Improving Sex Education:How Can Teachers Better Serve Their Students?

In the United States, only 24 states mandate sex education, including the District of Columbia, while HIV/AIDS education is mandated in 33 states. Most adolescents will only receive formal sex education during their high school experience. To best resolve the current quality issue in sex education, the researchers developed three potential solutions. Researchers selected the option of teacher training to help lower teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases/sexually transmitted infections. Participants were contacted through a series of emails for researchers to receive prompt feedback. Researchers found that 40% of teachers surveyed had not received formal training regarding sex education. Additionally, data collected from the survey revealed that 80% of participants utilize outside resources, such as guest speakers (Planned Parenthood) and community partners. These studies show indication of the teachers’ desires to properly teach sex education. Researchers’ findings have the possibility to inform the further development of current sex education programs