The problems, practices, objectives, and desirability of political education in the secondary school social studies curriculum is evaluated. The author suggests that political education should be a compulsory subject in junior and senior high schools. The document is presented in eight chapters. Chapter I explores the relationship between adolescents and politics, with emphasis on alienation in modern society, sex differences, and class structure. Chapter II defines socialization, authority, and indirect and direct political socialization. Chapter III focuses on theories and methods of political education and evaluates objectives for various age groups. Chapter IV evaluates the benefits of beginning political education at various ages and concludes that students begin to be receptive to political ideas at the age of 13. Chapter V identifies important components of a child's political socialization, particularly the family, school, peers, and the mass media. Chapter VI stresses the need for political education. Chapter VII discusses political education themes, including political conflict, human rights, political processes, and democratic values. The final chapter explores the importance of educational models and suggests approaches for presenting political education materials to students by grade level. A bibliography concludes the document. (DB)