News & Updates

SIECUS joins 20 leading organizations in releasing Professional Learning Standards for Sex Education

For Immediate Release
April 15, 2019

Contact: Zach Eisenstein
Phone: (202) 265-2405 ext 3330
zeisenstein@siecus.org

(Washington, DC) – Today, SIECUS is proud to announce the release of the Professional Learning Standards for Sex Education (PLSSE). The Standards provide up-to-date guidance designed to help educators and school administrators improve their ability to effectively implement sex education in schools.

“We are thrilled to have been a part of the team that created this much-needed resource,” said Jennifer Driver, SIECUS’ State Policy Director. “The Standards were created to provide educators with a baseline understanding of how to center the lived experiences of their students–something that’s severely lacking in many sex ed classes across the country.”

The Standards, which cover the content, skills, and professional disposition needed to teach sex education, were created by the Sex Education Collaborative (SEC). The SEC is a group of 20 national, regional, and state-based organizations with extensive experience training educators to deliver school-based sex education. Their mission is to advance and scale K-12 school-based sex education across the U.S.

“Sex ed can no longer just be about preventing STIs and unintended pregnancies,” said Driver. “Instead, it needs to include a variety of topics ranging from reproductive justice to sexual violence to gender inclusion and beyond. This resource helps educators to ensure that they are covering what young people need to know, right now, in a way that sticks.”

More often than not, sex educators report that they do not receive the time, resources, or training they need to feel confident in providing quality sex education to students. The Standards were created to help fill this gap–offering accessible and effective guidance to educators, school administrators, and organizations providing professional development to sex educators.

View the Professional Learning Standards for Sex Education in full here.

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The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS) has served as the national voice for sex education, sexual health, and sexual rights for over 50 years. SIECUS asserts that sexuality is a fundamental part of being human, one worthy of dignity and respect. We advocate for the rights of all people to accurate information, comprehensive sexuality education, and the full spectrum of sexual and reproductive health services. SIECUS works to create a world that ensures social justice inclusive of sexual and reproductive rights.

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