Sex Education Comparing What Is Tought to What Parents Want Taught in California

Comparing topics covered during sex education to topics parents want covered.

Cynthia Ashenfelter
Chapman University
Action Research Project

March 14, 2010

Abstract American adolescents continue to be very aggressive in their sexual activity with one-third engaged in intercourse before 9th grade. In Riverside County alone in 2007 these adolescents accounted for over 4000 births in teens 15-19 years of age. However, there appears to be a disparity between the need for sex education and the existence of sex education in California. Therefore, to analyze the type of education needed to reduce STDs and teen pregnancy this study compared what topics the California curriculum covers too topics parents think are important in sex education. Multi-method data collection consisted of random one-on-one surveys of parents of current and past students of the district, and recent district graduates to determine topics they considered important in the delivery of sex education. Purposeful sampling strategy utilized as surveys of pre-determined areas around the two targeted schools were collected through a door-to-door surveys of parents with currently enrolled students. Results compared to what California considers important topics of sex education; which concluded a large majority of California schools do not bother to teach all the required subjects and some teach abstinence only. Study results confirm the majority of parents and past students want comprehensive education covering both abstinence, plus protection in grades 7-12.

Table of Contents
Introduction 4

Literature Review 7

Methodology 13
Findings 17
Discussion 20
Bibliography 24
Appendix 27 Phase 1 Survey 28 Phase 2 Survey 29 Phase 3 Survey 30 Phase 1 Table 1 32 Phase 2 Table 2 33 Phase 3 Table 3 34 Phase Comparisons Chart 7 35 Combination Totals Charts 4-6 36

Chapter 1 Introduction

Problem

America, along with the rest of the world continues its struggle to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS which continues to be too complex for medical teams to stop. This very danger prompted C Everett Koop, the American Surgeon General during the 1980s, to propose AIDS education for children as young as nine years old in America. However, the knowledge of this disease has not lessened the sexual activity of American teens. American adolescents continue to be very aggressive in their sexual activity. One-third of these adolescents engage in intercourse before 9th grade and more than 6% by age 13. Their lack of protection has increased the number of STDs and births among American teenagers. California alone reported over 40,000 new Chlamydia cases in adolescents during 2006 with two-thirds of these being between 15-24 years of age. Furthermore, these adolescents accounted for over 50,000 births in 2005, accounting for a 3% increase in teen pregnancy after reaching a 34% record low in 2005. There appears to be a disparity between the need for sex education and the existence of sex education in California. Effective sex education can help reduce specific problems like teen pregnancy, and STDs in youth while promoting physical and psychological health. Numerous studies support the benefits of education by demonstrating education can increase student’s knowledge about sex and help reduce sex-related problems (Scales, 1983). Today’s youth are constantly exposed to violence and sexual explicit materials across all avenues of the media. They watch reality shows like “The Real World” that seems to promote recreational sex. Then we have movies like the “Forty Year Old Virgin” making fun of people who are not sexually active, compile this with the movie “Juno” about a teen who must decide how to deal with a pregnancy. Unfortunately, none of these movies show the true consequences of early activity. Furthermore, there was the “Secret Life of the American Teenager” that portrays a teen who gets pregnant and not much changes, as she continues in school, again not a realistic example of teen pregnancy. “Sixteen and Pregnant” a reality show intended to show the hard side of teen pregnancy misses the mark as most of these teens have a great deal of support, which is not always true of teen pregnancy. The controversy around “abstinence only” or “comprehensive” (abstinence plus) education has been debated long enough and while no amount of research can settle the moral and religious debates at the heart of this controversy, it can point parents, teachers, and policy makers to make decisions that will have positive health outcomes for all students. In the interest of all teens, programs must incorporate abstinence and protection education for all. Parents and communities need to unite towards the overall improvement in education for the health of all teens as well as the community at large.

Purpose Statement Therefore, the purpose of this action research was to determine to what extent California’s current family life curriculum is in alignment with parent’s and student’s expectations of what should be included. It is my intention to compare current approved curriculum with what parents expect their children to learn. Specifically, I will attempt to answer are: (1) what does the California Education Code specify is to be taught? (2) What do parents think should be taught?

