This digest addresses the need for school-based sex education (SBSE), identifying recent curricula that have made a positive difference in the lives of U.S. youth. Many sexual behaviors place U.S. youth at great risk for a multitude of negative health outcomes. Every year, approximately 3 million adolescents acquire a sexually transmitted disease,…

Lack of knowledge and misinformation about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), a fatal disease with no cure or vaccine, has caused widespread public concern. Education is an effective way to reduce fears and prevent the spread of the disease. Public school personnel must have accurate information about AIDS in order to make suitable…

This fact sheet addresses the issue of teenage pregnancy. Six factors contributing to the current attention focused on teenage pregnancy and parenthood are listed and teenage pregnancy and birth rates are discussed. Other areas covered include teenage nonuse of contraception, sex education by schools and parents, family planning services, and the…

This booklet addresses the plight of pregnant teenagers and teenage parents, especially those in special education, and the role of program developers and practitioners in responding to their educational needs. After a brief introduction, a research synthesis notes similarities of predictors, extent, and consequences of teenage pregnancy and…

This digest reviews trends in adolescent sexual activity and discusses conceptual and programmatic approaches to pregnancy prevention. It discusses a pregnant adolescent's choices for resolving an unplanned pregnancy (i.e. abortion, adoption, keeping the baby, and marriage), and the challenges faced by teenage parents. The final section touches on…

Summarizes 10 recent ERIC documents concerning the development and education of young adolescents. Issues covered in these documents include the definition of adolescence and adolescence in relation to sexual, physical, cognitive, and social development, family life, after-school needs, risk-taking behavior, educational needs, and teacher…

The document is a compilation of 15 fact sheets developed during 1980 by the ERIC Clearinghouse on Handicapped and Gifted Children. Fact sheets are single sheets which provide basic information in a question-answer format and include additional resources and references. The fact sheets have the following titles: "Sex Education for Retarded…