|
Welcome to Skills for Educators!
ReCAPP's
educator skill for April 2001 is designed to help educators prevent and
respond to controversy surrounding sexuality education. Specifically,
this month's educator skill includes the following:
Preventing and Responding
to Controversy in Sexuality Education
Developing
and/or implementing sexuality education can be a stressful experience
not only because of the controversy surrounding the general topic of sexuality,
but also because of the controversy surrounding many of the components
of sexuality education. The following skills and strategies for preventing
and responding to sexuality education controversies are presented as a
way to effectively relay factual information while combating challenges
by opponents.
Controversy
Defined by the Webster’s II dictionary as "1.) a dispute
characterized by the expression of opposing views, and 2.) a quarrel or
argument."1
Fanatic
A person who has excessive zeal for, or irrational attachment to a
cause. From the Latin, fanaticus, meaning "inspired by God."1
Opponent
Someone
who disagrees with or is resistant in a battle, contest, dispute, or debate.1
Below are
some brief definitions of the different types of sexuality education curricula:
- Abstinence-based curricula generally focus on abstinence as
the number one way to prevent pregnancy and STIs. Little time is dedicated
to contraception, condoms, safer-sex, and STIs.
- Abstinence-only curricula generally focus on abstinence. These
curricula do not discuss contraception or safer sex.
- Fear-based curricula generally use scare tactics as the major
strategy for encouraging abstinence from sexual behavior before marriage.
Contraceptive information is omitted, and students are required to consider
only the negative consequences of sex.2
- Comprehensive sexuality education curricula generally cover
anatomy, physiology, contraception, safer sexual behavior, relationships,
and abstinence.
top
Based on
a needs assessment of more than 150 education and health leaders, the
Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS)
recommends the following strategies to build support and prevent controversy
for HIV-prevention and sexuality education programs.
- Work with Other Groups
It is important from the early stages of program development to form
collaborations with other organizations, such as representatives
from the community, parents, faith communities, business leaders, teachers,
colleagues from local organizations working in sexuality education,
and the local or state public health departments.
- Develop or Look to Models
Clearly define the terms that refer to the curricula (i.e. "abstinence-based,"
"abstinence-only," "fear-based," or "comprehensive").
Be consistent. Seek out culturally competent programs. Develop
policies and protocols for guest speakers.
- Engage the Media
Work proactively with the media. Submit articles to newspapers,
issue press releases, and respond to editorials that may arise.
- Build Community Support
Work with community-based organizations to understand the policies
and issues of the school district. Involve community members and parents
in curricula training sessions.
- Organize Public Meetings
Anticipate differences of opinion, when developing issues to be
discussed on the agenda. Set time limits and ask for speaker
statements ahead of time.
- Prepare for Challenges
Learn as much as you can about the opponents in your community by
getting on their mailing lists and attending their meetings and trainings.
- Involve Parents
Schedule a parent preview night. Publish a newsletter for
parents on adolescent health issues. Create packets for students
to take home to parents who may not have been able to attend the preview
night. Include reading materials and parent child activities.3
ReCAPP staff
believes that all of the components presented by SIECUS are important.
This edition will focus specifically on the role that involving parents
can have on preventing controversy related to a sexuality education program.
- Schedule a parent preview night
- Make sure your event is well publicized. Publicity activities
might include: 1) sending invitations or flyers home with students,
2) mailing flyers to parents directly, and 3) calling parents to
invite them. If parents say they are unable to attend, ask if there
is anything you could provide at the meeting that would make it
easier for them to attend, i.e. child care or transportation.
- Coincide your parent preview night with a parent-teacher night
or school open house.
- Provide childcare and snacks at the meeting.
- Reserve a room that is large enough for your event.
- Bring sample copies of the curriculum to the meeting for parents
to review.
- Plan a tight agenda, have a timekeeper, and keep on time.
- Sample a lesson of the curricula for the parents.
- Plan how to meet the needs of non-English speaking parents. Invite
bilingual teachers or parents to present with you.
- Create packets for students to take home to parents who may
not have been able to attend the preview night.
- Some items you might want to include in a packet are: reading
materials, goals and objectives of your sexuality education program,
a summary of what happened at the parent preview night, and a form
for parental feedback about the program.
- In addition, you may want to include some parent-child activities.
For example, provide parents with a parent-youth activity designing
a set of family values related to sexuality. Give a set of questions
that might start the conversation. Some of these questions might
be: How does our family feel about birth control? Should birth control
be more available or less available than it is now? How often do
family members receive reproductive exams from their health providers?
- Publish a newsletter for parents on adolescent health issues.
- Plan a writing activity for students to write articles on adolescent
health issues.