Importance of Study

During the last nine years teaching family life for the Department of Public Health, I have been exposed to more than just the statistics of teen pregnancy and youth STDs; I have also experienced the many different attitudes of our youth, in regards to early sexual activity. These attitudes are definitely reflected in our local statistics. Furthermore, I have also experienced a wide range of attitudes and beliefs of school boards, educators, and parents. In every district, every year I have teens that think having a baby is not a big deal, “cause I can get free formula and my mom will take care of the baby”, or the never ending “my sister just had a baby and it was ok.” These comment from middle school students residing in districts with the highest teen pregnancy rates in the state. However, parents in these districts write letters having their students removed from class, because they are “too young to be exposed to that stuff”. Listen to what these students watch on TV or see at the movies, and it is usually much worse than the medically accurate conversation about sexually transmitted disease, and the consequences of early sexual activity about to take place within their classroom. There needs to be a balance to ensure youth know the true consequences of events they see played out on the big screen.

Chapter 2

Literature Review

Sexual socialization during adolescencs is important to the psychosocial growth regarding sexuality and many adolescents today are growing up in the context were sexual intercourse before graduation is considered to be the noramtive (Steinberg, 2008). Considering , one third of American adolescents engage in intercourse before 9th grade, and more than 6% by age 13 early education is needed (Steinberg, 2008). The Journal of School Health published an article investigating the patterns of sexual intercourse in an urban seventh grade population in Texas with the focus of determining in what pattern teens engage in vaginal, oral, and anal sex. This study concluded that of the 1279 students involved 6% of all students had engaged in one type of intercourse, 4% in two, and 4% in all three types of intercourse, however, vaginal intercourse was the most prevalent. Few students engaged in oral or anal sex without first having engaged in vaginal intercourse, 2% of students engaged in oral sex before vaginal. One very disturbing finding of this study was 6.5% of students had engaged in anal intercourse and 7.9% engaged in oral intercourse with 23.8% of students engaged in anal sex reporting already having four or more anal sex partners (Addy,Baumler, Markham, Peskin & Tortolero, 2009). These findings have implications for adolescent sex education, as these topics should be included within school-based curriculum. Californias pupulation of teens age 15-19 was 2,721,081 in 2006 and accounted for 52,800 births of which 17,218 or 32% were born to mothers between the ages of 15-17, and 682 or .02% to teens under the age of 15 (Centers for Disease Control, 2009). California alone in 2008 had over 44,000 Chlamydia cases and over 7,000 Gonorrhea cases in youth between the ages of 10 and 19 (California Department of Public Health, 2008). According to the Riverside County Department of Public Health, Epidemiology and Program Evaluation, during 2007, Riverside County had 4,003 babies born to teen mothers aged 15-19. Mothers 15-17 accounted for 1,246 of those births with 46 of those being mothers under the age of 15 (Riverside County Department of Public Health, 2008). Furthermore, according to the California Department of Public Health during the same year 32.3% and 31.9% of Chlamydia and Gonorrhea cases respectively, were in female’s ages15-19. The Summary of Sexual and Reproductive Health, reported by the CDC, describes noticeable disparities in the sexual health of youth in the U.S., for example, pregnancy rates for Hispanic and non-Hispanic black adolescents are much higher than non-Hispanic whites; and black female adolescents 15-19 were more likely than their Hispanic peers to be living with AIDS. Therefore, culture and beliefs also need addressed during school-based instruction (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009). Facts on Sex Education in the United States, provides the following interesting yet disturbing facts regarding American teens between 10-19: almost 1 million teens get pregnant every year, 20% of graduating girls have been pregnant at least once before graduation (The Guttmacher Institute, 2006). Millions in tax dollars are spent annually to support pregnant and parenting teens. Federal, state, and local cost for teen pregnancy reported in 2004 was $9.1 billion with 8.6 billion utilized in support of teen parents 17 and younger; 53% being state and local cost and 47% federal cost (Hoffman, 2006). However, a recent report from the Public Health Institute calculated that teen births during 2007 cost California taxpayers $1,800,000,000 with $130,000,000 being directly related to cost for Riverside County (Constantine, Nevarez, & Jerman 2007). However, it is not just the economic cost to the state that is of concern, there is the social cost to all involved as sons born to teens are 2.7 times more likely to be incarcerated and their daughters are 83% more likely to be teen parents themseves (The Robinhood Foundation, 1996). Furthermore, 80% of teen mothers live on welfare, sexually active teen girls are 5 times more likely to attempt sucide, and sexualy active teen boys are 5 times more likely to use alcohol and drugs, and 66% of teen pregnancies occur under the influence of alcohol (Guttmacher, 2006). In the interest of todays adolescents and the future of tomorrows we must educate youth on building and sustaining intimate loving relationships while preventing teen pregnancy, and STDs in all youth. Previous policy, “abstinence only” continued to be the wave in federal policy from the late 1990s with little evidence to support it and congress devoting large sums of funding, combined with matching state funds this funding had increased nearly 3000% from 1996-2001 (Alagiri,Collins,& Summers, 2002). Federal law may not require sex eduaction in schools; however, the 2002 approporations for promoting abstinence only education reached $102 million. Furthermore,fiscal year 2003 President Bush had proposed an increase of $33 million for abstinence only education bringing total funding to $135 million. Therefore, while federal government had not required sex education; past policy makers made sure that if sex education was provided it would be on their terms “abstinence only”, or programs following the