SEX EDUCATION IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.   Term Paper ID:18309 Click to get this paper

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Paper Abstract: Examines the need, controversy, new emphasis in sex education. Paper Introduction: While the barriers to offering sex education in public schools have decreased, many barriers relating to its effectiveness remain or are likely to appear in the near future. The purpose of this paper will be to discuss sex education with the education system, the continuing need for the program, the controversies surrounding it, and the trends of educators for the future. The United States is undergoing a tragic phenomena: teenage pregnancy. As society became more sexually permissive, teenagers were caught in the middle. Too immature to handle sex yet vulnerable to its natural forces. Teenagers have been forced to deal with unwanted pregnancies in growing numbers. In fact, more than 1,000,000 teenagers become pregnant each year. That is one in four teenage girls (Sandvig, 1988, p. 6). In 1980, this Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Too immature to handle sex yet vulnerable to itsnatural forces. In America, these are types of clinics are a source ofcontroversy. Many will face a permanently diminished futurewith their child, signalling blighted hopes, closed opportunities and thevicious cycle of poverty. It has been found thatwhen parents talk with their children about sexuality, early, openly andconsistently, there is a definite delay in the age of first intercourse andit increases the likelihood that teenagers will use contraceptives andother forms of protection when they do become sexually active. References Anonymous. There is a directcorrelation between teenage pregnancy and poverty. Then there is the overwhelming healthconsequences. 24-27, Sandvig, Karen J. A 1987 poll conducted for Planned Parenthood by Louis Harrisand Associates showed that many teens actually believe what they see ontelevision (Wattleton, 1989, p. There needs to be a callfor more social action as well as education in matters such as AIDS andracism. Barron, James. (1989, pp. This means only ten percent of adolescents andan even lower percentage of younger children receive timely, comprehensivesex education in America's school system (Wattleton, 1989, p. 5 ). A recent Congressional report found that there is no nationalcommitment to the problem. Presently, the impact of school curriculumon teen pregnancy and AIDS tends to be oversold, particularly since sexeducation, in reality, plays such a small part in the everyday life ofstudents (Scales, 199 , p. USA Today pp. Most haveengaged in sexual activity a year before they visit a family planningclinic, do not use contraceptives or do not use them consistently(Wattleton, 1989, p. 61).Many experts in the family planing field believe that other Westernnation's teenage birth rates are lower because they recognize sexualdevelopment as a normal part of human development. While the barriers to offering sex education in public schools havedecreased, many barriers relating to its effectiveness remain or are likelyto appear in the near future. However, the networks never mentioncontraception. Primary prevention, beginning with the family, would appear to be thecommon sense approach to the problem in America. (199 , March). If theeducation waits until high school, it becomes a remedial exercisestruggling to overcome years of accumulated misinformation. However, the American public does support some kind of policy andcampaign to deal with the problem. Denyinginformation leaves the door open for disinformation and exploitation. You're what? However,only five states and the District of Columbia currently have mandatedsexual education programs. the Select Committee onChildren, Youth and Families reported: There is no focused approach to solving the complex problems of teen pregnancy at any level of government. The Education Digest, pp. 2). 62). 49-5 .----------------------- 1 5 ). In fact, itsresults showed a postponement of first sexual intercourse and fewerpregnancies (Wattleton, 1989, p. Compared to anolder woman, she is twice as likely to die in childbirth and her child istwice ag likely to die before its first birthday (Wattleton, 1989, p. In fact, the Administration advocated policies that seemed toguarantee the growth of those problems by restricting young people's accessto sexual education, low-cost family planning and confidential services.They espoused anti-family planning and anti-abortion public policies thatreflect a certain "moral agenda." Many argue that these policies preachchastity as the sole answer to the teenage pregnancy and health-relatedproblems. Ventura, California: RegalBooks. Since this approach still does not seem to be working to itspotential, the need to encourage anew sex education in school, beginning inkindergarten and going through high school would seem imperative. 25). 24-27). 5 ). The purpose of this paper will be to discusssex education with the education system, the continuing need for theprogram, the controversies surrounding it, and the trends of educators forthe future. In short, the system is broken" (Wattleton, 1989, p. Teenagers have been forced to deal with unwantedpregnancies in growing numbers. Coming of age: The tragedy ofteenage pregnancy. So, instead of focusing on the collegebound, a reconstruction of the curriculum is needed to better prepare thesefuture adults. The efforts that do exist are too few, uncoordinated, and lack significant support. That is one in four teenage girls (Sandvig,1988, p. Children having children.Society, 1988, pp. (1989). America, they argue,has chosen to repress teenage sexuality even at the risk of pregnancy.They continue: "We fail miserably in preparing our children to cope withthe often inaccurate sexual messages they confront on a daily basis(Wattleton, 1989, p. European societies withsignificantly lower rates of teen pregnancy make contraceptives widelyavailable in drugstores, supermarkets, vending machines and school-linkedhealth clinics. As society became more sexually permissive, teenagers werecaught in the middle. A study of one in Baltimore showed that providingcontraceptive services did not increase sexual activity. Other steps are necessary to deal with the problem inherent in thecurrent sex education program. In fact, many young people today learn the facts of life fromtelevision. Scales, Peter. In fact, in 1986. 