Service learning experiences hold the potential to significantly influence participants' view of cultures other than their own. This qualitative study examines how service learning affects preservice teachers' attitudes about working with students from diverse backgrounds. Two groups of preservice teachers enrolled in a reading methods course participated in focus group interviews both at the beginning of the project and at the end. The results revealed that the service learning group (vs. the non-service learning group) changed significantly from the beginning of the project to the end in terms of their attitudes toward students from diverse populations, level of engagement in the focus group interviews, the group synergy, and the quality and level of nuanced responses to key questions about diversity.