A program was developed to improve the reading scores and communication skills of ninth-grade students from multicultural backgrounds. The students' socioeconomic status ranges from below the poverty level to upper middle class. The population of the high school in suburban Chicago (Illinois) is multiethnic, the English is not always the primary language spoken in the home. Probable cause data collected from the site indicated that students lack a positive self-concept and show a lack of ethnic pride. Chosen solution strategies included a multicultural approach to meet the needs of students. Cooperative learning was the main focus of the intervention. All of the objectives of the project were successfully fulfilled in varying degrees: the reading scores of the target students improved according to standardized tests; the oral and written communication skills of the students improved; and the students' ethnic pride and self-esteem increased along with their knowledge and tolerance of different cultures. (Contains 25 references and 3 tables of data; 29 appendixes present data, student writing samples, interview questions, and related material.) (RS)