The report provides an overview of bilingual education in California. It begins with recent data on demographic trends in the state, particularly among elementary and secondary students, the rate of increase in enrollment of limited-English-speaking (LEP) students, first languages of LEP students, and the family's influence in English language learning. State and federal requirements for schools' provision of services to LEP students are examined, noting some new state policies for English language instruction. Bilingual education is defined, and four approaches to it are described: instruction primarily in the first language; specially-designed English instruction with first-language support; sheltered immersion, or special content instruction in English; and full immersion in English-language classrooms. The role of the teacher and of teacher qualifications in improving bilingual education and the costs of bilingual education are discussed briefly, and related research is summarized. Issues faced by both the state and the schools in making major policy decisions are outlined, and sources of further information are noted. Data on the characteristics of LEP students are graphed, including age distribution, first languages, instructional settings for English language learning, and the ten counties with the largest distribution of LEP students. (MSE)