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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 9:30 AM, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1999

U.S. PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS OVERWHELMINGLY PROMOTE ABSTINENCE, BUT NOT TO THE EXCLUSION OF CONTRACEPTIVE INFORMATION

Still, One-Third Say Instruction Must Be “Abstinence-Only” and Prohibit or Distort Contraceptive Information

Among the seven in 10 public school districts that have a district-wide policy to teach sexuality education, the vast majority (86%) require that abstinence be promoted, either as the preferred option for teenagers (51% have such an abstinence-plus policy) or as the only option outside of marriage (35% have such an abstinence-only policy), according to a new study by The Alan Guttmacher Institute. Just 14% have a comprehensive policy that addresses abstinence as one option in a broader educational program to prepare adolescents to become sexually healthy adults. In almost two-thirds of district policies across the nation those with comprehensive and abstinence-plus policies discussion about the benefits of contraception is permitted. However, in the one-third of districts with an abstinence-only policy, information about contraception is either prohibited entirely or limited to discussion of its ineffectiveness in protecting against unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

“It is unconscionable for young people who attend schools in one-third of districts to be denied basic yet vital information for preventing unplanned pregnancy and STDs. This should be of deep concern to parents in this country,” comments Cory L. Richards, vice president for public policy with the Institute. “Teaching abstinence as the only option outside of marriage an unrealistic approach in which contraception may not be discussed at all or may only be discussed to highlight its shortcomings is very troubling, particularly given the lack of evidence that this approach is effective in postponing teenagers sexual involvement.”

The study, “Abstinence Promotion and the Provision of Information About Contraception in Public School District Sexuality Education Policies,” by David J. Landry, Lisa Kaeser and Cory L. Richards, is published in the November/December 1999 issue of the Institute s bimonthly professional journal, Family Planning Perspectives. It presents findings from the first nationwide assessment at the local school district level of the extent to which sexuality education policy now focuses on abstinence promotion and whether these policies have affected the provision of contraceptive information. On the basis of a nationally representative survey of 825 school district superintendents (or their representatives) completed in October 1998, it examines existing policies across the country (in districts that teach grade six or higher) and how they vary by district characteristics.

The study, conducted before states began implementing any abstinence-only efforts stemming specifically from the 1996 national welfare reform legislation, also examines school superintendents perceptions of the factors that most influenced their policies. The superintendents were asked to choose, from among 11 possibilities, the single most important factor that influenced their district’s current sexuality education policy. One of three factors state directives, recommendations of special school board advisory committees or task forces, or school board actions was named by at least three-quarters of districts. Overall, regardless of their abstinence policy, almost one-half of the districts (48%) cited state directives as the most influential factor.

Superintendents were also asked how supportive they thought their community is of their district’s current sexuality education policy. About half (53%) said that the community is “generally silent” on the issue, 41% reported that their community “strongly supports” the policy, 5% said that the community is divided and fewer than 1% said that it is “generally opposed.”

Among the superintendents surveyed who knew when their current policy was adopted, only 16% said that the policy predated 1990. Over half (53%) said that it was adopted after 1995, and another 31% said that it was adopted between 1990 and 1995. Superintendents were also asked whether their current policy had replaced a previous one. Among districts that switched from one abstinence policy category to another, most of the change was toward abstinence-plus policies. There was no net change in the number of districts with abstinence-only policies.

Other key findings of the new analysis include the following:

• More than two-thirds (69%) of all U.S. public school districts (covering 86% of students) have a policy to teach sexuality education; almost one-third (31%) of districts (covering just 14% of students) leave policy decisions concerning sexuality education to individual schools within the district or to teachers.
• Among all U.S. students attending school in a district that includes grade six or higher, 9% are in districts that have a comprehensive sexuality education policy, 45% in districts with an abstinence-plus policy, 32% in abstinence-only policy districts and 14% in districts that have no policy.
• Over half (55%) of districts with a sexuality education policy in the South have an abstinence-only policy (20 percentage points higher than the national average), while only 20% of Northeast districts have such a policy (15 percentage points below the national average).

