Today, four leading health organizations released the first-ever
national standards for sexuality education in schools. Published in the Journal
of School Health, the ground-breaking National Sexuality Education Standards: Core Content and
Skills, K–12 provide clear,
consistent, and straightforward guidance on the essential
minimum, core content for sexuality education that is developmentally and
age-appropriate for students in grades Kindergarten through grade 12.
The standards are the result of a cooperative effort by the American
Association for Health Education, the American School Health Association, the
National Education Association Health Information Network, and the Society of
State Leaders of Health and Physical Education, in coordination with the Future
of Sex Education (FoSE) Initiative. Nearly 40 stakeholders including content
experts, medical and public health professionals, teachers, sexuality
educators, and young people developed the standards in a two-year process.
“These National Sexuality Education
Standards provide teachers, schools, school districts, and state education
agencies with a new national standard—the minimum they need to teach to set
students on a path to sexual health and responsible adulthood,” said Jerry
Newberry, Executive Director of the National Education Association Health
Information Network (NEA HIN). “They set forth essential sexuality education
core content and skills responsive to the needs of students and in service to
their overall academic achievement.”
For years, research has highlighted the need to provide effective,
comprehensive sexuality education to young people. The United States has one of
the highest teen pregnancy rates in the industrialized world and teens bear a
disproportionate impact of the sexually transmitted disease (STD) and HIV
epidemics facing our nation. One in four sexually active teens has a STD and
two young people every hour become HIV positive. Furthermore, there is also a
pressing need to address harassment, bullying, and relationship violence in our
schools, which have a significant impact on a student’s emotional and physical
well-being as well as their academic success. The National
Sexuality Education Standards set the groundwork for the minimum of
what sexuality education should look like in America’s public schools.
“These standards are presented in a user-friendly way, making it
possible for a health education teacher or parent, say, of a seventh-grader, to
easily find out what is the next step in the learning process for a
thirteen-year-old in regards to sexual health,” said Stephen Conley, Executive
Director of the American School Health Association.
The standardsfocus on seven topics as the minimum, essential content and
skills for K–12 education: Anatomy and Physiology; Puberty and Adolescent
Development; Identity; Pregnancy and Reproduction; Sexually Transmitted
Diseases and HIV; Healthy Relationships; and, Personal Safety. Topics are
presented using performance indicators—what students should know and be able to
do by the end of grades 2, 5, 8, and 12—and are based on the National Health Education Standards.
“The National Sexuality Education
Standards translate an emerging body of research related to school-based sexuality
education so that it can be put into practice in the classroom,” said Brian
Griffith, President Elect ofthe Society of State Leaders of Health and Physical
Education. “These standards, developed by education and health professionals,
present sexual development as a normal, natural, healthy part of human
development that should be a part of every health education curriculum.”
The National Sexuality Education
Standards were developed to address the inconsistent implementation of sexuality
education nationwide and the limited time allocated to teaching the topic.
General health education is given very little time in the school curriculum.
Even less time is dedicated to sexuality education. According to the School
Health Policies and Practices Study, a national survey conducted by the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Adolescent School Health, a
median total of 17.2 hours is devoted to instruction in HIV, pregnancy, and STD
prevention: 3.1 hours in elementary, 6 hours in middle, and 8.1 hours in high
school. Studies have repeatedly found that health programs in school can help
young people succeed academically and programs that included health education
have a positive effect on overall academic outcomes, including reading and math
scores.
The American Association for
Health Education serves educators and other professionals who promote
the health of all people through education and health promotion strategies.
The American School Health
Association works to build the capacity of its members to plan,
develop, coordinate, implement, evaluate and advocate for effective school
health strategies that contribute to optimal health and academic outcomes for
all children and youth.
The National Education
Association – Health Information Network works to improve the health
and safety of the school community through disseminating information that
empowers school professionals and positively impacts the lives of their
students.
The Society of State Leaders
of Health and Physical Education utilizes advocacy, partnerships,
professional development and resources to build the capacity of school health
leaders to implement effective health education and physical education policies
and practices that support success in school, work and life.
The Future of Sex Education
(FoSE) Initiative is a partnership between Advocates for Youth,
Answer, and the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S.
(SIECUS) that seeks to create a national dialogue about the future of sex
education and to promote the institutionalization of comprehensive sexuality
education in public schools. To learn more and view the complete National Sexuality
Education Standards.
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