From 1996-2001, the Early Childhood Research Institute on Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) has worked to support practitioners in increasing their understanding and awareness of the impact of culture and language on their interactions with children and families. This report presents four articles outlining some of the key concepts and underpinnings of the CLAS Institute. Section 1, "Cultural Definitions and Issues" (Georgia Earnest Garcia), provides a working definition of culture and identifies some cultural issues that have influenced the work of the CLAS Institute. Section 2, "An Introduction to Cross-Cultural Communication (Ruth Watkins and Janet Eatman), provides an overview to the issues of cross-cultural communication. In Section 3, "Multicultural Views of Disability" (Tess Bennett, Chun Zhang, and Laura Hojnar Tarnow), a discussion is provided about beliefs on disability, beliefs about health and healing, and expectations of the child's social roles. Finally, Section 4, "Cross-Cultural Conceptions of Child-Rearing: Implications for Reviewing/Evaluating Intervention Practices" (Jeanette McCollum, Tweety Yates, Micki Ostrosky, and James Halle), presents some conclusions highlighting the relationships between cultural context and parenting. Extensive references and information about the CLAS Institute are included. (Author/SG)