Bilingual education has had great impact on education in the United States. Bilingual education programs have existed since 1845. Between 1854-1877, eight states enacted laws stipulating that local school boards had the power to require English-German bilingual programs. Many bilingual education programs were created, thrived, and eventually died; some continued according to the political climate. The government directly addressed the issue in 1968 by passing the Bilingual Education Act, Title VII, which made provisions for the special needs of children with limited English-speaking abilities, who came from low socioeconomic environments where the dominant language was not English. As of 1978, 22 states have enacted mandates requiring bilingual education in their schools. Among the arguments of opponents of bilingual education are that bilingual education is an effort to teach young children in their native tongue; that English monolingualism and acculturation to mainstream United States society are sure indicators of being worthy, productive citizens; and that children entering public schools speaking a language other than English need constant exposure to English, with any other language delimiting progress. However, bilingual education has been shown to be an imperative component in teaching non-English speakers basic skills necessary to succeed in an English-speaking environment. (NQA)