The migrant population is the most undereducated major subgroup in the United States. The high school dropout rate of the children of migrant farm workers is 43 percent, higher than any other group in the United States. It is estimated that over 70 percent of migrants have not completed high school, and 75 percent are functionally illiterate. Inadequate education coupled with meager language skills limit their employment potential to jobs that offer nothing more than a low hourly wage. The reasons for the lack of education among migrant workers are many, but the migrant lifestyle's high mobility serves as the greatest impediment to educational success. The interruptions in their education and the inability of the schools to understand their culture and meet their needs slowly deplete the child's perseverance toward graduation and play a major role in migrant students' dropping out of school. In this article, the author briefly discusses findings from two qualitative studies conducted at a Summer Migrant Education Program (SMEP) in a rural school district in northwest Ohio. The initial research study examined the needs of migrant students. The follow-up study examined the role that cultural capital plays in the education of migrant students as described by administrators, teachers, and migrant students themselves. He also suggests ways teachers can better meet the needs of migrant students, enabling them to attain academic success and realize their full potential. (Contains 2 notes.)