eight-point definitaion of abstinence received funding and even then states had to match $3.00 for ever $4.00 of federal money (Aids Research Institute University of California, 2002). “Abstinence Only” education defined by legislation include the following components: an exclusive purpose of teaching the social, psychological, and health gains of abstinence, that abstinence outside marriage is the expected standard for all school-age children, it is the only way to avoid pregnancy and disease, monogamous relationships in the context of marriage is the expected standard of human sexuality, that sex outside marriage will likely have harmful physical and psychological effects, having children outside marriage will likley have harmful consequences for the child, teaches refusal skills for sexual activity and drug and alcohol use, and teaches the importance of attaining self-suffciency before engaging in sexual activity. Debra Haffner, chief executive officer of the Sex Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS), concludes that “there are no published studies in the professional literature indication that abstinence-only programs will result in young people delaying intercourse (Ed, p. 78).” Fortunately, it appears our new administration is in support of comprehesive education; according to U.S. News & World Report online as of May 7, 2009 President Barak Obama has eliminated federal funding for the teaching of abstinence only education in schools and has put fifty- million dollars into the current 2010 budget for evidence-based comprehensive sex education programs, in support of his new Teen Pregnancy Prevention Inatative (Koatz, 2009). Comprehensive education defined is programs that provide knowledge and skills needed to delay sexual intercourse or prevent teen pregnancy. However, these programs must be initiated early before adolescents become sexually involved. Programs must address issues of early dating, how adolescents perceive their friends and siblings sexual behaviors, the difference between love and infatuation, how to sustain healthy relationships, how to have loving intimate relationships without sex, and the effectiveness of contraceptive use, including abstinence in the prevention of pregnancy and STDs. Throughout the United States sex education is taught in 93% of all public secondary schools; more than 95% of 15-19-year-old students have received this instruction. However, the content of the education varies especially; in regards to the information on abstinence and the effectiveness of contraceptives (Landry, 2003). According to the Guttmacher Institute, during 1999 23% of sex education teachers taught abstinence as the only option. Only 60% of teachers in districts across the country offering comprehensive education included birth control methods and condoms as effective methods of prevention, 28% emphasized the ineffectiveness rates of both, while the remaining 12% of teachers failed to cover the methods at all. (Landry, 2003). While, California does not mandate sex education it does say if sex education is taught abstinence and contraception must be covered (Guttmacher, 2006). California Comprehensive Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Prevention Act, (education code 15930-15939) s intended to provide pupils knowledge and skills necessary to protect their sexual and reproductive health from unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases and encourage them to develop healthy attitudes concerning adolescent growth and development, body image, gender roles, sexual orientation, dating, marriage, and family. However, education code 51937-15939 provides an option for parents to remove their student from this education (California Law California Ed Code). While according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as cited in Reuters July 16, 2009, during 2006 HIV/AIDs cases in males 15-19 increased to 2.5 cases per 100,000 from 1.3 cases per 100,000 in 1997, providing proof that U.S. youth need better sex education (Reuters, 2009). Furthermore, these requirements also apply to HIV and AIDS prevention education, which is mandated for all students once in both middle and high school (Constantine, Huang, & Jerman, 2007). Although 94% of middle and high schools reported sex education or STD education, 88% violated one or more provisions of California’s state education code and 48% failed to cover all required topics citing community opposition as their reason. However, parents apparently support comprehensive sex education, a study conducted during spring and summer 2006 throughout California revealed uniformly high levels of support from all regions and all race/ethnic groups; overall, 82% of the sample reported a preference for abstinence-plus-protection sex education (Constantine et al.., 2007). While the education code reflects the adoption of comprehensive sex education, the program utilized by California is not one that covers Birth Control methods or safe surrender laws, both required topics in comprehensive curriculum. What Works, a brief complied by The National Campaign regarding curriculum-based programs list the Positive Prevention program as one that delayed sexual initiation only among sexually inexperienced youth and had no improvement on contraceptive use, as the topic is not covered under this program (The National Campaign, 2009). Therefore, California has an education code that supports comprehensive, sex education, but supports a curriculum that does not meet the requirements. Statistics continue to support that teens are engaging in sexual activity at a younger age, schools continue to allow politics to drive education, especially comprehensive sex education is the topic. While California , by not accepting federal money for abstinence only education, portrays itself as a comprehensive sex education state, research continues to reveal that many districts fail to provide sex education at all, and of those that do many fail to cover all methods of prevention and focus on abstinence only. Therefore, one must consider that implementing a comprehensive program with input and support from parents would provide a curriculum that not only meets the state standards, but has clear parental support on all topics necessary, would ease districts concerns for upsetting the community. Implementing this program in both middle and high schools would better serve the youth of California than one of abstinence only or nothing. While, it is true this will not change the habits of all youth, it will at least offer them a chance of protecting their sexual health that many now do not have.
Chapter 3

