I try not to bring politics into Pedablogue, but I also try to keep my eye on current policies and trends in K-12 education, so I can have a sense of what is shaping the minds and beliefs of students who will be coming into my college classroom in the decade to come. In the process, I often learn alarming things -- like the policy rider on military recruitment that was added to the No Child Left Behind Act -- or about shifts in student attitudes -- like the personality profile of the "Millenials" who are in my classes today.

There are "curriculum wars" raging right now, and it's hard to avoid reading about the ideological conflicts surrounding what is taught in public schools. This morning, for example, I stumbled onto the debates about sex education funding that are presently happening in Washington DC. This issue carries a lot of political baggage, but I thought it might be worth raising because of a recent report that sheds light on what is actually being taught in most "abstinence only" curricula.

The federal government will spend approximately $170 million to support "abstinence-only" education programs in fiscal year 2005, more than twice the amount spent in 2001. Given that 50% of high school kids engage in sexual activity before they graduate -- and that STDs among teens is on the rise (though pregnancy is on the decline) -- it follows that some sexual education is prudent. The question is what should be taught, and how.

Whether you're for or against abstinence-only education, you might be interested in a recent congressional investigative report, "The Content of Federally Funded Abstinence-Only Education Programs" (.pdf). This study, sponsored by Democrat Henry Waxman, discloses some surprising information about what is actually taught in such courses. The bottom-line: over 80% of the abstinence-only curricula, used by 2/3 of all grantees receiving funds from the gov't, "contain false, misleading, or distorted information about reproductive health." Here's a random sampling of what some schools are teaching kids that might surprise or anger you:

• exposure to sweat and tears are risk factors for HIV transmission
  
• the popular claim that ‘condoms help prevent the spread of STDs,’ is not supported by the data
  
• a pregnancy occurs one out of every seven times that couples use condoms
  
• tubal and cervical pregnancies are increased following abortions
  
• a 43-day-old fetus is a “thinking person”
  
• women need “financial support,” while men need “admiration”
  

In terms of outcomes, the government report also finds that abstinence-only programs do not meet their goals, as well. Studies cited in the report show no overall effect on sexual behavior or contraceptive use by teens who are exposed to this curriculum -- and one recent study found that they may actually increase participants’ risk. The present administration, democrat watchdog group PoliticsandScience.org claims, refuses to acknowledge this lack of proof and explains how officials often bend scientific data to support their views on abstinence in unscientific ways.

I understand the rationale of "abstinence-only" teaching. But, personally, I believe in an "abstinence-best" rather than an "abstinence-only" curriculum, that seeks to persuade students that abstaining from sex is the best choice, rather than commanding them to believe it is the only option. It seems more realistic to me. In terms of pedagogy, I believe that teaching should not be commanding: that is, we shouldn't teach what thou "shall not" do, but what we "should" do: what is reasonable, what is intelligent, what is sound, what is supported by evidence. Teaching should be enlightenment, not pushing subjects further into the darkness. If we teach based on a paradigm of fear, we assent to a culture of ignorance, as the results of Waxman's study seem to suggest.

Besides, as James Wagoner, president of Advocates for Youth put it, "The only 100 percent way to avoid a car collision is not to drive, but the federal government sure does a lot of advocacy for safety belts."

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