I am an educator. My true passion is teaching and building the knowledge and skills of my students (as well as learning from them) regardless of the topic. In any topic it is important to be able to define what it is we want students to know and be able to do (knowledge and skills). As educators we do that through standards. The new National Sexuality Education Standards: Core Content and Skills K-12 provide a road map in a subject that is complex and sometimes controversial. The standards help educators and parents by providing clear guidance on the essential minimum core content that is age and developmentally appropriate.
By bringing together over 40 experts and aligning the standards to the National Health Education Standards these new standards can help educators and parents. The standards focus on seven topics (Anatomy and Physiology, Puberty and Adolescent Development, Identity, Pregnancy and Reproduction, Sexually Transmitted Diseases and HIV, Healthy Relationships, and Safety). For each topic there are performance indicators (what students should know and be able to do) for grades, 2, 5, 8, and 12. Where appropriate the standards include information on abstinence and risk reduction.
With strong parental support for providing sexuality education in the schools these new standards provide a content focus that is aligned to the skills of the National Health Education Standards. These are voluntary standards. The specifics of how sexuality education is taught remains at the state and district levels and it is outlined in each districts curriculum.
As a parent, I attended any number of school meetings to share with me and my fellow parents the specifics of our district’s family life and sexuality curriculum. I served on our district advisory committee and while in all those instances I think my fellow parents, educators, and community members did the best we could, I know we could have done better. Specifically, standards such as these would help us to know that every child in every classroom was receiving the same education. And as a parent, I would have loved to have known that our district’s curriculum could be measured against a gold standard.
I admit that I am not an unbiased observer of these standards. NEA HIN is one of the organizations spearheading the release and I served on the advisory committee. We did this because we “recognize that sensitive sex education can be a positive force in promoting physical, mental, emotional, and social health…” We also believe that educators and parents need tools and guidance to help make sure that such education is developmentally appropriate, appropriate to community settings and values, and promotes respect for individual differences.
To learn more about our work in this area visit the Sexual and Reproductive Health section of our site.