kaorder1999
05-22-2008, 09:12 AM
State curriculum on legalities of parenting coming to Texas high schools this fall
08:07 AM CDT on Thursday, May 22, 2008
By KAREN AYRES SMITH / The Dallas Morning News
kayres@dallasnews.com
Do you know the difference between an "alleged father" and a "presumed father?" Your child soon will.
The Texas attorney general's office has created a new parenting curriculum that will be required in every public high school this fall. It will cover everything from the legalese of paternity to dealing with relationship violence.
The program, which has already drawn some skepticism, promises to bring personal and family values out of the home and into the classroom.
"The purpose is to help young people make responsible decisions about their futures," said Janece Rolfe of the attorney general's child support division. "What we're hoping to do is prevent children from having to enter the child support system."
With 55,000 births to teenage mothers each year in Texas, young people often get an informal crash course in paternity law. Figuring out how to secure child support is especially tricky when parents are children themselves.
The attorney general's office, which is in charge of collecting child support payments statewide, created the formal Parenting and Paternity Awareness curriculum – known as PAPA – in 1995.
Some school districts chose to use the curriculum, but the Legislature passed a law last year making it a mandatory part of high school health class starting in the fall.
The plan drew some opposition.
Gov. Rick Perry allowed the legislation to become law, but he declined to give it his signature of support. He said he had concerns about the Legislature mandating that programs be included in the curriculum.
"It is always my preference to focus on preserving a high-quality core curriculum that focuses on college and workforce readiness," Mr. Perry said in a statement.
Don McLeroy, president of the state Board of Education, said he was initially skeptical of the curriculum but changed his mind after reading it.
The new program includes a section on characteristics of a healthy marriage.
"If you're going to talk anytime about this, it's good to make the point that you want to become a husband and wife," said Dr. McLeroy, a conservative. "I think that would be good for Texas."
The Texas Freedom Network, which often opposes conservative causes, reviewed the curriculum and didn't find any problems with it, spokesman Dan Quinn said. Still, it could pose trouble if teachers use the lessons to advocate a particular religious belief on marriage or family, he said.
"If this becomes an opportunity to proselytize, then we have a problem," Mr. Quinn said.
It remains to be seen whether the program will change the way teenagers look at parenting.
A study released in 2006 showed that a version of the curriculum used in Austin-area schools was effective in communicating information about parenthood, according to Dottie Carmichael of the Public Policy Research Institute at Texas A&M University.
But whether the lessons changed student attitudes about parenting is more problematic, she said.
"It clearly has an impact on both knowledge and attitude," Dr. Carmichael said. "It's just that the greatest impact is on knowledge. It could be because attitudes are more difficult to measure."
In Dallas, teachers have used the curriculum for years in classes for teenage parents. It teaches the students about available resources and helps them deal with the emotions of having a baby, said Gloria Cortez, an administrator.
"You're teaching them how to cope with changes in life," Ms. Cortez said.
Health teachers in Dallas ISD and other districts across the state will receive training before the program is expanded to all students this fall.
The material will be spread out over 14 one-hour lessons, touching on topics such as the benefits of legal fatherhood, the costs of raising a child and child development.
"What we're doing is giving factual information to young people about what is involved in raising children and what the job entails," said Ms. Rolfe of the AG's office.
The curriculum
The Parenting and Paternity Awareness (PAPA) curriculum focuses on teaching students about the legal and practical consequences of parenthood. These definitions are included in lessons on establishing paternity.
Paternity: The state of being a father; fatherhood.
Biological father: Man who contributes the sperm that fertilizes the egg.
Alleged father: Man who is charged with, pointed to, or claimed to be the father of a child.
Presumed father: Man who is married to the mother at the time of the birth of the child.
Legal father: Man who is named the legal father by a court or who acknowledges paternity on a formal Acknowledgment of Paternity form.
08:07 AM CDT on Thursday, May 22, 2008
By KAREN AYRES SMITH / The Dallas Morning News
kayres@dallasnews.com
Do you know the difference between an "alleged father" and a "presumed father?" Your child soon will.
The Texas attorney general's office has created a new parenting curriculum that will be required in every public high school this fall. It will cover everything from the legalese of paternity to dealing with relationship violence.
The program, which has already drawn some skepticism, promises to bring personal and family values out of the home and into the classroom.
"The purpose is to help young people make responsible decisions about their futures," said Janece Rolfe of the attorney general's child support division. "What we're hoping to do is prevent children from having to enter the child support system."
With 55,000 births to teenage mothers each year in Texas, young people often get an informal crash course in paternity law. Figuring out how to secure child support is especially tricky when parents are children themselves.
The attorney general's office, which is in charge of collecting child support payments statewide, created the formal Parenting and Paternity Awareness curriculum – known as PAPA – in 1995.
Some school districts chose to use the curriculum, but the Legislature passed a law last year making it a mandatory part of high school health class starting in the fall.
The plan drew some opposition.
Gov. Rick Perry allowed the legislation to become law, but he declined to give it his signature of support. He said he had concerns about the Legislature mandating that programs be included in the curriculum.
"It is always my preference to focus on preserving a high-quality core curriculum that focuses on college and workforce readiness," Mr. Perry said in a statement.
Don McLeroy, president of the state Board of Education, said he was initially skeptical of the curriculum but changed his mind after reading it.
The new program includes a section on characteristics of a healthy marriage.
"If you're going to talk anytime about this, it's good to make the point that you want to become a husband and wife," said Dr. McLeroy, a conservative. "I think that would be good for Texas."
The Texas Freedom Network, which often opposes conservative causes, reviewed the curriculum and didn't find any problems with it, spokesman Dan Quinn said. Still, it could pose trouble if teachers use the lessons to advocate a particular religious belief on marriage or family, he said.
"If this becomes an opportunity to proselytize, then we have a problem," Mr. Quinn said.
It remains to be seen whether the program will change the way teenagers look at parenting.
A study released in 2006 showed that a version of the curriculum used in Austin-area schools was effective in communicating information about parenthood, according to Dottie Carmichael of the Public Policy Research Institute at Texas A&M University.
But whether the lessons changed student attitudes about parenting is more problematic, she said.
"It clearly has an impact on both knowledge and attitude," Dr. Carmichael said. "It's just that the greatest impact is on knowledge. It could be because attitudes are more difficult to measure."
In Dallas, teachers have used the curriculum for years in classes for teenage parents. It teaches the students about available resources and helps them deal with the emotions of having a baby, said Gloria Cortez, an administrator.
"You're teaching them how to cope with changes in life," Ms. Cortez said.
Health teachers in Dallas ISD and other districts across the state will receive training before the program is expanded to all students this fall.
The material will be spread out over 14 one-hour lessons, touching on topics such as the benefits of legal fatherhood, the costs of raising a child and child development.
"What we're doing is giving factual information to young people about what is involved in raising children and what the job entails," said Ms. Rolfe of the AG's office.
The curriculum
The Parenting and Paternity Awareness (PAPA) curriculum focuses on teaching students about the legal and practical consequences of parenthood. These definitions are included in lessons on establishing paternity.
Paternity: The state of being a father; fatherhood.
Biological father: Man who contributes the sperm that fertilizes the egg.
Alleged father: Man who is charged with, pointed to, or claimed to be the father of a child.
Presumed father: Man who is married to the mother at the time of the birth of the child.
Legal father: Man who is named the legal father by a court or who acknowledges paternity on a formal Acknowledgment of Paternity form.