This project was designed to improve political science instruction for high school students in the United States. Its primary purpose was to design, develop, test, and disseminate an alternative program for the U.S. government course for grade 12 that sought to increase choices for teachers who wanted to improve basic citizenship competencies of students by offering important political science knowledge, skills, and participation training. The report describes the project activities in which three successive sets of curriculum materials were developed. Prototype units were tested in 25 schools across the United States. Based on the field tests of these materials, a full semester course was developed and tested. Evaluations and revisions were completed, a full year course was produced, and the course was tested in schools. Evaluations were conducted on each unit of the instructional materials. Student achievement was tested, teacher workability was surmised, and critic reviews were solicited from social scientists, social studies educators, teachers, students, parents, and minority group representatives. The findings of the project were: (1) an alternative program in U.S. government is needed at the high school level and will be used by teachers; (2) schools can use participation activities in school and the community to increase the citizenship competencies of students; (3) field testing is essential to the development of workable curriculum materials; and (4) in evaluating a curriculum product, face to face communication between curriculum designers and potential users is essential. As a result of creating an alternative that increased choices for teachers and focused on participation, students should become more skilled in actively participating in a democracy. (Author/DK)