As part of a study of racial relations between Mexican Americans and Anglo Americans in rural Idaho, over 60 teachers, school administrators, and students were interviewed in educational institutions in five southwestern Idaho communities. One high school was the focus of field research, which also included attending school activities and school board meetings. Mexican American subjects agreed that the needs of Mexican American students were not being met, producing a dropout rate estimated at 40-60 percent. Mexican American teachers believed that Mexican American students drop out in junior high school because of deficient academic skills caused by inadequate bilingual education. On the other hand, Anglo teachers and administrators blamed the dropout problem on Mexican American parents who have little education, speak Spanish at home, and do not participate in school functions. Generally, Anglo educators had not been exposed to multicultural teaching methods, and felt that it was Mexican American parents and students who had to change. Anglo administrators vacillated between paternalistic and colonialist attitudes, felt that the school role was to foster assimilation of minority groups, and dismissed criticisms of the school and suggestions for change. Notably, Mexican American dropouts enrolled in GED classes in an alternative school demonstrated more success than in regular school settings, possibly because of the acceptance and respect accorded them by alternative-school staff. This chapter also describes a Boise State University program to train Mexican American teachers and lists 14 recommendations of an Idaho state task force on Mexican American education. (SV)