Date of Award
6-2009
Document Type
Union College Only
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Sociology
Language
English
Keywords
health, education, nyc, current, curriculum
Abstract
Health Education is viewed as building block for developing healthy lifestyles and preventing diseases like HIV/AIDS. The staggering trends of obesity and sexual health issues among New York City (NYC) adolescents illuminate the need for stronger health programs in NYC public schools. This is especially the case because statistics demonstrate a correlation between the incidence of high risk behaviors and certain groups of adolescents or certain neighborhoods where they reside. In an effort to assess the current Health Education curriculum that NYC students are following, six health teachers, including one Junior high school health teacher and an Assistant Principal for Health Education, were interviewed. The participants were asked three sets of questions which questioned the specifics about the current Health Education; their opinions about the curriculum, including any suggestions that they may recommend for improving the curriculum; and the health services that the school offers. Two of the main findings of this research are that teachers are satisfied with their current health curriculums and that the biggest challenges they face as educators are primarily due to flaws within the educational system in NYC. Overall, problems within the Department of Education negatively impact the quality of Health instruction.
Recommended Citation
De Leon, Madelyn, "An assessment of health education in New York City public schools" (2009). Honors Theses. 1288.
https://digitalworks.union.edu/theses/1288