Bilingual education in the United States has been a controversial educational practice since its national inception in 1968. The persistent tension over what kinds of educational programs will help bilingual students can be found across and within states. These disagreements ultimately affect bilingual teacher education programs, as they must prepare future teachers to work in particular programs and with particular groups of students. In this chapter, the authors describe the changes that have taken place in Bilingual Teacher Preparation since 1993 and analyze these changes in the light of the political and social changes that have taken place both nationally and internationally. There is a remarkable agreement across states about the standards and competencies that bilingual teachers need even though the kinds of state-supported educational programs may differ. Differences in teacher credentialing systems influence the amount of time bilingual candidates may spend in their programs, while state and local language and educational policies affect the delivery of these programs. A closer analysis of these elements will also reveal persistent problems that have yet to be resolved.