Sen. John McCain has released an ad attacking Sen. Barack Obama for his support of age appropriate sex ed, suggesting Obama supports education that would teach kindergartners about sex before they learn to read.
Obama's and McCain's positions sum up both sides of the debate over when and how to educate youth about human sexuality. Advocates of abstinence-only programs warn that teachers will be forced to bring adult themes to young students, summoning images of kindergartners being instructed on the proper way to put a condom on a banana. Supporters of comprehensive sex education counter that, rather than provide one curriculum for all ages, age appropriate comprehensive sex education programs take into consideration the age and developmental level of the students, along with community values.
Though political candidates and their supporters are forever declaring their position for or against comprehensive sex education, they spend little to no time explaining what, in their book, comprehensive sexual education is. How and why educators develop age appropriate sex education programs is also rarely discussed. Would supporters of abstinence only programs re-think their position if they better understood how age appropriateness factors into comprehensive sex education? And do pro-choice, pro-sexual health voters actually know what is taught in comprehensive sexuality education, by grade level? As both major political parties proceed in support of differing platforms -- the Democratic Party's 2008 platform includes support of age-appropriate comprehensive sex education while the Republican Party Platform maintains support of abstinence only education -- now is a good time to revisit age appropriate comprehensive sex education.
The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) defines sex education as a lifelong process of acquiring information and forming attitudes, beliefs, and values that encompasses sexual development, sexual and reproductive health, interpersonal relationships, affection, intimacy, body image, and gender roles. SIECUS has developed Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education (Kindergarten through 12th grade) through a national task force of experts in the fields of adolescent development, health care, and education. The guidelines provide a framework of the key concepts topics, and messages that all sexuality education programs would ideally include.
Monica Rodriguez, Vice President for Education and Training at SIECUS, explained that age appropriate comprehensive sex education is based on what research has revealed about youth emotionally, cognitively and physically: ""Basically, what someone wants to insure (parent to child or educator to child) is that the information is presented in a way that is developmentally and age appropriate for a young person," she explains. For instance, if teaching about puberty, she'd take this approach:
"Puberty starts at about 9 or 10 in girls so I need to make sure I'm addressing this topic with girls starting in 4th and 5th grade for sure. By 6th grade it is a history lesson. I need to recognize that some girls will not be near starting while others will. The information can't be too graphic but provide basic information and lay the foundation to prepare them for what is coming. We know that kids that age are very concrete thinkers - they need to see it, feel it and touch it. Models work better than abstract drawings. Some kids learn through experiencing things, so I would have them make models. In 4th grade, I would have them name the body parts and talk about hormones and what changes will happen and reinforce that it is normal. Whereas for high school students, I would go into more specific details about hormones etcetera."
But, says Rodriguez, if a six-year-old were curious about the changes her body would undergo, that young person might not need specific details. Says Rodriguez, "I have a six-year-old niece who is curious about periods. She thinks it is gross and she is worried that it is going to happen to her." What message does her niece get? "The age appropriate message for her was, when you get older you will get your period and it is kind of gross. But you know what? You just deal with it and it is a natural thing that happens in the body."
Challenges of Age-Appropriate Instruction
Rodriguez acknowledged that a challenge many educators face is that they are usually teaching to a group. "You have to keep it broad for the group," says Rodriguez. "Developmental levels will vary in a group and it is important for the educator to realize that and for the curriculum to allow for that." According to Rodriquez, educators should answer things broadly and then pull out students who need more detailed one-on-one information.
Another challenge to developing age appropriate comprehensive sex education curricula is the issue of community standards. Rodriquez explains that in a typical public school system, each school district has its own rules and policies. Each building and classroom also has its own rules. The age appropriate comprehensive sex education curriculum has to be developed in partnership with community buy-in. A curriculum committee - teachers, parents, community leaders - approve the curriculum and present it to the school board. The board then determines what is acceptable within that community.
Rodriguez points out that in some communities teachers aren't allowed to answer any questions not addressed in the approved curriculum while in other communities' educators have set up anonymous question boxes where students can ask anything.
When asked how school districts handle protest to a board-approved curriculum, Rodriguez acknowledged that "The most vocal people are often the ones who determine what happens. People who organize and get others involved can get a curriculum pulled and abstinence only one put into place. That curriculum might not truly reflect the community standards but rather the standards of a vocal few."
Rodriguez offered the example of a community where opponents of an approved age appropriate comprehensive sex education curriculum persuaded their school board to require students to have permission slips signed by a parent or guardian before being allowed to participate in the class. "Those women organized to try to get the curriculum pulled but 95% of the parents signed the slips." In the end, the community reaffirmed that the curriculum met their standards.
Not only do communities not need to worry that kindergartners will be faced with condoms and bananas, but comprehensive sex education has research on its side. Studies have found that abstinence-plus programs have a positive impact on sexual behavior, comprehensive sex education holds the most promise for preventing teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections and that comprehensive sex education is better at reducing teen pregnancy than abstinence-only programs. Age appropriate comprehensive sex education does not silence parents or communities. Despite protests to the contrary, individuals and agencies at the federal, state, and local level are all involved in making curriculum decisions that ultimately determine what students learn in the classroom.
The facts go a long way to dispel fears surrounding age appropriate comprehensive sex education, but supporters of abstinence-only programs continue to promote their anti-knowledge agenda. Pro-choice voters must factor in the need to defend and promote age appropriate comprehensive sex education or we'll be looking at four more years of abstinence-only funding -- and the consequences of the failure to educate our youth that goes hand-in-hand with it.
