These seven papers address problems of teaching about state government and politics at the secondary level and provide a framework and suggestions for improving the curriculum. The first paper analyzes the current civics curriculum and notes that textbooks underemphasize state government and overemphasize the structure and the formal procedures of government. This overemphasis excludes discussions of process and interaction within state government. The second paper, written by a state legislator, also notes that the experience of politics is missing from the high school curriculum and outlines the way in which the political "game" is played. Papers three through six present a four-stage model of public policy development which describes initiation of policy demands, enactment of public policy by the legislative and executive branches, implementation of public policy, and assessment of policy outcomes. The final paper presents suggestions for developing curriculum materials based on the above analytical framework. (Author/KC)