“To maintain the momentum in declining U.S. teenage pregnancy rates since 1990, we must ensure that students receive complete and accurate sexuality education that supports responsible sexual and reproductive decision-making,” comments David J. Landry, senior research associate with the Institute. “The provision of accurate information about contraception while supporting the choice of young people to delay sexual intercourse should continue to be a high national priority.”

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The Alan Guttmacher Institute s Web site address: http://www.agi -usa.org

The Alan Guttmacher Institute is a not-for-profit corporation focused on reproductive health research, policy analysis and public education, with offices in New York and Washington, D.C.

Long-Term Care: Medicaid’s Role and Challenges

This Policy Brief examines Medicaid’s role in providing long-term care services. It describes long-term care services, the population that needs these services, and how people get long-term care services. It provides an overview of health insurance coverage of persons with long-term care needs and describes both Medicare’s and Medicaid’s role in providing these services. It also examines some of the policy issues and challenges involved in providing long-term care services to an aging society.

• Policy Brief

class=normal>Kids & Media @ The New MillenniumNovember 17, 1999New York City

Agenda

8:30 a.m. Registration

9:00 a.m. Welcome – Drew E. Altman, Ph.D., President, Kaiser Family Foundation

9:10 a.m. Presentation of study results

Key findings: Vicky Rideout, Director, Kaiser Family Foundation’sProgram on the Entertainment Media & Public Health

Comments: Donald F. Roberts, Jr., Ph.D., Professor of Communication,Stanford University

Questions from the press: Drew E. Altman, Ph.D.

10:00 a.m. Roundtable discussion – Jeff Greenfield, CNN, moderator

Discussants: Barrett Alexander, CEO, Rogue EntertainmentKen Auletta, The New YorkerJane Brown, Ph.D., University of North Carolina Chuck D, Public Enemy Christina Ferrari, Managing Editor, Teen People Tom Freston, CEO, MTV Networks Alan Kay, Vice President, Walt Disney CompanyJamie Kellner, CEO, The WB Television Network William Kennard, Chair, Federal Communications CommissionRebecca Odes, gURL.com Neil Postman, Ph.D., New York University Donald F. Roberts, Jr., Ph.D., Stanford University Joel Schumacher, Writer/Director Deborah Tang, Vice President, BET Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Actor

12:00 noon Adjournment

A 2-page issue brief about the collection and use of health care information for California’s public health, health care and managed care systems. The issue brief includes a brief outline of the kind of health care information that is currently being collected at both the state and national level to support policy development, government oversight, and consumer education. The Issue Brief lists Roundtable participants for a Roundtable Event: Tuesday, November 30, 1999 – 1:00-4:00 PM, State Capitol, Room 112, Sacramento, California.

• Issue Brief

In November 1996, the Kaiser Family Foundation initiated a project to examine different strategies for expanding health insurance coverage to America’s growing uninsured population. The Foundation asked two leading health policy experts with experience in Democratic and Republican leadership roles, Judith Feder and Sheila Burke, to direct the project’s work in considering and evaluating the potential for, and likely impact of, alternative incremental reform options. This continuing effort has made important contributions to the public and policy dialogue about covering the uninsured. With new proposals emerging across political parties as we head into the 2000 election, the project’s analysis of tax-based reform options along with direct subsidy or government expansion options is directly relevant and useful to the debate. produced a series of expert proposals and issue papers .

is one of the most comprehensive national public studies ever conducted of young people’s media use. The study, based on a nationally representative sample of more than 3,000 children ages 2 -18, shows how much time kids spend watching TV and movies, using computers, playing video games, listening to music, and reading. The report also looks at how much oversight parents exert over their children’s media use, and addresses numerous other issues such as how kids use media, whether ‘new’ media is replacing traditional media, and whether use of new media varies by age, gender or race.

