Parents Have Just Not Been Successful

Deb Levine is an education entrepreneur. She saw a need and filled it.  The need she saw was for better information about sex that children could access in middle school. The school was not providing enough information. "The message has basically be distilled down to; wait to have sex and when you do use a condom."  And the parents efforts "just weren't successful."




The reporter does not ask her to clarify what she considers successful parenting about sex. The fact that children have questions about something is more a statement about the nature of youth than a condemnation of an educational forum. She, however, seems to think that this thirst for knowledge demonstrates a void in public education. So Ms. Levine developed the ISIS website, so that kids could address the "icky" matters of sex with total strangers.

ISIS also has a mobile app that can give kids daily sex advice.  The tidbit for the day this story aired was,  "Talk it out. If you have sex, talk with your partner about safe sex, getting tested and what you like before you get in bed."  Such a statement, without supporting context and values, would probably throw a typical 6th grader into a panic. The implication that they are supposed to know what they like "in bed" as an immature prepubescent could ratchet down their already shaky self confidence. But there is probably some totally disinterested stranger on a hotline who could answer their questions.

The good news is that this "tool" is already in the public school curriculum in Chicago and DC.  And ISIS is working on getting into other schools as well. Gee, maybe she could get it into the CCS. Wouldn't that be just what every middle school parent wants?