Sex education in middle and high school is significant in promoting healthy sexual behaviors among students. Vast researches indicate that sex education significantly promotes students’ approach to issues concerning sex as it leads to awareness. This is an implication that there is a need to initiate ways that will influence adequate sex education in schools. However, despite positive indicators from sex education in middle and high school, there are significant challenges that are apparent within human sexuality. Besides, some gaps are created by ineffective advocacy leading to little or no sex education. The gaps emerge as a result of missing desires in public schools and ineffective policies.
The Challenge I Perceive within Human Sexuality
Sex education plays a vital role in students’ social lives. This is a sign that understanding human sexuality should be regarded with concern to aid deep understanding. However, this has not been achieved, especially in middle and high school students who are vulnerable to the impacts of lacking comprehensive education on human sexuality. The challenge has been evident in how teachers, lawmakers, and parents ignore to consider sex education as part of an essential need for students. In return, understanding human sexuality has remained a dream for many students.
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Advocacy of Sex Education in Middle and High School
Two significant factors have paralyzed the advocacy of sex education in middle and high school. The first factor holding back successful sex education in schools has been social structures that school systems operate. According to Fine (1988), many schools lack an address of desire to facilitate sex education. Public schools have failed to encompass the full development of sex education in their curricular; instead, sex education is taught partially. This is an adverse challenge that has continued to slow down the implementation of sex education. Public schools have failed to implement sex education because of different views about the overall impact it has on students. Educations conservatives allege that sex education goes against morals; hence should not be part of the curricular. The conservatives focus their arguments on the fact that sex education influences the usual characters of students by exposing them to sexual information. Religion is one of the cultures that shape these attitudes. This has further led to sexuality education being taught partially in subjects like biology. Public schools’ failure to encompass sex education as part of the curricular has, therefore, been an advocacy barrier towards achieving quality sexuality education.
Another advocacy problem leading to a lack of sex education has stemmed from a lack of policies. The federal government has failed to implement an even strategy that will ensure an equal distribution of sexuality education. According to Fine and McClelland, lack of effective policies that advocate for an inclusive curricular has contributed to the lack of sex education (Fine & McClelland, 2006). This is a problem that has continued to create gaps in achieving sexuality education among middle and high school students. Fine and McClelland (2006) further suggests that politics, culture, and religious practices are among the factors that influence the development of adolescence desires. Lack of effective policies that focus on the implication of sex education has been a setback in attaining some of the advantages brought by sexuality education in schools. The problem of policy emerges amid significant benefits that have been realized from sex education in schools.
Summarily, sex education in middle and high school is an important initiation. This is because it positively impacts the sexual awareness of students. As a result, students can make informed decisions about sexual behaviors. Despite the benefits of sexuality education, there are still disparities created by school structures and policies. These two factors have continued to inhibit the efforts of sexual education in schools. Therefore, there is a need to encourage a school culture that encompasses sex education as a full development instead of teaching it partially. Lastly, lawmakers should implement laws that will promote sex education recognition, a step that will bolster the efforts of adopting sexuality education in schools.
References
Fine, M. (1998). Sexuality, schooling, and adolescent females: The missing discourse of desire. Harvard Educational Review, 58 (1), pp. 19-53.
Fine, M., & McClelland, I. S. (2006). Sexuality education and desire: Still missing after all these years. Harvard Educational Review, 76 (3), pp. 297-338.
