The author discusses three recently established organizations now taking an interest in bilingual education: ACTFL (American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages); ATESL (Association of Teachers of English as a Second Language, part of the National Association for Foreign Student Affairs); and TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages). A paramount purpose of an educational system is to make it possible for its graduates to take a place in society, which presupposes their being able to control effectively the language of that society. The teaching of English to speakers of other languages, and dialects, becomes a central responsibility of the American educational system; schools must be aware of the language or dialect background of their students and make it possible for them to acquire the standard language as quickly as possible. This calls for ESOL and bilingual education. A child coming to school must be taught the standard language if he is to have access to the general culture and economy. At the same time, he has a right to be taught in his own language all the time he is learning enough English to handle the rest of the curriculum. Some communities may wish to maintain their own cultures and language; others may wish for a new blend of cultures by paralleling TESOL with TXSOE (teaching other languages to speakers of English). (AMM)