FAQ: Where can I find information on sex education in public schools in the library?

The library has a variety of databases that would be useful places to search for information about sex education in the public schools. All of the library’s databases can be accessed by using the A-Z Database List which can be found on the library home page under "Quick Links".

One good database to start with is Opposing Viewpoints in Context - Gale. Follow these steps to use Opposing Viewpoints in Context database:

1. When the list of databases appears, click on the letter "O" in the alphabet across the top of the page.
2. Scroll down and click on "Opposing Viewpoints in Context".
3. When the search interface appears, click on "Browse Issues" from the black bar beneath the search box.
4. A box will appear with 2 columns of "issues". Scroll down to "Sex Education" in the right hand column and click on it.
5. A page of different types of resources (Viewpoints, Academic Journals, Statistics, etc.) about Sex Education will appear. "Viewpoints" are essays that take one side or the other of a particular issue. The Academic Journals are where you will find "scholarly articles." There's even an interactive map of the US showing where federal funding has been put towards "abstinence-only-until-marriage sex education programs."

Other databases you might use from the A-Z Database List would be: Academic Search Ultimate - EBSCO and ProQuest.

Try searching for:

"sex education" AND "public schools" 

(the quotation marks hold words together as a phrase in a search, the AND tells the search engine to find articles with both those terms in them). When the results list comes up in either of these databases, you may use the "limiters" in the left hand column to narrow down your result list. For example, you can limit by date, or limit to "Scholarly Journals" or click on Subject and limit to articles about certain subjects.

Useful websites:

• National Conference of State Legislatures – State Policies on Sex Education in Schools
• JAMA Pediatrics - Public Opinion on Sex Education in US Schools
• Advocates for Youth – Honest Sex Education