Methodology

The selected schools are located in a zip code that according to the Riverside County Epidemiology Department, exhibits higher numbers of teen pregnancy, than surrounding zip codes. There is however one region of western Riverside County with higher teen pregnancy rates, but it had only one middle school and therefore was not considered for the study. Both selected middle schools are located in an unincorporated area within western Riverside County. School A has a total of 977 students in grades 7 & 8 with 84% being Hispanic, 9% white (non-Hispanic), 5% African American, and 2% other, furthermore, 83% are socioeconomically disadvantaged and 38% classified as English Learners. School B is only 4.5 miles from school A, and has a population of 1245 students in grades 7 & 8, with 68% being Hispanic, 25% white (non-Hispanic), 4% African American, 2% Asian and 1% other. The socioeconomically disadvantaged population is at 57% and they report 21% classified as English learners. The surveys were to be sent home during the week students were participating in their family life education. However, due to the nature of the survey a last minute decision to not allow this was made by the district. Therefore, surveys were collected in three phases over a three week period during the month of November. Parent surveys were conducted door to door in neighborhoods directly surrounding both schools and in other neighborhoods each approximately 6-7 miles from the schools. The areas immediately surrounding the schools are representative of lower incomes and the areas 6-7 miles away are representative of higher incomes. These surveys were conducted over a timeframe of four days. Parents confirmed enrollment of their student in the selected school before completion of the survey. Further surveys were obtained in front of the local grocery stores which are both located approximately 3 miles from the schools. These surveys were completed by parents whom confirmed they currently had a student in the selected school or they had in the past 2 years had a student in the selected school. The student surveys were conducted outside the last football games of the high schools these middle schools feed into. Students confirmed they were recent graduates and they had participated in family life education through this district. Materials Parent surveys collected door-to-door consisted of six yes/no and multiple choice questions with one allowing for comments if needed. Parent survey questions were focused on the importance/unimportance of comprehensive sex education and specifically what they feel should be included. Surveys collected at the grocery stores consisted of nine yes/no and multiple choice, two allowing for comments and were focused on the importance/unimportance of comprehensive sex education, it also included specific subject choices. Student surveys consisted of six questions with one allowing for personal opinion. Student surveys were also focused on the importance/unimportance of comprehensive sex education and its effectiveness for HIV/AIDS prevention; examples of all three surveys are provided in the appendix. Measures Surveys responses will be totaled first to determine if participants determined comprehensive sex education to be important and what specific subjects should be included and at what age or grade level. Further information will be combined to determine if participants rate the current education effective. Comparison between California’s state approved sex education curriculum and parent’s preference for subject matter.

Procedures Surveys were developed after review of California state requirements for comprehensive education. Originally, one survey was developed for parents, however, after the district decided the survey would not be sent home with students two other surveys were developed for recent graduates of the district and parents of students that participated in family life education in one of the designated schools within the last two years. Phase one of collection was performed by-door-to-door collection in areas immediately surrounding schools. Parents confirmed they currently had a student in the designated school before completing the survey, where there was no answer surveys were left in an envelope on the door with instructions to complete and place on the door the following Monday for collection. Phase two of collection was performed outside the high school after the last football game. Students confirmed they were recent graduates of the high school and that they had participated in family life education while enrolled at one of the designated middle schools. Phase three surveys were collected outside the grocery stores located within 3 miles of each school. Participants either currently or within the past two years had a student at one of the designated schools and they participated in the family life education. I personally designed and collected all three phases of the survey during the three week period of the study. During the door-to-door and grocery store collection I was accompanied by a bilingual student from the local high school for assistance with Spanish speaking parents. Analysis Qualitative data was collected through three phases of surveys from three pre-determined groups consisting of parents with students currently enrolled in designated schools, parents with students in the designated school within the last two years, and students that have recently graduated from the district and that had completed family life education at one of the designated schools. Data from all three phases was compared to determine if parents concerns and expectations for comprehensive sex education is in alignment with the state requirements.

