Giving Compass' Take:

• The Future of Sex Education Initiative is updating its standards for sex education practices, making it more inclusive. 

• How will this impact your child's education? How can educators ensure that these updates will be beneficial in classrooms? 

• Learn how different states are teaching sex ed. 

The Future of Sex Education Initiative recently released its second edition of "The National Sex Education Standards: Core Content and Skills, K-12" in an effort to support teachers seeking a medically accurate, trauma-informed and inclusive sex education. The resource was produced by Advocates for Youth, Answer and the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States.

The updated standards include advancements in research regarding sexual orientation; gender identity; social, racial and reproductive justice; and the long-term consequences of stigma and discrimination. It also includes information on new developments in medical technology and the impact of social and sexually explicit media on relationships.

Discussing contraceptive options and STD transmission, acknowledging young people who identify as LGBTQ, and teaching about consent will result in positive outcomes for young people, Dan Rice, interim executive director of Answer, said in a press release.

When to start teaching sex education and answering the inevitable questions that come with it is among the most frequently controversial aspects of the subject. One way this has been navigated with younger students is age-appropriate introductory videos like those from Amaze Jr., which is largely dependent upon parents introducing their children to the topic themselves. Raising parents' awareness of these tools is equally important when educators begin fielding questions from young students about where babies come from or other topics about their own origins.

Read the full article about sex education standards by Shawna De La Rosa at Education Dive.