This book, published during the post-war years of the 1950's, offers an historical perspective of suggested policies for improving secondary education and provides details on how the policies and principles could be practiced on the state and local levels. Chapters 1 and 2 discuss the developmental state of American secondary education in the 1950's and the responsibilities of the secondary school brought about by uncertain national and world conditions in the post-World War II years. Characteristics of the youth of this era are discussed in Chapter 3. Chapters 4-9 describe plans for schools of the future. These samples of the many different possible solutions to the problem of meeting the educational needs of youth are intended to stimulate and aid planning and action already underway in many communities. An index to selected topics and a general index are included. (Author/RM)