The emergence of migrant advocates was sparked by the 1960 telecast of the documentary "Harvest of Shame." In the first step forward, Congress enacted a program establishing migrant health centers in 1961. In 1965 the Elementary and Secondary Education Act was passed, in which Title I promised special educational help for disadvantaged children. In 1966, Title I was amended to create the Migrant Education Program (MEP), which provided aid to the states to implement migrant education. The first conference of state representatives concerned with migrant education met in 1968 and developed the amendment into an array of services to migrant students. Ideally structured for state-level advocates, the MEP allowed states great flexibility in program development. The first director of the federal MEP, with a tenure of 16 years, Vic Rivera became a champion of migrant children and families, was instrumental in expanding eligibility definitions and increasing federal funding, and nurtured a partnership between the federal government and the states that resulted in far-reaching interstate efforts to coordinate migrant education services. The most significant of these was the creation of the Migrant Student Records Transfer System, a national student database that stored educational and health information on students whenever they moved. Although the system was discontinued in 1994, new technology applications hold promise for interstate collaboration. Meanwhile, migrant advocates have redirected their efforts toward the state and local levels. (SV)