Morality Politics and Educational Policy: The Abstinence-Only Sex Education Grant

Due to the ability of the public schools to transmit societal norms and mores to students, the educational policy arena is frequently and inevitably immersed in morality politics. Morality politics theorists generally maintain that compromises on morality policies such as sex education are unlikely. However, morality politics can result in educational policies that reflect compromises between absolute positions. The case of the 1996 federal abstinence-only sex education grant reveals insights into how a combination of factors creates favorable conditions for compromise on an educational morality policy. The case also highlights the complex policy dilemmas in an area of educational policy in which morality activists disagree on what is right and in which there is limited research on what works.