Education Week - April 26, 2023 - 9

Cranston, R.I., can participate in an
aquaculture program to learn how to
farm fish, as the Atlantic Salmon is endangered,
Infante-Green said. Other
states have expanded programs to
meet workforce demands, such as preparing
students to work in cybersecurity,
health care, robotics, and software
engineering.
" There's a lot of science, there's a lot
of math, " Infante-Green said. " Before
people thought of [CTE] as cosmetology
and things like that. We do have
those programs, but what we've done
with those is we've switched them so
they have to write business plans so
that it becomes really academic. "
A long way to go
Although views about CTE have
shifted, there's still a lot to be done
to ensure all students have access to
strong programs.
In his 2024 budget, Biden proposed
a $43 million increase to the Perkins V
program, in addition to the one-time,
competitive $200 million career-connected
high schools program.
CTE advocates worry that the funding
isn't enough. Funding for Perkins V
is $320 million below 2004 levels when
adjusted for inflation, according to AdvanceCTE.
" Doubling
down on a competitive
grant program-rather than this
foundational investment-will lead to
inequitable outcomes that direct resources
to communities that already
have the capacity to provide highquality
CTE opportunities for learners, "
the nonprofit said in a statement
in response to the budget. " While we
appreciate the Biden-Harris administration's
commitment to expanding
career-focused education opportunities
to more learners, we believe
these should be systemic investments
rather than one-time competitive
grants. "
Plus, CTE programs often fail to
serve all students equitably.
In a recent study, Ecton found that
today's CTE students are disproportionately
white, male, and southern.
" Something we have to think very
carefully about is, do we have equitable
access within CTE programs? " he said.
" Is it the case that certain groups of
students are all going to the high-quality
STEM programs and other groups
of students are being sent to the less
rigorous programs that aren't preparing
students for college or high-paying
career paths? "
It's also important for educators to
think about how they can encourage
students to seek out non-traditional
pathways, Ecton said. For example,
construction is a largely male-dominated
field, but CTE programs can be
a way to expose girls to construction
and manufacturing jobs.
CTE programs should also focus on
balance, Kreamer said. It's important
for schools to give students the tools
to explore career pathways while also
giving them the academic tools and
resources to succeed in college.
" The best option is when students
are getting a college prep curriculum
in high school that's also engaging in
CTE, " Kreamer said. " Those students
are in the best position wherever they
go because they really do have both. "
'Don't Say Period' Bill Is Latest Example
Of States' Efforts to Limit Sex Education
By Elizabeth Heubeck
Critics are calling it the " Don't Say Period " bill.
Florida House Bill 1069, introduced this legislative
session by Republican Rep. Stan McClain,
aims to restrict how, what, and when health
and sex education is taught in the state's public
schools. Notably, it would ban Florida's public
school students from receiving instruction on
human sexuality, sexually transmitted diseases
and related topics, including menstruation, before
6th grade-despite the fact that puberty and
the life-altering changes that come with it start for
many children well before then. If signed into law
by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the measure would take
effect across Florida on July 1. The bill passed the
state House on March 31 and remains pending in
the Florida legislature.
This legislation represents a trend, often
driven by politicians, of limiting how and when
schools can teach sex education. There's been a
438 percent increase in proposed " divisive concept "
bills such as parental rights and anti-gender
affirming bills in the past 18 months, according
to Michelle Slaybaugh, the director of social
impact and strategic communications for the
Sexuality Information and Education Council
of the United States, or SIECUS. Such legislation
is driven primarily by conservative legislatures
seeking to limit topics that can be explored in
public school classrooms, often including human
sexuality, according to Middle Tennessee State
University's Free Speech Center.
Health experts caution that such proposed
restrictions often contradict what research has
shown to work to keep children adequately informed,
protected, and prepared for healthy relationships
in their personal lives.