49).All of these statistics are higher than a majority of industrializedcountries. (1989, January). According to a recent poll, sixty-sevenpercent of society favors laws that would require public schools toestablish links with family planning clinics; eighty-five percent wantsexuality education programs offered in schools; and seventy-eight percentwould like birth control messages on television programs, in advertising,and in public service announcements (Wattleton, 1989, p. 5 ). 61). With billions ofdollars having been spent on sex education through schools and familyplanning clinics, the teen pregnancy rate still continues to rise (p. The United States is undergoing a tragic phenomena: teenagepregnancy. 5 ). Almost twelve million teenagers are sexually active. 6).Of those who conceive, 5 , will carry the baby to term, while 4 , will choose abortion and 1 , will miscarry (Wattleton, 1989, p. 49).And, even if the mother and child survive, they often face a future ofdespair. While sexually-transmitted diseases still carry a stigma,birth control is an accepted part of American life, yet televisionexecutives still claim it is controversial and carry this policy to thebanning of ads for birth control. 2-. 5 ). The Education Digest, March 199 , pp. Teenage mothers usually do not finish high school, are threetimes more likely to separate or divorce than women who delay childbearing,and have more unplanned children during their lifetime. In fact, more than 1, , teenagersbecome pregnant each year. Where sex education is available, many are beginning classes earlier,such as in elementary school. AIDS, while most notablyaffecting the homosexual community, is now part of the heterosexualcommunity, and, as the statistics presented above point out, adolescentsare a potentially major target group. In 198 , this figure was one in ten. It is now referred to as "family-life education" within thefield and covers reproduction, getting along with parents and peers,understanding one's own emotions and knowing what to do about sex abuse andAIDS. Overcoming future barriers tosexuality education. family-life specialists hopethat they can create the same kind of foundation for later learning thatthey provide in English or arithmetic (Barron, 1988, p. Yet, a 1985Planned Parenthood/Louis Harris poll found that only one-third of Americanparents had discussed contraception with their children (Wattleton, 1989,p. (1988), September/October). As a result, emphasiswas placed not only on the physical but also on the social, emotional,psychological, and spiritual aspect of being human (Scales, 199 , p. The younger the mother, the more likely it is that she will sufferfrom complications of pregnancy and premature delivery. AIDS, surrogateparenthood, global population pressures, and other issues involvingsexuality and family concerns will require these citizens to have well-developed critical thinking skills. Sex education in schools, where available, is attempting to adapt toa new era. The need nowis to get governmental support to implement these public desires. 49). An early start allows the integration ofbeliefs and morality with the difficult, changing and challenging forces ofsociety. By doing so. As part of this, discussion in sexuality education must go beyondpreventing pregnancy and pointing toward more fundamental examinations ofhuman rights and potential (Scales, 199 , p. This controversy heated up in the 198 s when a swing back toconservatism in educating America's youth about sex in schools reappeared.During the Reagan Administration, and among certain members of Congress,there was a disregard for the reality of teenage pregnancy and teensexuality. A new set of "basics" is required foryoung people to deal with the pressures of changing technology, traditionalvalues, and changing national and world politics. Sex education programs that workin public schools. Through such teachings, educators hope to achieve the goal ofpromoting healthy, capable people who have purpose, high expectations andlots of support. In the 197 s, sex educators and the then potent Sex Information andEducation Council strove to broaden understanding of the field as somethingmore than "sex" education or reproductive anatomy. However, restricting contraceptives for sexually active teenagers isbelieved to be counterproductive by many. Then there is the need to inform teenagers of sexuallytransmitteddiseases, something even more important today than when sex education wasfirst introduced into the school system. Helpingstudents to develop a framework for understanding values, behavior andculture are key, experts believe, to the success of a sex education programboth at home and in the schools. 25). 5 ). Teachers are also emphasizing abstinence until marriage andreinforcing other values most parents assume their children are learning athome (Barron, 1988, p. 6). Wattleton, Faye. 61-6. While the idea of sex education sprang up during the sexuallyliberating period of the late 196 s, Peter Morrison, a Rand researcher whoevaluated the Corporation's findings on data collected by the NationalCenter of Education Statistics, found that today "Among adults, the policydebate often begins and ends with whether to instill more abstinence orinstall more contraception ("Children having children," 1988, p. 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