Chapters in this volume are based on papers presented at the First Missouri Symposium on Research and Educational Policy (Columbia, Missouri) March 24-26, 1994). Four chapters are revisions of presentations at this symposium. Taken with the others, they explore the relationship between education and race and ethnicity, with an emphasis on black Americans. They analyze structural and social-organizational factors in schools and communities that make a real difference in the lives of children. The following chapters are included: (1) "Race, Ethnicity, and Schooling in America: An Introduction" (Peter M. Hall); (2) "Education in a Multicultural Society" (Bart Landry); (3) "Familial Predictors of Educational Attainment: Regional and Racial Variations" (Aaron Thompson and Reid Luhman); (4) "Teachers as Social Scientists: Learning about Culture from Household Research" (Luis C. Moll and Norma Gonzalez); (5) "Tracking Untracking: The Consequences of Placing Low-Track Students in High-Track Classes" (Hugh Mehan); (6) "Changing the Discourse in Schools" (Eugene Eubanks, Ralph Parish, and Dianne Smith); (7) "Making Multicultural Education Policy: The Transformation of Intentions" (Margaret Placier, Peter M. Hall, and Barbara Jo Davis); and (8) "The Integration of Restructuring and Multicultural Education as a Policy for Equity and Diversity" (Peter M. Hall). References follow each chapter. (Contains 13 figures and 3 tables.) (SLD)