MCH Student:
Alyssa Sajady
Date of Defense:
December 15 , 2014
Abstract:
This report focuses on the sexuality education needs at the Minnesota Internship Center (MNIC), an alternative charter high school district in Minneapolis. The objective of the following analysis was to determine if the comprehensive sexuality education curriculum, Family Life and Sexual Health (FLASH), would meet the National Health Education Standards (NHES) and be beneficial for MNIC students. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Health Education Curriculum Analysis Tool (HECAT) was used to evaluate FLASH’s 19 lessons, and the extent to which the curriculum met the eight NHES standards and performance indicators in the HECAT reflected its suitability for MNIC schools. In the evaluation, all standards were met to some degree, only lacking in a few performance indicators for each standard. These gaps were insignificant and inapplicable to students at MNIC, and simple components and activities could be added to each lesson to fulfill these indicators, if needed. The results show that FLASH is a promising program for comprehensive sexuality education implementation at MNIC. However, several changes and additions are recommended within MNIC’s sexuality education program as a whole to maximize learning and to protect students’ health in the future. This paper offers recommendations for MNIC to improve current practices for sexuality education in order to promote the health of all students.