The history of bilingual education in the United States began with the earliest immigrants, but the recent phenomenon began in Florida and came to prominence in the national conscience in the 1974 Lau versus Nichols case concerning equal educational opportunity. The Bilingual Education Act of 1968 authorized widespread establishment of programs, and opposing views began to surface. Despite positive program results, much controversy still exists. Educators now need to improve the image of bilingual education programs but can also expect continuing reductions of support, and the problem of where financing should come from (federal or state sources) is still to be resolved. Finding bilingual/bicultural teachers is also sometimes difficult. Politicians have often confounded the distinction between language as a means of communication and as a sophisticated means of enhancing understanding between peoples of diverse cultural backgrounds, and have confused the educational and political aspects of bilingual education. Recent special funding has been provided for bilingual vocational education, but the federal government has stated that it will no longer be the principal impetus for bilingual education. However, it is the federal government's job to lead the states in providing a good education for every student in the United States and to set the standards to be met by state and local education agencies. (MSE)