• Agenda
• Biographies of Roundtable Participants
• Executive Summary
• Appendices
• Report
• Fact Sheet

Southern Africa Grantmakers’ Affinity Group: The Role of U.S. Grantmakers in a Changing Region

November 10-12, 1999 Westfields Marriott, Chantilly, Virginia Introduction

Southern Africa has had its share of turmoil and dramatic change. Although South Africa has over the past five years established itself as a shining example of democracy and Mozambique has transformed its economy and government shattered by nearly a decade of civil war, the situation is not as favorable throughout the region.

Peace efforts in Angola have disintegrated; political and human rights are under threat in Zimbabwe; regional armies stepped in to stabilize Lesotho; trade unions and activist groups press for greater democratic rights in Swaziland. Besides the continuing political challenges, the historical social and economic development needs are compounded by an accelerating HIV/AIDS epidemic which threatens to decimate the region.

Proposal

Private U.S. funders have played a long running and important role in the transformation of the region. The question in the present context, however, is how effective can grantmakers and donors be in this changing environment? Is the political environment conducive to sustainable progress on social and economic needs? What are the prospects for civil society in the region? Will all our efforts be swamped by the AIDS catastrophe? How do we work effectively with regional governments, non-governmental organizations and the private sector? How can private funders better leverage their resources and impact?

As part of an on-going series of meetings designed to foster U.S.-Southern Africa independent sectors linkages, the Affinity Group plans to hold a 2-day workshop to examine these pertinent questions and to exchange practical ideas about increasing the collective effectiveness of private U.S. funders in southern Africa. The emphasis will be on real examples of effective grantmaking, program interventions and case studies of private-public collaboration and partnerships, as well as prospects for increasing U.S-southern African linkages.

The workshop will include an opportunity to engage in discussion with resource persons from southern Africa, as well as high level representatives of U.N. agencies, the World Bank, and U.S. government.

Proposed Discussion Topics

• Southern Africa in the post-Mandela era: Political, Economic and Social Challenges
• What Lessons Have Private Funders Learned in Southern Africa?
• Case Studies of Effective Grantmaking
• Collaborating with Bi-Lateral and International Donor Organizations
• Investment Driven Grantmaking
• The Prospects for Civil Society: Examining The Enabling Environment
• Examining Practical Examples of Public-Private Partnerships
• Developing Partnerships between funders, government and non-government organizations
• The Sustainability Conundrum: Indigenous Philanthropy, Endowments
• The HIV/AIDS Epidemic: Implications and Responses
• Making the Affinity Group a more Effective Resource

Outcome

It is anticipated that participants will come up with a viable plan of action for the way forward to effective grantmaking. This will include drawing up a practical outline/timetable for implementing the recommendations reached at the end of the workshop.

Results from the 1999 Survey of Experiences with Medicare HMOs

This report examines the effects of Medicare HMO withdrawals on elderly and disabled beneficiaries who were involuntarily disenrolled from their HMO at the end of 1998. Based on a nationally-representative survey, the report describes new insurance arrangements made by beneficiaries after their HMO withdrew and considers the effects of this insurance transition on benefits, costs, and continuity of care. The study finds that most beneficiaries fared relatively well after their Medicare HMO withdrew, but more than a third of all disenrollees experienced a decline in supplemental benefits, nearly 40 percent incurred higher premiums, and over 20 percent had to find a new personal doctor. Beneficiaries who experienced the greatest problems after their HMO terminated coverage tended to be the under-age-65 disabled, racial and ethnic minority beneficiaries, the poor and near-poor, and those reporting fair or poor health. A paper based on the findings in this report appears in the November/December 1999 issue of Health Affairs, Volume 18, Number 6.

• Report

This study of Native Americans health care funding and expenditures includes the following: An analysis of all sources of financing and the level of total health expenditures by and on behalf of Native Americans, a detailed analysis of the same data for each of the 12 Indian Health Service areas across the country, an estimate of per-capita spending for health services to Native Americans overall, an illustration of the tribal discrepancies in per capita spending and a projection of the increased cost if Native Americans were provided with a typical employment-based insurance benefits package.

• Report

An analysis of issues affecting reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. The study examines the historical impact and effectiveness of the current law, its relevance in the context of the contemporary health environment and the issues pertinent to discussions about reauthorization of the Act.

• Report