Four papers resulting from the fifth of a series of conferences on bilingual education are presented. "Current Perspectives" (L. Leann Parker, Shirley Brice Heath) discusses the status of bilingual education policy and related issues, including the problems of definition and goals, assessing bilingual education's effectiveness, program implementation, impact on English usage, foreign language use, and minority language communities. "At the Crossroads" (Rudolf C. Troike, Ernest Perez) examines the roles of State and Federal governments in bilingual education and alternatives to current practices in national legislative planning, research, program evaluation, student language assessment, and curriculum materials development. "Toward a Cross-Disciplinary View" (Roger W. Shuy) explores the interrelationships between bilingual education and other fields, including law, the social sciences, and education, and recommends a cross-discplinary approach to program development, implementation, and evaluation. "Thoughts on Non-English Speaking Children" (Lily Wong Fillmore) argues that children's various needs for getting and structuring linguistic input must be accommodated individually in bilingual education programs if such programs are to be successful. An extensive bibliography is included. (MSE)