Society is requiring increasingly higher literacy levels if individuals are to be responsible, self-supporting citizens. Children from nondominant cultural groups frequently experience difficulty in acquiring high literacy levels because they do not share the mainstream values and related communication skills that would enable them to interact successfully in school environments to acquire the information of the curriculum and the ability to use literacy for problem solving. This article will present a framework for understanding cultural variations in beliefs, values, and communication styles and will describe the role of culture in relation to children's response to formal education and literacy.