Between the years of 1978 and 1987, the Dutch National Institute for Curriculum Development (SLO) developed a core curriculum of objectives and content for a new social and political education curriculum. These new programs were to take effect in the secondary modern schools and lower vocational schools for students age 14-16. The empowering legislation for these changes was the Secondary Education Act of 1963, which took effect in 1968. This legislation resulted in: (1) a reorganization of school types; (2) innovation in educational content; and (3) specifications of teachers' competencies. This reorganization and the pre-1968 context are discussed under the heading of "Background: Changes in the School System." The content and materials of the social and political studies were not immediately specified by the government and were developed through a program of ever widening cycles of applications and through consultations among teachers, subject specialists, and managerial specialists. This led to the development of the thematic fields of: (1) education; (2) home, house, and environment; (3) work and leisure; (4) technology and society; (5) state and society; and (6) international relations. A manual called "Planning Social and Political Studies" was developed which consisted of four parts dealing respectively with: (1) the content of social and political education; (2) planning for these studies in the school; (3) educational equipment and procedures; and (4) content sources to consult. Examples of 14 theme publications, 17 auxiliary project publications, and 8 theme related audio-visual aids are given. (PPB)