Theorists in education recommend multicultural education and cultural competence training as a way to address the achievement gap, especially in urban schools serving large populations of students of color. It is assumed that more training for educators can alleviate the issues present in these schools. Most theory has not been incorporated into practice, especially in secondary schools. Theorists continue to advocate for such educational methods, but their recommendations ignore the political and historical context of urban schools. Most research does not address the perceptions of those who practice in the field. Those who work in these urban, high-poverty schools can lend a perspective that is absent in most of the literature, and can help explain why these recommendations are not implemented as recommended.