Chapter 4

Findings

The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent California’s current family life curriculum is in alignment with parent’s and student’s expectations of what should be included. Do parents agree with not only topics offered but also with the grade level at which the specific topic is discussed. Surveys were collected in three phases from three pre-determined groups consisting of parents with students currently enrolled in designated schools, parents with students in the designated school within the last two years, and students that have recently graduated from the district and that had completed family life education at one of the designated schools. Data from all three phases was compared to determine if parents concerns and expectations for comprehensive sex education is in alignment with the state requirements. Data collected from students was compared to that collected from parents to determine if they were in alignment with what parents thought. Data reported in chart 1 collected from phase one both school A and B determined that 67-81% of parents considered all 10 topics to be appropriate for all grades 7-12. However, topics covering where to obtain birth control measures and how to use them properly 10% of parents found it not appropriate for any grade and 5% found these topics appropriate for grades 7-8. Discussions regarding how to talk with a partner regarding “how far to go” along with the topic of making responsible choices based on one’s own personal values again 10% of parents found the topics not appropriate at any grade, while 5% found the topics acceptable for grades 7-8. Covering the question of abstinence “waiting until they are older to be sexually active” 10% of parents found the topic not appropriate and 10% found the topic acceptable for grades 7-8. Data reported in Chart 2 collected from phase two both school A and B determined that 73-91% of students considered all 10 topics to be appropriate for all grades 7-12. However, topics covering where to obtain birth control measures and how to use them properly 18% of students found it not appropriate for any grade and 9% found these topics appropriate for grades 9-12. Discussions regarding how to talk with a partner regarding “how far to go” along with the topic of making responsible choices based on one’s own personal values 27% of students found the topic of partner discussion not appropriate at any grade, while 18% found the topic of choices based on personal values not appropriate at any grade. Covering the question of abstinence “waiting until they are older to be sexually active” 9% of students found the topic not appropriate and 91% found the topic acceptable for grades 7-12. Data reported in Chart 3 was collected from phase three both school A and B determined that 59-88% of parents considered all 10 topics to be appropriate for all grades 7-12. However, topics covering where to obtain birth control measures and how to use them properly 41% of parents found it not appropriate for any grade. Discussions regarding how to talk with a partner regarding “how far to go” along with the topic of making responsible choices based on one’s own personal values 29% of parents found the topic of partner discussion not appropriate at any grade, while 35% found the topic of choices based on personal values not appropriate at any grade. Covering the question of abstinence “waiting until they are older to be sexually active” 29% of parents found the topic not appropriate and 71% found the topic acceptable for grades 7-12 and 18% of parents found the topic of basic information (how pregnancy occurs, pregnancy, and birth) unacceptable at any grade. Results for phase 1 questions 1-4 and 6 are shown in table 1 providing a comparison for school A & B. Chart 4 provides combined responses from parents in both school A & B. Results for phase 2 questions 1-4 and 6 are shown in table 2 providing a comparison for school A & B. Chart 5 provides combined responses from students in both school A & B. Results for phase 3 questions 1-6 and 9 are shown in table 3 providing a comparison for school A & B and chart 6 provides combined responses from parents in both school A and B. Furthermore, an overall comparison of responses from parents and past student are reported in Chart 7; all of which can be located in the appendix.

