Teen Pregnancy and Sex Education
Teen Pregnancy and Sex Education
The consensus is that sex education is necessary for pre-teen and teenagers to receive information about their bodies, reduce the risk of pregnancy, and disease (Combellick & Brindis, 2011). Many states have mandates on the curriculum of sex education and what grades to present the information to the students (Jacobson, 2011). On average, students receive sex education in 6th or 7th grade and 9th or 10th grade (Bigos, 2012). The problem is in between the two short periods of sex education: students receive a large amount of misinformation, pressure from others to perform sex, and too long of a time between sex education courses to reinforce safe sex practices. To improve sex education, to make it better and more effective requires teaching sex education each year throughout middle and high school rather than two times in the seven years, leaving the students are at higher risk of being pregnant. The process to make sex education better for students and parents in the middle school, and high school is to increase the frequency of presenting the information to the students. It also requires a thorough presentation of all sex education topics related to what the students need to make an informed decision about sex and safe sex practices (Combellick & Brindis, 2011). Research in education has demonstrated that students need to have the information presented to them often to obtain all the information in a systematic manner. The frequent access to accurate information allows them to build upon previous knowledge to understand issues that are more complex. Sex education needs the same approach. Students in the early preteen and teen years are still learning about their changing bodies, need time to understand the information presented and its application in their situation. Then when the changes are taking place, changes in their perception of the opposite sex, and pressure to date begins,
The consensus is that sex education is necessary for pre-teen and teenagers to receive information about their bodies, reduce the risk of pregnancy, and disease (Combellick & Brindis, 2011). Many states have mandates on the curriculum of sex education and what grades to present the information to the students (Jacobson, 2011). On average, students receive sex education in 6th or 7th grade and 9th or 10th grade (Bigos, 2012). The problem is in between the two short periods of sex education: students receive a large amount of misinformation, pressure from others to perform sex, and too long of a time between sex education courses to reinforce safe sex practices. To improve sex education, to make it better and more effective requires teaching sex education each year throughout middle and high school rather than two times in the seven years, leaving the students are at higher risk of being pregnant. The process to make sex education better for students and parents in the middle school, and high school is to increase the frequency of presenting the information to the students. It also requires a thorough presentation of all sex education topics related to what the students need to make an informed decision about sex and safe sex practices (Combellick & Brindis, 2011). Research in education has demonstrated that students need to have the information presented to them often to obtain all the information in a systematic manner. The frequent access to accurate information allows them to build upon previous knowledge to understand issues that are more complex. Sex education needs the same approach. Students in the early preteen and teen years are still learning about their changing bodies, need time to understand the information presented and its application in their situation. Then when the changes are taking place, changes in their perception of the opposite sex, and pressure to date begins,
References: Bigos, A. (2012). Should Sex-Ed Continue After 9th Grade? WCCB Charlotte. Retrieved 11 May 2013 from: http://www.wccbcharlotte.com/news/local/Shouls-Sex-Ed-Continue-After-9th-Grade-147528675.html. Combellick, S. & Brindis, C. (2011). Uneven Progress: Sex Education in California Public Schools. The Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health. Retrieved 11 May 2013 from: https://www.aclunc.org/docs/reproductive_rights/uneven_progress_full_report.pdf. Jacobson, J. (2011). New York City Mandates Comprehensive Sex Education in Public Schools. RH Reality Check. Retrieved 11 May 2013 from: http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2011/08/10/york-city-mandates-comprehensive-education-public-schools/.