Certain minority students are over represented in special education programs nationwide. Many of these students identified for special education receive services outside of the general education classroom through the resource room (pull out) model. The Content Mastery Center (CMC) is a resource/consulting model that is an alternative to the traditional "pull-out" approach to educating students with special needs who are struggling in the general education classroom. The CMC can serve as the first level of support for students who are experiencing academic difficulties prior to a referral to special education. Students, such as those who are culturally and linguistically diverse, could be assisted to maintain passing grades in general education through the support provided by the CMC. The CMC program requires high levels of collaboration between the CMC teachers and general educators. Studies on CMC programs report satisfactory student performance in general education classrooms with CMC support both for students with mild disabilities and those "at-risk." More wide-spread replication and additional studies could provide support for this model as an alternative to placement in special education services for minority students. (Contains 1 footnote.)