Some of the conceptual connections between general curriculum theory and multicultural education are traced, guided by the concept model of education and curriculum theory developed by George Beauchamp. The major premise is that multicultural education is consistent with, and actually a continuation of, some trends that have long-standing precedents in the United States. Multicultural education is further asserted to be compatible with the basic egalitarian principles of democracy and valuable in translating some of the fundamental ideas of American education into practice. Reviewing the literature makes it clear that developments in multicultural education scholarship meet the general criteria of curriculum theorizing in that the key concepts and parameters of the field have been defined and models and subtheories have been developed. Multicultural education is on its way to becoming a mature curriculum theory in its own right. Educational equity and excellence for all children cannot be obtained without the incorporation of cultural pluralism in all aspects of the educational process, and this will require more exploration of the connections between curricular innovations and elements of multicultural education. (Contains 145 references.) (SLD)