There is mounting evidence that the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is spreading rapidly among teenagers. To stop this spread of HIV infection, experts agree that states need to include HIV/AIDS prevention and education as an integral part of comprehensive health education programs for elementary and high school students. HIV is primarily spread among teenagers through unprotected sexual contact with an infected person or by sharing a needle with an infected person in the course of intravenous drug use. Education programs should strive to increase adolescent awareness of HIV/AIDS and the factors that determine their risk for disease; describe how the disease is transmitted and what can be done to prevent its spread; dispel misconceptions about how HIV is transmitted; encourage compassion toward people at high risk or people who have contracted HIV or HIV-related illnesses; and motivate adolescents to identify and change those behaviors that place them at risk for HIV infection. As of April 1990, 30 states and the District of Columbia require HIV/AIDS education in public schools. Programs are also needed to serve hard-to-reach youth and states need to include an evaluation component in their youth-related HIV education programs. In developing effective HIV/AIDS education programs, program development, implementation, evaluation, and refinement and targeting need to be stressed. (NB)