Sex Education Curricula

Latest addition : September 8, 2009

Over the years many, many sex education curricula have been developed and we are only listing a few sources that we know and trust.

Many of the Teacher/Educator Resource links also provide lesson plans, and again, if you know of an organization/site that you think we should add, please let us know.

A recent, and important, development in regards to sexuality education that may influence how you, as a teacher, look at different curricula, are the results of an independent CDC Task Force (November 2009). The Task Force has concluded that there is sufficient evidence that comprehensive risk reduction interventions are effective in reducing risky sexual behavior and limiting the spread of sexually transmitted infections, while there is insufficient evidence of the effectiveness of abstinence-only programs.

Adolescent Reproductive Health Education Project (ARHEP) has created a curriculum primarily for health professionals but it can provide information and approaches to teaching for every educator

Emerging Answers 2007 from ETR. Doug Kirby et al has spent the last decades evaluating sex education curricula to determine what works. This is the latest report and includes contact information for the individual curriculum reviewed. It is often referred to when discussing science-based curricula. Click here for the Summary of Emerging Answers 2007.

F.L.A.S.H. was originally developed between 1985 and 1992 by the King County, Seattle, Washington Department of Public Health. It provides lesson plans for grades 4-6, 7-8, 9-10 and 11-college. It continuously takes into account input from teachers and health professionals to keep it up to date. F.L.A.S.H. is available for downloading at no cost! This is the curriculum that Athens-Clarke County recently chose after the school board’s decision to implement a new sex education curriculum to combat the increase in teen pregnancy rates. Even though it has not been rigorously evaluated, Doug Kirby finds it promising. This is also the curriculum that GPRHE supports.

Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS)

International Guidelines on Sexuality Education, Draft June, 2009 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

The SexEd Library (SIECUS)

The Program Archive on Sexuality, Health & Adolescence (PASHA) has for many years provided one of the most extensive collections of sex education curricula

Latest news

December 6, 2009
CDC Task Force finds insufficient evidence of the effectiveness of abstinence-only programs

In November , 2009 an independent CDC Task Force concluded that there is sufficient evidence that comprehensive risk reduction interventions are effective in reducing risky sexual behavior and limiting the spread of sexually transmitted infections, while there is insufficient evidence of the effectiveness of abstinence-only programs. (Washington Post 11/7/09; Medical News Today 11/10/09)

December 6, 2009
Sex infections still growing in U.S., says CDC

American squeamishness about talking about sex has helped keep common sexually transmitted infections far too common, especially among vulnerable teens, U.S. researchers reported Monday. Latest statistics on chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis show the three highly treatable infections continue to spread in the United States. "We have among the highest rates of STDs of any developed country in the world," said John Douglas, director of the division of sexually transmitted diseases at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Reuter 11/19/09)

December 6, 2009
The Future of Abstinence

Newsweek looks at abstinence education and its future (10/27/09). “It’s been a mainstay of sex ed for more than a decade. Now, as the Obama administration cuts off federal funding, the movement scrambles for money, determined to continue its mission.”

October 26, 2009
U.S. - National & Local Organizations Request an End to Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Funding

In a letter presented today to the Chairs of the Senate and House Appropriations Committees, more than 160 local, state, and national organizations requested the elimination of federal funding for all abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, and funding of the most comprehensive prevention initiative possible. The signers included Georgia Parents for Responsible Health Education.

September 26, 2009
Georgia - Teens speak out!

In Savannah, Georgia, dozens of young people got out to raise awareness about the Responsible Education About Life Act (REAL Act), a federal bill promoting sex education in schools on Friday.