Question: How hard can it be to teach sex ed?
By Shari Stucker, Director of Programs
Answer: Hard.
It can be easy to think that anyone could just step into a classroom with a curriculum and teach sex education. After all, it’s really just puberty and reproduction! But that’s not all sex education is.
At its start, sexual health education did focus primarily on puberty and reproduction, however, the field has evolved over the decades to a much broader understanding of what is needed to be effective for teens. With such a changing field, it can be difficult for schools, educators, and teachers to know what is needed in order to provide the most impactful education. At the same time, it is crucial that teachers and educators feel well equipped to provide this education.
To help schools and educators assess their sex education programming, the Sex Education Collaborative (SEC), has developed the Professional Learning Standards for Sex Education (PLSSE). The SEC is a group of fourteen national, regional, and state-based organizations with extensive experience training educators to teach school-based sex education.*
The SEC developed the PLSSE in part because teaching sex education is unique from other topics. In addition to content knowledge, educators must be able to navigate the wide spectrum of beliefs and experiences held by students, families and communities. Educators must accomplish this while also maintaining a safe and inclusive environment for all students.
The PLSSE contain the most up-to-date and best practice guidance for schools and classroom educators about content, skills, and professional disposition needed to provide effective sexual health education for K-12 students. These standards provide guidelines about what is crucial for effective sexual health education including: values, conscious and unconscious bias awareness, LGBTQ inclusivity, and the ability to answer sensitive or challenging questions.
EyesOpenIowa staff is available to talk with educators, teachers, and schools about the PLSSE and what is most needed for effective sexual health education. EOI’s trainings are also aligned with these new standards and goals and designed to be supportive and informational for new and veteran educators. EOI encourages educators and teachers to review all the PLSSE materials to help determine their own comfort and confidence levels.
*The SEC membership: Advocates for Youth, Answer, Cardea, dfusion, Elizabeth Schroeder Consulting, ETR, EyesOpenIowa, GCAPP, Healthy Teen Network, MOASH, Planned Parenthood, South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, SIECUS, SHIFT NC.