This paper discusses some of the background rationale for bilingual education and raises issues concerning personnel training, with indications as to how these issues have been dealt with in the program at SUNY-Albany. In the preparation of bilingual educators, the relationship between the educator's cultural, linguistic, and ethnic background and his ability to work effectively with students of the same background in an educational program must be considered. Although it is an immeasurable advantage to have a native member of a particular culture as teacher, the qualification of being a native speaker is not sufficient by itself. Above all, an excellent knowledge of the subject matter is required. Courses of instruction should be varied to meet the needs of bilingual classroom teachers as well as second-level bilingual educators, such as supervisors, curriculum coordinators, or project directors. There must be a balance between theoretical courses and practice-centered activities in the curriculum for bilingual educators. Inaccurate views regarding the language of minority students must be corrected, and the need for linguistic knowledge about the systematic nature of all dialects must be recognized. Teachers trained for work across cultures must understand that language variations arise through social and cultural forces and are not the result of laziness or stupidity. (PM)