family, peers, schools, and community; instruction in context; integrated reform; and assessment. A second appendix lists the organizational and institutional partners in CREDE projects. Contains 42 references. (MSE)