Q&A
Teacher training and professional development for sexual health education
0:53:10
·
4 min
Council Member Rita Joseph inquires about teacher training and professional development for sexual health education. Key points from the DOE representatives' responses:
- 204 training opportunities were offered last year, including 5 new interactive self-guided courses
- Three main series of courses are recommended: Introduction to Health Education, Sexual Health/Growth and Development, and HIV Education
- A fourth series focusing on mental health education is being developed
- Partner organizations offer additional workshops during professional development days
- Training is not mandatory, but recommended every 3-4 years as a refresher
- Thousands of teachers attend trainings on special PD days like Election Day
- The DOE is proud of their professional learning program, with high attendance and positive feedback
- Trainings aim to be thorough, inclusive, comprehensive, and easily implementable
- The exact number of required PD hours per year was not immediately available, but it's a state requirement
- The DOE emphasizes building teacher leadership and advocacy for health education in their trainings
Rita Joseph
0:53:10
Thank you.
0:53:12
Describe the training and professional development that teachers receive to teach sexual health education.
Narrator in Shown Video
0:53:21
That's I can talk a little bit about that.
0:53:24
So we provide support for health and sexual health education, through a lot of training and professional development as well as follow-up support with teachers who attend the trainings.
0:53:34
So we offered 204 training opportunities last year, including 5 new interactive self guided courses, which gave teachers additional options and flexibility.
0:53:44
So if they can't make the live time, they can still, take an interactive self guided course on their own time.
0:53:51
So there's currently 3 series of courses that we recommend teachers go through for each grade level.
0:53:56
So the first series is an introduction to health education series, which again includes some self guided and some live elements.
0:54:02
This also includes a separate course on, strategies for LGBTQ affirming classrooms.
0:54:08
Then the second series is called either growth and development at the elementary level or sexual health at the high school level.
0:54:13
So this is a series that specifically focuses on teaching the recommended sexual health curricula and strategies for, things like creating a safe space in the classroom, for having challenging discussions, how to answer challenging questions from students, things like that.
0:54:27
And then the 3rd series is specific to our new health at, HIV education curriculum, growing up and staying safe.
0:54:34
And we're also working on developing a 4th training series that focuses on mental health education since we know that that's both required by the state and just a huge need for our students and teachers to know how to teach it effectively.
0:54:46
So that's sort of the next area that we're tackling in terms of a training series.
0:54:51
And then we work with partner organizations to offer other workshops that we don't offer.
0:54:55
So during our professional development days, like on election day this year, where we have thousands of teachers attend on on that single day.
0:55:03
We had several different organizations that came in, like, advocates for youth, 1 love, day 1, among others who could offer sort of more, 102 level, if you will, sexual health, education workshops for our teachers.
Rita Joseph
0:55:17
How often is that professional development required?
Narrator in Shown Video
0:55:21
It is there's not a requirement, for our specific professional development.
0:55:26
We recommend that teachers are trained at least every 3 to 4 years as a refresher.
0:55:33
Professional development is required in terms of teachers, you know, maintaining their professional certification, but not specifically our trainings.
Rita Joseph
0:55:40
How many hours?
0:55:41
Because, how many hours of professional development are required for each school year?
Despina Zaharakis
0:55:45
I will I I would need to get back to you, but I believe it's 75 every, I'm not sure.
0:55:52
Every 5 years.
0:55:54
But, we can get back to you.
0:55:55
That's state requirement.
0:55:58
Yes, that's one thing.
0:55:59
But I think that, you know, I want to be, very sort of I want to take this opportunity to say how proud I am of our office and professional learning.
0:56:08
Folks flock to our trainings.
0:56:10
We have thousands of teachers on Election Day, Chancellor's Conference Day in June, and hundreds and hundreds of teachers, close to a thousand, in, high school PD day in January.
0:56:23
In addition, we have thousands of teachers trained each year, in Move to Improve, you know, not just health and sexual education, but we're also, sort of PE and movement and physical activity.
0:56:36
But, professional learning is something we do well.
0:56:40
We want to we make sure it's thorough, it's inclusive, it's comprehensive, and it's, able to be, implemented at the school level with the greatest of ease.
0:56:52
Because it's one thing to go to a professional learning session and not go to school and be able to implement.
0:56:57
We want to make sure that those teachers hit the ground running the next day.
0:57:02
So we're, we're highly proud.
0:57:04
That's one area where we're very successful.
0:57:07
And, of course, the messaging is always there.
0:57:09
By the way, these are the requirements, talk to your principal, you know, program students, tell them to program students.
0:57:16
And this is why it's important.
0:57:18
Giving them I think building teacher leadership is also as a part of what we do in our trainings in terms of they need to be advocates for health education and quality sexual education in their building.
Rita Joseph
0:57:34
Thank you.
0:57:35
Like to recognize council member Lee Sanchez on Zoom and council member Shaker.
0:57:39
Council member chair Lewis, I'm gonna pass it along to you, and we'll bounce off back and forth.
Farah N. Louis
0:57:44
Thank you, chair Joseph.