Chapter 5

Discussion

The results of this study provide support for comprehensive sex education in classroom across grades 7-12. The majority of parents and recent graduates consider this education to be very important in the educational system and think it should be required not optional. The results provide a concise picture of parent’s patterns regarding conversation relating to sexual health matters in this community. Overwhelmingly 73% of participants discussed how pregnancy happens, 69% discuss dating issues, 61% discuss how to avoid getting an STD, but unfortunately only 53% are discussing ways to avoid pregnancy, which could possibly explain why 63% of participants are in support of comprehensive sex education. Additional comments from parents during phase 1 reveals that a small portion believes this information should be taught at home, however, they also acknowledge that if some parents are uncomfortable with the topic then school would be the next logical choice for teaching sex education. Students in phase 2 provided additional comments that support comprehensive education as well, however, they also would like to see more statistics about their age group not national averages, and a small percentage (18%) of them also feel this is a private matter and should be taught at home. Additional comments collected from parents in phase 3 also seem to be in support of providing teens with valid information so they are able to make responsible choices regarding their sexual health and some of them would like more information to be sent home regarding local statistics so knowledgeable conversations can take place as a follow up to the education or for parents that prefer to provide the education themselves. The finding of the current study are consistent with the 2006 study conducted across California which revealed that 82% of all parents are in support of comprehensive (abstinence plus protection) sex education (Norman A. Constantine P.J., 2007). Therefore, one must question why then did 48% of middle and high schools across California cite community opposition as their reason for not covering all required topics for comprehensive sex education, apparently it is not the parents of the community that are opposed, and therefore, leaves one to consider maybe it is the district administration that is opposed.
Limitations
Although the current study produced results in support of comprehensive sex education, there were a few limitations to the study. First due to the nature of the study the district, at the last minute, decided that the surveys could not go home with students as previously approved. However, I had already completed the research and was determined to collect the needed information and therefore decided to collect surveys by going door to door. This method resulted in a much lower turnout than I had anticipated so I decided to collect surveys from recent graduates from the district which surprisingly resulted in an even lower number of surveys, so last resort I went to the grocery stores located close to both schools and collected surveys there from parents who with students in the school district now or in the last 5 years; this method resulted in the largest number of surveys collected. I alone collected, analyzed, and reported all the data for this study and therefore, am not a neutral observer which should be considered a limitation of the study. I feel replicating this study as I had originally intended to conduct it would have provide valuable information regarding topics parents consider important for sex education at school. However, the small sample size collected for a district this size is a limitation of the study. Results presented may have been influenced by my presence at time of collection. However, despite the threat to the internal validity I feel the results are still valuable and can be utilized to generate discussion between parents, teachers, and the district in determining what information and at what grade level information regarding sex education is to be presented.
Recommendations and Implications The lack of cooperation from the school district made this study difficult to complete, however, maybe this small sample can be utilized to encourage the district to allow a complete survey of all parents in the next school year. One recommendation is to have information for parents regarding local teen pregnancy and STD rates available on the school website and posted at school. This could be provided by a link to the Department of Public Health, placed on the schools website as well as printed in the parent handbook. Furthermore, prior to the week that this district provides family life education they should send home recent statistics by zip code so parents can truly see this is a problem in their area and not just happening in other parts of the community. I think that by bring attention to their area specifically it makes it harder to keep their heads in the sand. This study in my opinion has far reaching implications. The result suggest parents consider health an important topic in education and therefore, consideration should be given in health being a subject taught more often that one week a year. This district currently provides no has education class in its middle schools and currently appear to be considering ending health in high school. This study suggests the district may very well be out of touch with the community it serves. More and more adolescents and teens are diagnosed as obese or being diabetic every year, and yet we provide one week of health instruction. What happen to Healthy People 2010 the health objectives the Nation was to achieve over the first decade of the new century? More important than test scores should be the overall mental and physical health of all students. If you are producing students that are academically brilliant and will be the next great scientist or mathematician how much do you think they will truly accomplish in their lifetime if they are too unhealthy to make it to work or are dying at younger ages than that of the past. We owe it to our students and society to improve the health and well being of all students and this must include mental, physical, and sexual health education continuously throughout their education, not just once a year for a week. Therefore, my next step will be to present my finding to the school board and community and get parents behind me in the effort to ensure our students obtain the overall education they need, not just what they are tested on. Life is the biggest test of all and if their unhealthy it is a test they will not pass easily. I am no stranger to the school board and am actively involved in my community; this may have something with the last minute decision to not allow the surveys. However, they should know me well enough to know I would complete this task one way or another. Preventing teen pregnancy is my passion and I have been involved in this for many years, however, I returned to school to obtain a teaching degree to teach Health so I could help students make responsible decisions regarding their overall health while continuing to battle teen pregnancy and the tragedy that often follows it.
Work Cited

