<P> Because the BEA funding was provided in the form of grants, most of the financial clout lay with local and state education agencies (LEAs and SEAs). However, the federal government limited the reach of these funds in a few significant ways . To begin with, from a simple framing standpoint, the original 1968 BEA did not include any mention of instruction in or maintenance of a student's native language, limiting the potential impact of the act . </P> <P> From a financial perspective, the BEA was also limited . The only programs eligible for receiving funding were programs for children between the ages of 3 and 8 . Because it was meant to redress the dropout issue, the act with this caveat on funding viewed high school students of LESA somewhat of a lost cause . In addition, the act did not fund any permanent programs for educating students of LESA, but only funding exploratory programs . As a result, it did not seek to truly address the burgeoning issue of how to educate students who were not English dominant . Lastly, the funds were at first reserved for communities whose average income was below the poverty line stated in the ESEA ($3,000 in 1968). This limitation on funding had the unfortunate side effect of framing the act as a somewhat of a handout to poor, Latino communities . </P> <P> Due to many of these limitations and the vague wording of much of the BEA, funding was limited in the first three years to $85 million . By 1972, "only 100,391 students nationally, out of approximately 5,000,000 in need were enrolled in a Title VII - funded program ." </P> <P> The Bilingual Education Act of 1968 was not specific and participation by school districts was voluntary . As a result, Civil rights activists argued that the rights of minority - language students were being violated under this act . In 1974, three amendments were made to the original act in an attempt to clarify the intent and design of programs designated for the education of LESA students . There were two significant events that impacted these changes: the Lau V. Nichols case and the Equal Educational Opportunity Act of 1974 . </P>

Public funding for bilingual education began in 1968 when congress passed the