Sex education in rural schools in the United States: impact of rural educators’ community identities

Purpose: The overall purpose of this exploratory research was to better understand rural educators’ feelings about school-based sex education in order to foster better communication and collaboration between prevention researchers and rural teachers and administrators. In order to accomplish this purpose, the research question asked ‘How does perceived community identity influence rural educators’ decisions regarding school-based sex education?’ Methods: Qualitative interviews were conducted with 24 high school educators in four rural counties in the southern part of the United States about how alike and different urban and rural teachers and administrators are in their decisions about sex education in their schools. The interview data were categorized according to their perceptions of similarities and differences between rural and urban teachers and administrators. Results: Rural educators believed that rural and urban educators were alike because of a common concern for students and the common issue of community involvement in decisions related to school-based sex education. Rural educators believed that rural and urban educators were different because of greater religiosity in rural communities; greater scrutiny of administrators’ decisions by the church, school board, and community; and greater physical proximity and emotional closeness between rural educators and their students. Conclusion: With a better understanding of rural educators’ perceived community identities, prevention researchers will be able to develop closer collaborations with schools on strategies to prevent high-risk sexual behaviors among rural adolescents.