This fifth grade unit is one of a sequential learning series of the Focus on Inner City Social Studies (FICSS) project developed in accordance with the needs and problems of an urban society. A description of the project is provided in SO 008 271. As part of the fifth grade curriculum focusing on power, this six week unit examines the power at the state and national levels and the value of education. This unit is especially related to the third grade curriculum (see SO 008 278) in which pupils study power at the local level. Specific student inquiry areas include the history and development of education in America, structure of the educational system, value of an education, educational finance, and selected problems of the inner city schools. The format of the unit includes teaching strategies, source materials, learning objectives, specific learning activities, and teacher and student resources. (Author/DE)