A rationale for pluralistic education is presented in this paper. It discusses the meaning of the cultural, racial, and ethnic aspects of pluralism in American group life. The discussion addresses three issues: the persistence of ethnic groups in American society, the shared heritage of American traditions, and the importance of personal and group identity in the education of every American. Three criteria for pluralistic education or three major underlying assumptions about pluralistic education are delineated. These are: (1) knowledge and understanding of the heritage of other groups that make up the pluralistic culture of Americans, and (3) knowledge and understanding of the relationship between and among people that form and have formed the ethnic groups in the United States. Also presented is the rationale for a coalition of the movements that are represented in pluralistic education, namely, integration, bilingualism, ethnicity, and the women's movement. An annotated bibliography on ethnicity and ethnic heritage studies is included. (Author/AM)