American society places great demands on the young people who attend U.S. public schools. Required courses and basic education needs jam the curriculum. It is little wonder that sometimes it becomes difficult for teachers and school officials to incorporate into the curriculum basic units regarding the public schools and local school governance; yet many of Pennsylvania's high school seniors are eligible to hold office as school directors, and all the state's high schoolers will eventually pay school taxes. This student booklet is the Pennsylvania School Boards Association's attempt to provide helpful information to supplement the social studies curriculum. Designed as a minicourse of 3 to 10 class periods in duration, this document is to be used at the discretion of the teacher. In addition to this student booklet, a Teacher's Resource Notebook is available that contains several possible instructional strategies, transparencies, and other classroom activities. Pennsylvania has a rich, diverse history of educational excellence. A study of Pennsylvania, its people, its economy, and its geography is also a study of its public schools and educational accomplishments. (KM)