Works Cited

Addy Robert C, Baumler Elizabeth R, Markham Christine M, Peskin Fleschler Melissa, Tortolero Susan R (2009 April) Patterns of Vaginal, Oral, and Anal Sexual Intercourse in an Urban Seventh-Grade Population. Retrieved August 15, 2009 from ,Journal of School Health Vol. 79, No. 4 http://web.ebscohost.com.libproxy.chapman.edu/stable/36857597
Alagiri Priya, Collins Chris, Summers Todd (2002 March) Abstinence Only Vs Comprehensive Sex Education. Retrieved August 15 from Aids Research Institute University California San Francisco http://ari.ucsf.edu/science/reports/abstinence.pdf
California Department of Public Health, STD Branch, CDPH STD Data Tables,2008, available at http://www.cdph.ca.gov/data/statistics/documents/STD-data-chlymadia-provisional-tables-pdf
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, Vital Stats, Birth Data Files, State Profiles, 2009, available at http://www.cdc.gov/vitalstats.htm
Centers for Disease Control, Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 2008,, Atlanta, GA, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, November 2009, available at http://www.cdc.gov/std/phs
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Sexual Reproduction Habits of Persons 10-24 years- United States 2002-2007,Survalience Summaries, MMWR, 2009, vol58-SS 6 available at http://www.cdc.gov.mmwr/pdf/ss5806.pdf
Constantine, N.A. , Jerman P., Huang A. X, (2007, May). California Parent's Preferences and Beliefs regarding School-Based Sex Education Policy. Retrieved September 15, 2009, from Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health Vol. 39, No. 3: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30042962
Constantine, N.A. , Jerman P., Nevarez C.R., (2007, September). No Time for complacency Teen Births in California. Retrieved September 15, 2009, from Public Health Institute. http://teenbirths.phi.org/
Guttmaucher Institute , Facts on Sex Education in the United States. (2006) available at http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_sexEd2006.html
Hoffman Saul D. (2006 October). By the Numbers: The Public Cost of Teen Childbearing. Retrieved September 15, 2009, from The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/resources/pdf/pubs/BTN_Full.pdf
Landry David J., J. E. (2003, Nov. - Dec.). Factors Associated with the Content of Sex Education in U.S. Public Secondary Schools. Retrieved August 15, 2009, from Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, Vol.35, N0. 6: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3181231
National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy Putting What Works to Work (2002), available at http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/resources/works/PWWTWabout.aspx
Robinhood Foundation. Kids Having Kids, 1996, available at http://www.robinhood.org/approach/KHK.pdf
Riverside County Department of Public Health Epidemiology and Program Evaluation-Live Births by Zip Code 2007,available at http://www.rivcohealthdata.org/home/index.htm
Scales Peter (1983, November). Barriers to Sex Education: A Survey of Professionals. The Journal of Sex Research Vol. 19, No. 4:electronoc version available at http://www.jstor.org/stable/3812057

Appendix
Phase I Parent Survey

1. Would you say teens today become sexually active earlier than in the past 10 years? Yes No Don’t know 2. There are many different approaches to teaching about sex and sexuality in schools. Which of the two statements comes closest to your views? a. When it comes to sex, teenagers need to have limits set, they must be told what is acceptable and what is not. b. Ultimately teenagers need to make their own decisions, so their education needs to be more in the form of providing information and guidance c. Don’t know 3. If sex education is taught do you think it should be: a. required b. optional You may include comments in your answer as well

4. How important do you think it is to have sex education as part of the school curriculum? a. Very important b. somewhat important c. not important d. not taught at all e. don’t know 5. The following are topics that may be included in sex education programs: please mark whether you think it is appropriate for A) middle school (grade 7-8), B) high school (grades 9-12),C) both groups, or D) not appropriate at all

Basics of how babies are made, pregnancy, and birth a b c d
HIV/AIDS a b c d
Sexually Transmitted Disease other then HIV/AIDS a b c d
Birth control methods for pregnancy prevention a b c d
How to use and where to get birth control & condoms a b c d
Waiting till they are older to have sex a b c d
How to deal with the emotional stress of being sexual
Active a b c d
How to talk to boy/girlfriend about “how far to go”
Sexually a b c d
How to make responsible sexual choices based on
Individual values a b c d
The connections between alcohols, drugs, and sex a b c d 6. Which of the following topics have you discussed with your student?

a. How pregnancy happens b. How to avoid sexually transmitted diseases c. Issues of dating and relationships d. Ways to avoid pregnancy, (condoms)

Phase 2 Past Student Survey

1. Would you say teens today become sexually active earlier than in the past 10 years? Yes No Don’t know 2. There are many different approaches to teaching about sex and sexuality in schools. Which of the two statements comes closest to your views? a. When it comes to sex, teenagers need to have limits set, they must be told what is acceptable and what is not. b. Ultimately teenagers need to make their own decisions, so their education needs to be more in the form of providing information and guidance c. Don’t know 3. If sex education is taught do you think it should be: a. required b. optional You may include comments in your answer as well

4. How important do you think it is to have sex education as part of the school curriculum? a. Very important b. somewhat important c. not important d. not taught at all e. don’t know 5. The following are topics that may be included in sex education programs: please mark whether you think it is appropriate for A) middle school (grade 7-8), B) high school (grades 9-12),C) both groups, or D) not appropriate at all

Basics of how babies are made, pregnancy, and birth a b c d
HIV/AIDS a b c d
Sexually Transmitted Disease other then HIV/AIDS a b c d
Birth control methods for pregnancy prevention a b c d
How to use and where to get birth control & condoms a b c d
Waiting till they are older to have sex a b c d
How to deal with the emotional stress of being sexual
Active a b c d
How to talk to boy/girlfriend about “how far to go”
Sexually a b c d
How to make responsible sexual choices based on
Individual values a b c d
The connections between alcohols, drugs, and sex a b c d 6. Which of the following topics have you discussed with your student?

