what is "good" sex ed?
- Advait Singh
- Sep 26, 2024
- 2 min read
by Aditi Jomen Bhardwaj
Sex education, or sex ed, as explained by Planned Parenthood is “the “high-quality teaching and learning about a broad variety of topics related to sex and sexuality”. However, how do we determine whether or not something, especially education, is ‘high-quality’?
To do this, there are a variety of factors to take into account. For example, we will have to look at the content or what is being taught, how much information the student can retain, and the ability of the students to apply the knowledge they learn.
While the term ‘high-quality’ is rather broad, there are still criteria that sex education needs to meet to ensure that the teachings and learnings can give us sufficient understanding of what sex and sexuality are, how sex and sexuality play a role in our lives, how sex and sexuality affect our relationships with ourselves and the people around us, and more.
As stated by the CDC, quality sex education requires “medically accurate, developmentally appropriate, and culturally relevant content and skills”. Additionally, for a sex ed program to be considered “high-quality” there are several characteristics that it must hold. This includes; being conducted by well-trained and qualified teachers and school staff, being taught in an engaging and relevant manner to the students, addressing the health needs of students who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community, connecting students with relevant healthcare services, and developing a strong bond between the youth and adults.
Outside of the general characteristics of quality sex ed, certain topics must be discussed thoroughly as part of sex ed to provide students with a proper understanding of both sex and sexuality. Outside of the themes of sex and sexuality, other topics brought up during sex ed can vary depending on religion, age group, sexual orientation, etc.
Regardless, everyone needs to be educated in all aspects of sex ed. Below are some examples of topics covered in sex education programs for K-12 according to planned parenthood;
Human development - puberty, autonomy, sexual orientation, and gender identity
Relationships - self, family, friendship, and romantic
Personal skills - communication, setting boundaries, decision-making, and negotiations
Sexual health - sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, abortion, contraceptives
Society and culture - media literacy, stigma, and shame, the effect of power, identity and oppression, sexual well-being, and freedom
While we have discussed the requirements for sex education to be considered “good” or of “high-quality”, it is also important we understand why high-quality sex education and sex education in general is so important.
Sex education is not only a matter of awareness and understanding but it can also greatly impact our actions, attitudes, and our lives. Sex education is an uncomfortable subject for many teens as it is because of the lack of sex education that we are exposed to situations such as teen pregnancy, unprotected sex, etc. Therefore, undergoing sex education allows us to make informed, thought out, and mature decisions for the safety of ourselves and the people around us.
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