2 episodes
Birds and bees of today Sode Smith
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- History
The Birds and Bees of today explores topics regarding sex education in the United States: its founding, development, and where American culture stands today.
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A brief history of sex education and the battle over which curriculum to use
In this episode, I detail the history of sex education in the United States. First, I look at the arguments between progressives and conservatives over what should be included in this specific curriculum. Then, I look at the ways in which sex education has changed based on social and political developments. Looking at the current state of sex education in the United States, it is clear that some sort of national curriculum needs to be implemented to address disparities. Since sex education is seen as a moral issue, the nature of this curriculum is inherently influenced by personal and societal values, which can interfere with students access to accurate information. In order for the sex education curriculum to be more effective, a comprehensive education is needed. A list of sources will be put below.
Haskins, R & Bevan, C (1997, January 1) Abstinence Education under Welfare Reform, American Enterprise Institute. https://www.aei.org/research-products/working-paper/abstinence-education-under-welfare-reform/.
State Policies on Sex Education in Schools, National Conference of State Legislatures, https://www.ncsl.org/research/health/state-policies-on-sex-education-in-schools.aspx
Urban, W, et al (2019) American Education, Routledge: Taylor & Francis Group, https://platform.virdocs.com/r/s/0/doc/561741/sp/34724738/mi/128846611?cfi=%2F4%2F2%2F304%2C%2F1%3A0%2C%2F1%3A0 -
Public schools and the provision of sex education
Today I interviewed 4 Davidson students who all received a public education. We find that although curriculum varies across each state, the influence of an abstinence only approach is still widely utilized. Throughout the episode, we hear from the students about what they wish was different when it comes down to what is taught. Although regional disparities are important to the provision of a comprehensive sex education, the most common approach is still abstinence only. In this episode we discuss changes that we wish to see in order to allow sex education to become less stigmatized and more comprehensive. Sources are listed below.
Urban, W, et al (2019) American Education, Routledge: Taylor & Francis Group, https://platform.virdocs.com/r/s/0/doc/561741/sp/34724738/mi/128846611?cfi=%2F4%2F2%2F304%2C%2F1%3A0%2C%2F1%3A0