Sex Education
Get insights into how schools teach about sexual health, relationships, reproduction, sexual orientation, gender identity, and abstinence
The Sex Ed. Battleground Heats Up (Again). Here's What's Actually in New Standards
Vocal opposition from some conservative groups has put a spotlight on schools’ instructional choices.
Curriculum
From Our Research Center
Privacy, Porn, and Parents in the Room: Sex Education's Pandemic Challenges
After more than a year of instructional shifts and social isolation, students need sex education that is media-savvy and relationship-wise.
Education
Briefly Stated
Briefly Stated: Stories You May Have Missed
A collection of stories from the previous week that you may have missed.
Curriculum
What Should Students Learn in Sex Education? In This State, Voters Will Decide
Washington voters will consider a statewide mandate for comprehensive sex education.
School Choice & Charters
Briefly Stated
Briefly Stated: Stories You May Have Missed
COVID-19 Rates Go Up Among Schoolchildren as Schools Reopen
Curriculum
When Teens Are in Violent Relationships, Should Principals Step In?
A survey of high school principals reveals that more than half of school leaders say they have dealt with an incident of teen dating violence recently, but many of them aren't clear what their role should be.
Student Well-Being
Opinion
Yes, I Get My Period. School Shouldn't Shame Me for It
Schools should take the lead in removing the stigma around menstruation, writes 16-year-old Maggie Di Sanza, founder of Bleed Shamelessly.
Equity & Diversity
Give Students Free Tampons, Pads, Advocates Say. Here's Why Some Schools Already Do
A growing number of schools are offering free tampons and sanitary pads, hoping to meet the needs of low-income students. Here's why more schools may join them.
Curriculum
Reported Essay
We're Teaching Consent All Wrong
No, consent doesn't just belong in sex ed. class; it needs to start a lot earlier. Sarah D. Sparks looks at the research.
Student Well-Being
Conversations About Sexual Assault Have Roiled the Nation. 6 Takeaways for Educators
The controversial confirmation process for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has students, teachers, and schools grappling with sensitive issues around men, women, bodies, and power.
Student Well-Being
When Students Say #MeToo, Schools May Be Unprepared to Help
Some researchers and advocates say it's often difficult for students to seek assistance from schools when they want to report a sexual assault, a concern that's become more urgent against the backdrop of the tumultuous Supreme Court confirmation process of Brett Kavanaugh who has been accused of sexual assault by three women.
Student Well-Being
Teaching Comprehensive Sex Education, From Kindergarten Through High School
Comprehensive sexuality education includes everything from basic anatomy to how to have a healthy relationship. Advocates say it should start as early as kindergarten.
Curriculum
Video
Beyond the Birds & the Bees - What Comprehensive Sex Education Looks Like
Sex education - and what it covers - varies widely from district to district, even school to school. In some areas, there is still an ongoing debate about whether this is a subject best left to parents, not teachers. Those who support comprehensive sexuality education say both have a role to play. Parents can communicate family values; teachers can cover everything from medically accurate information to relationship dynamics.
Shafia Zaloom, a health educator and consultant based in San Francisco, travels to schools around the country teaching sexuality education. Zaloom believes this instruction should start as early as kindergarten, with the youngest students learning about empathy and understanding emotions. She outlines what it looks like from the earliest years through high school.
Read more: edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/05/16/sex-education.html
Curriculum
Video
Should Schools Rethink Sex Education in the #MeToo Era?
Yes advocates believe these sorts of approaches to sex education may be rare. While 29 states and the District of Columbia mandate sex education, only 38 percent of high school students and just 14 percent of middle school students are receiving comprehensive sex education, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To see what it might look like, we sit in on a wide-ranging sex education class at Georgetown Day, and attend a meeting of male students working to include men in the #MeToo conversation. (June 12, 2018)
Student Well-Being
Opinion
It's 2018. It's Time to Update Sex Ed.
In the age of #MeToo, schools have an important role to play in combating sexual harassment, writes sociologist Lorena Garcia.