The report outlines the national need for bilingual education by providing estimates of the target group (distribution and characteristics of the language-minority, limited-English-speaking population), describes the need for bilingual education among native American and Alaskan native students and in Puerto Rico, and examines the need for teachers in elementary and secondary programs. A section on meeting the need for bilingual education outlines: (1) the services received by limited-English-speaking children in U.S. schools; (2) the activities of the Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Affairs; (3) other Department of Education programs directed toward limited-English-proficient children and adults; (4) services to American Indian and Alaskan native students in Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) schools, BIA-contract schools, and schools receiving BIA funds; and (5) state bilingual education programs. Appended materials include a partial listing of recent and current bilingual education research and a listing of services to limited-English-speakers under the Library Services and Construction Act in fiscal year 1980. (MSE)