The goals of diabetes education are to optimize blood glucose control, prevent chronic and potentially life-threatening complications, and optimize quality of life, while keeping costs within acceptable limits. Research has shown that with appropriate education lower-extremity amputation rates, medication costs, emergency room visits and hospitalizations are reduced. Nowadays, diabetes self- management education is an integral and critical part of any treatment plan. The authors outline a framework for diabetes education and describe the approaches and methodologies involved in current educational practice.