" Without good sex health education, it's less
likely that people end up in healthy relationships, "
said Laurie Dils, associate director for
sexual health education at the Washington office
of Superintendent of Public Instruction. " Unless
we normalize talking about bodies, romantic relationships,
I don't know how we expect people
to sort of magically have those conversations
within the context of a healthy relationship. "
How states limit sex education
Evidence suggests that many schools are falling
far short of what health educators would consider
'good' sex education.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
for instance, offers this straightforward and inclusive
definition: " A quality sexual health education
curriculum includes medically accurate, developmentally
appropriate, and culturally relevant content
and skills that target key behavioral outcomes
and promote healthy sexual development ... The
curriculum is age-appropriate and planned across
grade levels to provide information about health
risk behaviors and experiences. "
Despite this guidance from a national health
authority, states and school districts vary widely
in how, when, and to what extent they implement
sex education. SIECUS compiled a report, State
Profiles, that provides both an overview of the
number of states' requirements around sex education.
The report, available online, also features
in-depth information on the mandates of each
individual state. Here are some noteworthy highlights
of the report:
* 29 states and the District of Columbia require
sex education in K-12 public schools.
* 38 states require HIV education.
* 30 states require schools to emphasize the
importance of abstinence when sex education
EDUCATION WEEK | April 26, 2023 | www.edweek.org | 9
or HIV/STI instruction is provided.
* 19 states require instruction on condoms or
contraception when sex education or HIV/STI
instruction is provided.
* 13 states do not require sex education or
HIV/STI instruction to be any of the following:
age-appropriate, medically accurate, culturally
responsive, or evidence-based/evidenceinformed.
*
13 states require sex education or HIV/STI
instruction to include information on consent.
* 10 states require culturally responsive sex
education and HIV/STI instruction.
* Nine states have policies that include
affirming sexual orientation instruction on
LGBTQ identities or discussion of sexual health
for LGBTQ youth.
* Six states explicitly require instruction that
discriminates against LGBTQ people.
* Five states have laws requiring
comprehensive sex education, which is the
broadest most in-depth form of sexuality
instruction.
Currently, Florida does not mandate sex education
in any grade.
What health experts recommend
Health experts, however, do offer a consensus on
what's developmentally appropriate.
" We're trying to put the needs of children first, "
said Kathleen Ethier, the director of the division
of adolescent and school health at the CDC. " It's
important for young people to understand what is
happening to their bodies at every age. "
Using this standard as a guideline, students by
grade 2 should be able to use medically accurate
terms, including those for genitalia, explained
Ethier.
This also would mean teaching students about
relevant topics, such as puberty, well before House
Bill 1069 suggests. Ethier pointed out that the age
at which girls are starting puberty ranges from 8 to
13, and ranges from 9 to 14 for boys.
" Girls need to be prepared for what is going to
happen to them. Otherwise, it could cause a lot of
trauma and fear for them, " she said.
Dils agrees. " In an effort to be protective of
kids, when we keep kids ignorant, we are actually
doing them a disservice, " she said. " There have
been decades of research showing that sex health
education is effective for a lot of different reasons,
especially if it starts early and happens repeatedly
over time. "
Dils quantifies what it means to start this education
early. " When we talk about [sex education]
instruction starting early, it's not just instruction
about sexuality, " she said. " It's about
healthy relationships, communication, setting
boundaries. "
Balancing evidence-based instruction with
what communities want
While Dils espouses starting these conversations
with children as early as elementary school, she's
aware that not everyone is prepared to do that. " Not
all communities are open to that instruction happening
early. We try to find a balance in our state, "
she said.
Ethier echoes the need to respect the wishes
of local communities. " We [the CDC] say: Here
are what the standards are. But because decisions
about curriculum are made at the local
level, there isn't a way to say everyone must do
this, " she said. " If you have a district that has
an abstinence policy, that has to be taken into
consideration. "
Health advocates may not be in a position to
mandate how schools educate children on health
and sex education. But that doesn't prevent them
from providing their informed perspective on the
subject.
" As a psychologist who has studied adolescent
health for many years, I think it is incredibly important
for both boys and girls to understand the people
who are going to be their friends and potentially
their romantic partners, " Ethier said. " The more
information, the more skills that we can give young
people so that they can make healthy decisions,
the better they will do during adolescence and into
adulthood. "
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Education Week - April 26, 2023

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