This contribution examines the opportunities and challenges inherent in the teaching and learning processes of political education at secondary schools. Political learning processes at school are oriented towards maturity as a central target dimension. Against this background, teaching should help to develop pupils' ability to judge and criticise, as well as their willingness to participate. This requires open learning processes that encourage dissent and contradiction, thereby fostering a dynamic and inclusive teaching and learning culture. Such an approach requires teachers to take a facilitative role, given up control to encourage self-directed learning. Krösche's analysis examines the normative framework for political education in Austrian schools, with a particular focus on teachers' perspectives as revealed through guided interviews. An important outcome of this research is the derivation of recommendations aimed at improving the implementation of political education within the school context.