Sex Education: What We Teach Teachers.

Overview & Synopsis

Inadequate teacher training and the lack of consensus on what constitutes sex education are often cited to explain why few sex education programs are offered in the public schools. A survey of administrative officials at 777 teacher preparation institutions was conducted to examine the number and type of university-level programs designed to prepare teachers to teach sex education. Practicing sex educators were also asked how universities might better prepare teachers. Thirty percent of the 322 responding institutions offered one or more specific courses on the topic. An additional 34 percent included the material in more general courses. Comparison of this data with that from a 1968 survey showed a trend toward offering more specific sex education courses. There still appears to be no consensus as to who should teach sex education, or what constitutes adequate teacher preparation. While practicing sex education teachers are drawn from such diverse backgrounds as music, English, and science, formal coursework is usually offered in the health education curriculum. Also, while teachers emphasize the need for courses on methods, human relations training, value exploration, and parental concerns, the most frequently cited content area in university-level courses is human reproduction. (Author/JD)