CNN's Pat Etheridge chats about two recent surveys on sex education

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Both parents and teachers agree that students need information about a wider variety of topics in sex education classes than is currently being taught, two studies released Tuesday showed. A Kaiser Family Foundation survey found that parents believe more real-life issues should be addressed. Of those questioned, 79 percent thought abortion should be discussed, 76 percent wanted the classes to cover sexual orientation and 74 percent said when those issues come up in the classroom, they should be presented in a balanced way that includes different societal views on those subjects.

Pat Etheridge is CNN's Parenting correspondent.

Chat Moderator: Thank you for joining us today Pat Etheridge.

Pat Etheridge: A pleasure, and thank you for having me here today.

MESSAGE BOARD Should public schools teach sex ed?     ALSO Read more about the sex ed surveys

Chat Moderator: What were the most noteworthy findings to come out of these studies?

Pat Etheridge: As you know, there were two major studies, both considered independent studies, One from the Kaiser Family foundation, a separate study from the Alan Guttemacher Institute. What both studies reflect is that even though sex education is considered a standard part of the curriculum, parents say the nation's schools are not going far enough. Also, what is striking is that the gap between what kids actually learn about sex in the classroom and what their parents think their children need to know is huge.

Question from Nanette: Why are the schools responsible to fill in the blanks?

Pat Etheridge: That is a question I did pose with the representative at the Kaiser Family Foundation. Their response is that parents are not trying to dodge the bullet, but they are looking to the schools to teach sex education as continuing education. They would like to see it introduced to children earlier, by the fifth grade and continued later, in to the high school years through the ages when teenagers are more likely to experiment.

Question from NoHillary4NY: Having heard that a "majority" of parents want, what were the questions of this poll, and where are they located?

Pat Etheridge: There are two studies, The Kaiser Family Foundation and the Guttmacher Institute. We hear a lot of debate about sex education in the schools, but the study by the Kaiser institute is perhaps the first large study that includes students, parents and teachers. They delve into the question, "What is actually taught in sex education and how well has sex education prepared children to deal with various issues.

The study looks into the confidence levels of teenagers on complicated matters such as talking to a partner about birth control or dealing with the emotional consequences of being sexually active. The study also quizzed teachers and parents, in an attempt to get feedback on how satisfied they are with sex education in the schools. The Web site that I have for the Kaiser Foundation is www.kff.org -- The Web site for the Guttmacher Institute is www.agi-usa.org.

A footnote is that the Guttmacher study focused on the viewpoint of teachers whereas the other study was more comprehensive in scope.

Question from test: How large was the sample size? What type of sampling was used, etc.?

Pat Etheridge: I am speaking now for the Kaiser Foundation study. The sample method was independent. The samples were designed to represent all public (schools)... middle, junior and senior high schools, enrolled in grades 7-12 in the (contiguous) U.S. The schools were randomly selected and in the teacher survey, one teacher was selected from each school and the student-parent survey was conducted using list-assisted random dialing. The methodology is listed on the Web page.

Question from Freelancer: Would you agree that pop culture is the educator, and by promoting sex and violence develops peer pressures rendering sex education programs in the schools "establishment," and to be ignored?

Pat Etheridge: I think what these studies reflect is that students and parents and teachers are all saying they aren't getting enough sex education and they are being confronted with issues without getting the education they need. A spokesperson for the Kaiser Foundation, Tina Hofs said: "Parents want their kids to be prepared for real life. They want them to have the facts and the information they need to be prepared to face the situations they might face." I think again, what the study authors say is that this is not a reflection that the parents don't want to talk about sex with their children. They do feel that they need help from the schools in guiding their children through those difficult years by providing them with more than a handful of classes on sex education. The parents and children surveyed are saying they need more than the birds and the bees basics.

And perhaps these studies will reopen the discussion on when, where, and how children learn about sex. Two out of three parents in the Kaiser Foundation study say sex ed should cover topics that are considered controversial and the vast majority of parents indicated they wanted teachers to talk about AIDS, abortion, and homosexuality.

Chat Moderator: Thank you for joining us today, Pat Etheridge.

Pat Etheridge: My pleasure to be with you today.

Pat Etheridge joined the chat via telephone from CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia. CNN.com provided a typist for her. The above is an edited transcript of the chat, which took place on Tuesday, September 26, 2000.

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