Many minority groups in the United States tend to struggle in school. One reason minority students are likely to encounter more problems in schools than mainstream students involves incomplete knowledge of minority students' learning and communication styles. Authors such as Banks (2006) and Pewewardy (2008) emphasize that minority students differ in the ways they learn and communicate. Those differences result partly from what a given culture considers appropriate or normal. In particular, child-rearing practices often differ from culture to culture. This article discusses how various cultures' communication styles and learning patterns can lead to conflicts and low academic achievement. The article also offers guidelines to avoid practices that can intensify the problems of educating students from cultural minority groups.