- Use information from adolescent health websites to cite statistics
and research related to programs that are shown to work. Suggested
sites are
recapp/programs/index.htm
www.hify.com/
www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/
and
www.advocatesforyouth.org/index.htm.
- Organize a student club to publish the newsletter. Secure appropriate
computer hardware and software.
- Give parents information about how to contact the principal, school
board and city counsel to advocate for their child’s needs.
For more
information from SIECUS on preventing controversy about sexuality education,
go to www.siecus.org/pubs/fact/fact0009.html
top
| Responding
to Controversy |
Know
your Opponents
Before
responding
to controversy, it is important to understand some of the reasons that
have led people to oppose your program and some of the tactics they might
use.
Reasons
for Opposition
- Lack of knowledge about your program goals and how they will be implemented.
- Fear that any discussion of sex will distress or offend youth.
- The belief that talking about sex encourages sexual activity.
- Anti-sexuality education propaganda generated by an outside organization.4
- The belief that your program is in opposition to their religious values
and beliefs.
Tactics
Opponents Might Use
- Challenging your organization rather than just the sexuality education
activities.
- Challenging anyone, anywhere and everywhere.
- Using attacks on sexuality education programs to support a larger
social or political agenda.
- Focusing only on their perception of negative effects the program
will have on their children.4
Strategies
for Responding to Controversy
- Expect It
Remember that there are usually two sides to an issue, and therefore
it is possible there will be opposition to your program.
- Be Pro-active
Be clear about the goals of your program. Share program goals,
protocols, and definitions with the community as early in program development
as possible. Insist that all parties have the right to define
themselves and their goals.
- Make it Clear that You're a Person, Not a Program
The more personable and "real" you are, the harder it
will be for your opponents to see you as merely a symbol of something
they oppose. They will also be less likely to attack you personally.
If they do make a personal attack, kindly remind them that they are
there in opposition to your program and not to you.
- Be Honest
Do not make claims that are not supported by fact. When opponents
disregard the facts, calmly ask for their "facts."
- Be Reasonable
The goal is to enable people to responsibly manage their sexuality and
fertility. Research shows that knowledge alone is not sufficient.5
Curricula that have strong evidence of success in changing sexual risk-taking
behaviors also focus on:
- reducing a small number of sexual behaviors
- using theoretical approaches to modifying social behavior
- giving a clear message
- providing basic information
- addressing social pressures on sexual behavior
- modeling and practicing communication
- practicing negotiation and refusal skills
- employing a variety of teaching methods
- stating clear goals
- teaching methods and materials appropriate to the students
- scheduling a sufficient length of time, and
- providing training for teachers and peer educators.6
For
more information about effective curricula and their common characteristics,
see ReCAPP's Effective Curricula
and their Common Characteristics.
- Point
out Opponent’s Unfactual Claims
Do not let opponents make claims based on a distorted reading of
the statistics. Offer a better explanation of the data. For example,
an opponent might argue, "Teaching young people that they can have
safer sex encourages promiscuity." Your response might be: "According
to a major global study published by the World Health Organization,
programs that teach young people about contraception and safer sex do
not lead to earlier onset or higher frequency of intercourse. In fact,
programs that teach about both abstinence and safer sex can help young
people to postpone having intercourse."5,7
- Know
When to Refocus
Try to steer around fanatics. Distinguish between opponents who
are resisting out of discomfort or ignorance and those who are fanatical.
Identify approaches and solutions that both parties can agree on.4
For
more examples, see SIECUS’s "Responding to Arguments Against
Comprehensive Sexuality Education" at www.siecus.org/advocacy/kits0005.html.
top
1Webster’s
II. The New Riverside University Dictionary. Riverside Publishing
Company. Boston, MA. 1984.
 |
2SIECUS.
"SIECUS Curriculum Critique." Community Action Kit.
1997
|
3SIECUS.
"Strategies to build support for HIV-prevention and sexuality
education programs." SIECUS Report, 25-4, December 1996/January
1997. www.siecus.org/pubs/fact/fact0009.html
|
4James
Bowman Associates. A handbook for family planning community educators.
Texas. 1989.
|
5Grunseit,
A. and Kippax, S. "Effects of sex education on young people's
sexual behavior." World Health Organization. Geneva, Switzerland.
1993.
|
6Kirby,
D. "Effective curricula and their common characteristics."
ReCAPP web site. www.etr.org/recapp/practice/article.htm
|
7SIECUS.
"Responding to arguments against comprehensive sexuality education."
Community Action Kit. www.siecus.org/advocacy/kits0005.html
|
top
Home
| Index |
Topic in Brief | Evidence-Based Programs
Skills for Educators | Skills
for Youth | Current Research
Library | Statistics
| Theories & Approaches |
Links
Professional Credits | Learning Activity
| Forums
| Archives
|
|
