What is the difference between Comprehensive Sex Education and Sexual Risk Avoidance? Did you know that the New Jersey Department of Education Learning Standards advocate for high risk sexual activity among students.
It’s helpful to understand the difference between standards and curriculum. Standards are the knowledge and skills children are to learn and be able to demonstrate. Curriculum is the teaching materials and strategies for helping them do so. Standards are WHAT is to be taught, and curriculum is HOW it is to be taught.
Curriculum is set at the local level, in a decentralized approach, giving local school boards the adoption authority for their district’s students. Curriculum is developed by teachers and administrators, with input from the community to reflect the values of the community.
There is a positive alternative to the “so-called” National Sex Education Standards- and that is the K-12 Standards for Optimal Sexual Development. These standards were published in June 2021 by Medical Institute for Sexual Health and are available at www.newsexedstandards.org.