Multicultural education can be defined as an educational process that promotes an understanding and appreciation of the cultural diversity within a pluralistic society. By the year 2000, the number of minorities in the United States will increase dramatically. To respond appropriately and effectively to these emerging demographics, educational institutions must adopt multicultural education. The five stages leading to the establishment of multicultural education are Awareness; Analysis; Acceptance; Adoption; and Actualization/Advocacy. Awareness includes an acknowledgement that a Eurocentric educational model undergirds the U.S. public school system. The Analysis stage includes an examination of the five social ills of racism, sexism, elitism, ageism, and handicappism. A principal goal of multicultural education is to eliminate these social ills from the school curriculum. The third stage in the development of multicultural education, Acceptance, involves increasing faculty awareness of the unique experiences and special learning needs of minority students, removing the stigma from basic skills classes, and establishing special counseling for minority students. The Adoption stage refers to the philosophical endorsement of multicultural education as a functional entity, accomplished by eliminating the social ills embedded in the curriculum, as well as through the hiring of more minority faculty. The final stage, Actualization/Advocacy is the point at which diversity is encouraged, and minority students see their contributions to society reflected in the educational institution and curriculum. (PAA)