a. How pregnancy happens b. How to avoid sexually transmitted diseases c. Issues of dating and relationships d. Ways to avoid pregnancy, (condoms)

Phase 3 Parents of Current or Past Students

7. Would you say teens today become sexually active earlier than in the past 10 years? Yes No Don’t know 8. What do you think of the following statement : agree disagree

a. If you tell teens how to obtain and use condoms it encourages them to be sexually active earlier than they otherwise would have. Comments

9. There are many different approaches to teaching about sex and sexuality in schools. Which of the two statements comes closest to your views? a. When it comes to sex, teenagers need to have limits set, they must be told what is acceptable and what is not. b. Ultimately teenagers need to make their own decisions, so their education needs to be more in the form of providing information and guidance c. Don’t know 10. If sex education is taught do you think it should be: a. required b. optional You may include comments in your answer as well

11. How important do you think it is to have sex education as part of the school curriculum? a. Very important b. somewhat important c. not important d. not taught at all e. don’t know

6. How does your child’s school notify parents about the sex education curriculum being offered?

7. How effective do you think sex education in schools is in helping teens avoid getting HIV/AIDS or other sexually transmitted diseases? What can be done to make these programs more effective?

8. The following are topics that may be included in sex education programs: please mark whether you think it is appropriate for A) middle school (grade 7-8), B) high school (grades 9-12),C) both groups, or D) not appropriate at all

Basics of how babies are made, pregnancy, and birth a b c d
HIV/AIDS a b c d
Sexually Transmitted Disease other then HIV/AIDS a b c d
Birth control methods for pregnancy prevention a b c d
How to use and where to get birth control & condoms a b c d
Waiting till they are older to have sex a b c d
How to deal with the emotional stress of being sexual
Active a b c d
How to talk to boy/girlfriend about “how far to go”
Sexually a b c d
How to make responsible sexual choices based on
Individual values a b c d
The connections between alcohols, drugs, and sex a b c d 9. Which of the following topics have you discussed with your chile?

a. How pregnancy happens b. How to avoid sexually transmitted diseases c. Issues of dating and relationships d. Ways to avoid pregnancy, (condoms)

|Are teens today sexually active at younger ages than in the past? |Yes |No |Don't know |Not Appropriate |Don't Know2 |
|School A |4 |1 |1 | | |
|School B |1 |2 |2 | | |
|In Teaching sex education which of the following fits closest with your views? |Abstinence |Comprehensive |Don't Know | | |
|School A |2 |3 |1 | | |
|School B |1 |2 |2 | | |
|Should sex education be required or optional? |Required |Optional | | | |
|School A |5 |1 | | | |
|School B |3 |2 | | | |
|How important do you think sex education is as part of the school curriculum? |Very |Somewhat |Not |Do not teach |Don't know |
|School A |4 |1 | |1 | |
|School B |3 |0 | |1 | |
|Which of the following topics have your parents discussed with you? |How pregnancy happens |How to avoid STDs |Issues of dating |Ways to avoid pregnancy | |
|School A |4 |3 |5 |3 | |
|School B |3 |3 |5 |3 | |

|Are teen today sexually active earlier than in the past? |Yes |No |Don't know | |Column2 |
|School A |4 |1 |1 | | |
|School B |8 |2 |1 | | |
|Do you agree "If you tell teens where to get condoms it encourages sexual activity? |Agree |Disagree | | | |
|School A |0 |6 | | | |
|School B |4 |7 | | | |
|Should sex education be required or optional? |required |optional | | | |
|School A |3 |3 | | | |
|School B |3 |8 | | | |
|In Teaching sex education which of the following fits closest with your views? |Abstinence |Comprehensive |Don't Know | | |
|School A |5 |1 | | | |
|School B |4 |7 | | | |
|How important do you think sex education is as part of the school curriculum? |Very |Somewhat |Not |Do not teach |Don't know |
|School A |4 |2 | | | |
|School B |4 |3 |3 | |1 |
|How does your child’s school notify you of the education? |Letter Home |Parent Handbook | | | |
|School A |5 |1 | | | |
|School B |10 |1 | | | |
|Which of the following topics have you discussed with your student? |How pregnancy happens |How to avoid STDs |Issues of dating |Ways to avoid pregnancy | |
|School A |6 |4 |6 |4 | |
|School B |9 |8 |4 |8 | |

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Table 1 Phase 1

Table 2 Phase 2

Table 3 Phase 3