Reproductive Health and Safety Education: Making It Stick in NC Mary Beth Szydlowski, Advocates for Youth Michele Wallen, ECU, NC School Health Training Center

What are we doing? Keys to Reproductive Health and Safety Sustainability Documentation Curriculum Review, Selection, and Maintenance Professional Development Planning Evaluation Community Involvement

Documentation State Local Legislation & Standards Policies & Guidance Curriculum Framework Scope & Sequence Translating state legislation and standards into local policy and practice. Local policies and processes must be recorded and shared to maintain consistency and expectations through changes in personnel (administration and teachers). Documentation also enhances transparency and creates consistency for administrators, teachers, parents, and students. Expectations and boundaries are well defined and changes are minimal from year to year.

What does documentation look like in your district? Describe how your district has documented expectations for teaching reproductive health and safety education (e.g. local guidelines or policies, district scope and sequence charts). What strategies have been used to plan RHSE instruction and assessment across grade levels and schools (e.g. curriculum mapping)? How is information shared with administrators and teachers new to the district? How is information shared with parents/caregivers each year (e.g. consent policies, parent night, information dissemination – student handbooks, letters, digital messages)? Think Pair Share

Curriculum Review, Selection, & Maintenance Curriculum review and selection process is essential Curricula considerations: Evidence-based curriculum Evidence-informed curriculum Locally developed lesson plans or curriculum units Establish periodic curricula review and updates

Tools to help with curriculum selection

Curriculum Processing Questions What are you using? Packaged EBI Packaged Evidenced-Informed District Developed Partners Does it align with NC legislation and standards How does it build upon grade levels, is it sequenced over grades?

Teacher Professional Development Frequency of pd content updated how are skills refreshed refined over time Delivery Mechanism for feedback and practice

Opportunities from the field Type State or Locally Developed EBI Trainings Content and Skill Specific Delivery Face-to-Face Webinars Asynchronous Online Modules Frequency One-Time Boosters Technical Assistance Mechanism STH HTN Teacher Observation forms

Professional Development Processing Questions Have you assessed for teacher needs? What have you provided? What is your long term plan? When How is it scheduled Sequence Activity– Think, Pair Share, Square

Evaluation Data/ Information to share with the districts leaders, stakeholders on the RHSE program Track long-term RHSE implementation over time Use evaluation to plan professional development and support resources

Evaluation Challenges and Barriers?

Evaluation Processing Questions What do you want to be able to tell your district and stakeholders about your sexual health education program? How do you want to collect evaluation measures (e.g. observations and feedback, student work, teacher self-report, assessments)? Who can assist with evaluation?

Community Involvement Community means more that partner organizations and school staff Parents Students Health Department Business Providers Doctors

What Can Community Involvement Do? Review curriculum Help review/ develop policies, guidelines, processes Review and interpret data Educate decision makers Advocates when you can’t Gain support of other community members

What do you see as key priorities for sustainability in your district?