A Budgetarily Funded Lie
As continued from "Planned Parenthood Helps Teen Birthrate Decline. What???" , part of what Planned Parenthood had to say about the President Obama's 2010 FY budget is that it doesn't go far enough in helping them to help us, but it does eliminate those dreaded ineffective abstinence only programs:
“President Obama’s budget makes clear that the government won’t waste federal dollars on programs that don’t reduce the number of teen pregnancies or keep teens healthy and safe. We applaud the president for rejecting failed abstinence-only programs that have cost our government more than $1 billion and, instead, investing in evidence-based sex ed programs that have proven to help prevent teen pregnancy,” ~ PPFA President Cecile Richards. (1)
Cut To The Heart Of The Matter
Let's define what is actually being said here. Evidence-based interventions (EBIs) is a practice in which the efficacy of interventions is demonstrated "supposedly" by a credible body of scientific work. This has proven effective in helping a child learn math, or reading, or even how to modify behavior. However, the world of evidence based psychology or science is also the backbone for evidence based sexual education strategies. Right off, one might think this is a good thing. There are significant problems however that we should be made aware of right off the bat.
Problem With This Approach
Experts agree that there are generally 4 inhibitors to this type of approach the third of which specifically deals with what I feel is a growing and glaring problem with President Obama's agenda and organizations such as Planned Parenthood's support of evidence based sexual education programs:
1.More and more educators and groups are reviewing research with the intent of establishing an evidence base for their work. Although there is some overlap in the coding criteria in use, the diversity of efforts has created challenges for consumers.
2.Integrating EBIs into practice is not always well tailored to the realities practitioners face-for example, administrative and practical barriers that are not present in research settings.
3.When designing, implementing, and evaluating their own interventions, some psychologists may be more influenced by clinical judgment than by research supporting EBIs.
4.Many psychologists-both trainers and practitioners-lack the training to implement EBIs in their school practice. Teachers are also often involved in implementing interventions in schools, further increasing the complexity of adopting EBIs and meeting training needs. (2)
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