This paper presents a study of the educational problems of the Skolt Lapp children living in Finland. (The Skolt Lapps have a distinctively different culture from the rest of the Finnish people.) The study was designed to define: (1) to what degree cultural factors affect the educational readiness (intellectual functions, school motivation, and patterns of work habits) of these children, and (2) to what degree these cultural factors affect school achievement. Data collected on Skolt children, ages 6-15, were compared with data from a sample of Finnish children. Measures included intelligence tests, scales rated by teachers, children and parents, children's drawings, projective tests, half-open interviews, and observations. Recent developments in the education of the Lapps in Finland are discussed, including the general outlines of suggested bills and statutes drawn up by various committees. The reforms will attempt to grant the Lappish Language the position of an official language and language of instruction at all levels in schools, and encourage the development of curricula based on a Lappish cultural background. (ED)