New Study Examines Sexuality Education in AmericaOctober 13, 2000 This article is part of TheBody.com's archive. Because it contains information that may no longer be accurate, this article should only be considered a historical document. Sex Education in America: A View from Inside the Nation's Classrooms, a survey released by the Kaiser Family Foundation, provides an indepth look at school-based sexuality education in the United States. Researchers surveyed 1,501 pairs of students and their parents, 1,001 sexuality education teachers, and 313 principals by phone between February and May 1999. The principal and teacher samples were designed to represent all public middle, junior, and senior high schools enrolling grades 7 through 12 in the United States.
FindingsWhat Is Taught
What Parents Want
What Students Want
Students participating in the study reported that they want to know more and to feel better prepared to handle different situations and decisions. The authors note, however, that not all students' information needs are met by sexuality education which often does not cover skills such as how to use contraception or how to talk to a partner about "safer sex." The findings further show that virtually all parents, teachers, principals, and students want some form of sexuality education taught in secondary school, and that all overwhelmingly support teaching high school students a broad range of topics including birth control and "safer sex." In fact, the authors note that both parents and students say courses need to cover more and last longer. For more information: This article is part of TheBody.com's archive. Because it contains information that may no longer be accurate, this article should only be considered a historical document. This article was provided by Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States. It is a part of the publication SHOP Talk: School Health Opportunities and Progress Bulletin.
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