NurseWeek

Parents to educators: Please talk sex

By Tim Bergling
September 27, 2000


	You've read the article. Now tell us what you think. Related Sites Kaiser Family Foundation Read "Sex Education in America: A View from Inside the Nation's Classrooms" The Alan Guttmacher Institute

Washington (H24N). American parents say schools need to do a better job of educating their children about sex, according to a pair of studies.

A report released yesterday by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows a huge gap between what parents want their children to be taught and what schools actually provide. In "Sex Education in America: A View from Inside the Nation's Classrooms," researchers surveyed more than 4,000 public secondary school students and their parents, sex education teachers, and principals. The study found parents demanding more instruction for their children in a range of often controversial issues.

Among the findings:

85 percent of parents surveyed say schools should teach children about condoms and other forms of birth control.
94 percent want more discussion of peer pressure in matters of sex.
94 percent want more discussion about the consequences of sexual activity.
79 percent say there should be more discussion about abortion.
76 percent would like to see more discussion of homosexuality; and most specify that when controversial issues arise, the instruction should be balanced to reflect the different views of society.

"What comes across in this study is that parents look to schools to prepare their children for real life," said Tina Hoff, the foundation's director of Public Health Information and Communication. "Their concerns are practical, not political." Also according to the study, students feel they're not learning everything they need to know; they'd like better instruction when it comes to birth control, sexually transmitted diseases, rape or sexual assault and the consequences of sexual activity.

The Kaiser Family study coincides with another report, this one from the Alan Guttmacher Institute. That study, called "Changing Emphasis in Sexuality in U.S. Public Schools, 1988-1999," suggests that sex education concentrating on abstinence may be shortchanging students. Researchers polled about 4,000 teachers, of which 1,767 were sex education instructors. While seven out of 10 say they believe classes that stress abstinence have a positive effect on students, 86 percent say students taught to use contraception are more likely to do so once they become sexually active.

"Teachers on the front line in high schools around the country recognize that young people need a range of information to support them in making responsible decisions regarding their sexuality," said Sara Seims, Guttmacher Institute president. "Yet this study reveals that teachers are covering far less, far later than they believe is needed. [A]bstinence messages are very important, but clearly the coverage of contraceptive topics is also crucial in helping our youth prevent unplanned pregnancy and STDs."