This manual is a compilation of state policies in consumer education. It is based on a national survey, conducted in 1978 by the Education Commission of the States (ECS), of the 50 states and Washington, D.C. Intended for use by policymakers, administrators, curriculum specialists, and consumer educators, the manual defines consumer education as including consumer decision-making, economics, personal finance, and consumers' rights and responsibilities. Section I provides a comparative overview of each state's policy. Presented in chart format, the data include whether the state has a policy; year of adoption; who developed the policy (i.e., legislature, state board of education); type of policy; specific requirements at state, local, and student levels; instructional format required; and program content required. Section II presents each state's policy. Information is given on source and adoption of each policy, exact wording of the policy as furnished by each state to ECS, and comments about related activities that go beyond the specifications of the existing policy. In section III state-level policies and programs have been combined to provide an analysis of each state education agency's activities. For each state, tabular data indicate program content areas, types of students who receive instruction, program structure, availability of performance studies, and relationship of the consumer education program to existing basic competencies programs. Section IV lists resource materials and personnel for consumer education in each state. (AV)