SIECUS Report articles from September 2003

SIECUS Report archives from September 2003

The framing of a debate: 10 years of the abstinence-only-until-marriage message.(From President)(Editorial)
September 22, 2003... When SIECUS began the Community Advocacy Project in 1992, I don't believe anyone could have predicted the changes the next decade would bring. At the time the federal government spent a small amount of money on "chastity" programs under the...

Trends 2002-03: a tug-of-war between abstinence-only and comprehensive sexuality education.
September 22, 2003... The SIECUS community Advocacy Project has Monitored sexuality education controversies across the country for the last ten years in an effort to identify trends and assist advocates in states and communities. During the 2002-03 school year,...

Facing controversy after 25 years.
September 22, 2003... Clearly, no one enters the field of sexology, especially sexuality education, without the knowledge that some individuals and segments of society will take offense with both the subject matter and the educational process, I have been teaching...

How will we teach our children?
September 22, 2003... "My father taught in the wise way, which unfolds what lies in the child's nature, as a flower blooms, rather than crammed it, like a Strasbourg goose, with more than it could digest."--Louisa May Alcott When my eleven-year-old son, Alex,...

What teachers want, need, and deserve.
September 22, 2003... PORTRAIT OF A SEX EDUCATION TEACHER I teach sexuality education became I am told to by my principal, or because I believe it is a very important subject. In either case, I am doing so with very little, if any, formal training in sexuality....

An influx of funding for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs leads to a decade of policy changes.
September 22, 2003... A decade ago, the federal government has a small pot of money--roughly four million dollars each year--for abstinence-only programs. In 2003, abstinenceonly-until-marriage programs are supported by over $120 million in federal dollars and $37.5...

What you don't know can't hurt you?
September 22, 2003... My son and I walking along the street downtown the other day. He was not paying attention to the street lights and began to cross the street against the light. Since I know that what he doesn't know can't hurt him I didn't say anything. I wish...

Advocating for a condom availability program.
September 22, 2003... In February 2000, four teenagers sat together in a corner of my video production classroom at Woodside High School in Woodside, CA brainstorming an idea for a documentary movie. When l suggested that they tackle a controversial social change...

Abstinence-only education in the courts.
September 22, 2003... In the past two decades, the federal government has funneled hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars into abstinence education, even though there is no credible evidence that this approach prevents teen pregnancy or the spread of sexually...

The everyday challenges of teaching sexuality education.
September 22, 2003... My first death threat came in 1982 after appearing on CBS Sunday), Morning in a segment describing the human sexuality, class I taught as non-controversial. More threats came in 1992 when I joined Peter Jennings on a panel of experts for a TV...

Forming a gay straight alliance without controversy.
September 22, 2003... North Penn High School, a public school in suburban Philadelphia, consists of almost 3,300 students in grades 10 through 12. Eight5' percent of the student body is white, 11 percent Asian-American, five percent African-American, three percent...

A controversial decade: 10 years of tracking debates around sexuality education.
September 22, 2003... In 1992 the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) began the Community Advocacy Project in an effort to help communities respond to an increase in controversies surrounding sexuality education. The goals of...

The truth about adolescent sexuality.
September 22, 2003... Information about young people's sexual behavior--from the attitudes they have to thedecisions they make to the actions they take--can help parents communicate with their children, educators design sexual health programs, and policymakers...