Yet the Lau vs. Nichols 1974 decision recommends that states take action. This is a succinct description of the plight of the average LEP student, although the Bilingual Education Act in 1968 was established to provide for when a lack of ability to speak the language inhibits students from participating in the educational system. However due to the broad definition of bilingual education this includes everything from immersion to transitional language teaching. The federal Bilingual Education Act is a competitive, discretionary grant program that responds to local demand for bilingual education. Federal funding and input also help with the training of teachers for English as a Second Language courses and other bilingual education programs.
Results are varied but there are a number of federally funded highly effective bilingual programs.
The intense connection between one's cultural identity and one's language is a source of trouble in the debate over bilingual education. Some native English speakers feel threatened by other languages and see them as a threat to the U.S.A.'s national identity. Proponents of bilingual education suggest that bilingual education stops the isolation and unfair intellectual repercussions common to English only mandates. There are even programs that serve native English speakers by allowing them to participate in bilingual education programs in order to gain fluency in a second language. The importance of states rights contributes greatly to differences in attitudes about bilingual education from state to state.