This paper, second in a series which deals with trends in the precollegiate teaching of the various social science disciplines, discusses the status of political science instruction in American secondary schools. Primary objectives of political education courses include such goals as training for citizenship, participation in, and understanding of democratic institutions. While these objectives are accepted by educators, the curriculum established for their achievement is widely criticized, resulting in new teaching strategies, approaches, methods, and curriculum materials which have been developed to accomplish the old goals as well as the new objectives made necessary by demands of a more complex society. The history, criticisms, and reform of political science education are discussed in this paper. Contents include the following: (1) Introduction, (2) History, (3) Criticisms of the Prevailing Modes of Political Science Education, (4) Sources and Directions of Reform, (5) Types of New Curricula Containing Political Science Content, (6) Other New Trends, (7) Concluding Remarks. (Author/RM)