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Recently there has been much debate over the adoption, implementation, and maintenance of comprehensive health and sexuality education programs in Massachusetts public schools. Advocates of school-based comprehensive health education programs often use a public health approach to substantiate their position. They cite national and statewide statistics about adolescent sexual activity and unsafe sexual practice as a basis for providing students with the facts and the skills to make decisions to prevent pregnancy and the transmission of sexually-transmitted diseases. Opponents often speak about the parents' role in educating their sons and daughters and object to public school instruction that regards homosexuality and safe sex as acceptable choices.
In the literature, many models of community organization focus on the decision-making structure within the community, rather than on the process of social change. Therefore, we often know who makes community decisions, without knowing much about how and why these decisions are made. In this study the process of social change is explored by conducting comparative case studies of two Massachusetts communities.
List of contents
Introduction
Case Studies of Alpha and BetaAlpha Case Study: Students and Adults Working Together
Beta Case Study: If at First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again
Findings and Comparative AnalysisA Call for Health and Sexuality Education Programs
Obtaining Community Support for Health and Sexuality Education Programs
Opposition to Health and Sexuality Education Programs
Neutralizing Opposition
Implementing School-Based Health and Sexuality Education Programs
Findings and Comparative AnalysisAppendices
Selected Bibliography
Index
About the author
STEVEN P. RIDINI, Ed.D , a graduate of the Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard Graduate School of Education's Administration, Planning, and Social Policy program, is vice-president of programs at The Medical Foundation in Boston, MA.
