Successful school-based sex education programs have common elements that can be adapted to various cultural settings such as giving a clear, consistent message that is age appropriate. Teacher training and political support are also crucial to successful school-based programs.
Sexual education in schools can result in delaying first intercourse or, if young people are already sexually active, in using contraception. Even so, such programs are often controversial because many believe that sexuality is a private matter for families and that talking about it in schools can lead to young people being more sexually active. Within the wide variations of programs, several common questions exist:
Do school-based sexuality programs lead teenagers to have sex? No, says the World Health Organization and the U.S. National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.
What makes a school-based program successful? See emerging issues for an analysis of common characteristics.
At what age should school-based programs begin? Studies suggest to begin at an early age.
Can curricula developed in one culture be adapted toothers? The only study that has examined this question found that it can.
Advancing Young Adult Reproductive Health, Actions for the Next Decade: End of Program Report (Pathfinder International, 2001) The FOCUS on Young Adults Program identified 22 school programs that had undergone relatively strong evaluations, most in developing countries. The review concluded that school-based programs can effectively influence students' reproductive health knowledge and attitudes, and appear to have short-term impacts on their reproductive health behaviors. The long-term impact of such programs is less certain. See especially pages 36-41 and 117-126 of the report.
Emerging Answers: Research Findings on Programs to Reduce Teen Pregnancy (National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, 2001) This review, by Dr. Douglas Kirby, covers various types of programs but focuses on curricula and school-based efforts. Emerging Answers identifies 10 specific characteristics of successful programs, such as: using and reinforcing a clear message on one or more sexual behaviors that lead to unintended pregnancy or HIV/STI, involving teachers and peer leaders who believe in the program, using interactive exercises to address social pressures that influence sexual behavior, and giving young people opportunities to practice negotiation and refusal skills.
Life Planning Education: A Youth Development Program(Advocates for Youth)This 541-page curricula has 15 chapters on sexuality, relationships, health, violence prevention, community responsibility, skills-building, values, self-esteem, parenting, employment preparation, and reducing sexual risk. It is packed with interactive exercises, supplemental resources, participant handouts, and a complete guide to implementation. It is intended for use with youth aged 13-18 years old, in schools and other settings for sexuality/life skills education, HIV prevention education, and pregnancy prevention.
Reducing the Risk: Building Skills to Prevent Pregnancy and HIV (ETR Associates, 2004) A fourth edition, this curriculum has been rigorously evaluated. Based on the social learning theory, social influence theory, and the cognitive behavior theory, since implemented in 1991, this norms and skill-based curriculum (now in its 4th edition) has resulted in a significant reduction in sexual debut over an 18-month follow-up. It has exercises focused on delaying sexual initiation and refusing sexual advances. It is targeted to high school students, grades 9-12. It can be ordered from the Web site link.
Learning and Teaching about AIDS at School (UNAIDS, 1997) This eight-page overview paper highlights the challenges faced when learning and teaching about AIDS at school, as well as ways to address those challenges.
Reproductive Health Programs for Young Adults: School-Based Programs (Pathfinder International) summarizes key elements in building support for school-based programs, contents of effective curricula, issues in teacher training and how to link school programs with health services.
Resource Package for School Health Education to Prevent AIDS and STD (UNESCO and WHO, 1994) This prototype resource package has been published to assist curriculum planners to design HIV/AIDS/STD education programs for their own school systems, for students aged between 12 and 16. The program presented in this package is based on participatory methods, as these have been shown to be particularly effective for the teaching of behavioral skills. The package has been adapted and translated into French, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, Khmer and Arabic.
Sexuality Education in Schools: The International Experience and Implications for Nigeria (POLICY Project, 2004) This paper reviews the international experience and its implications for Nigeria, which is in the early stages of carrying out its new national policy on sexuality and reproductive health education. The paper emphasizes that comprehensive sexuality education is effective but also controversial. Despite challenges in taking such projects to a national scale, even conservative countries have moved forward. Programs need to implement a sound curriculum and adequately train and support teachers and students, while adapting the approach to local cultures, language, and religions.
Integrating Sexuality Education and Health Services for Students (Centro de Medicina Reproductiva y Desarollo Integral del Adolescente, 2001). Important factors in this Chilean program, conducted in public schools, included the availability of clinic services to address health needs and provide contraception to students, and the training of teachers for program sustainability.
School Health Education Clearinghouse Online. This collection of more than 100 bibliographies, tools, reports and links, produced by the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS) with support from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC), Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH), gives professionals easy access to essential information and materials for school-based health and sex education.
