Patrick Brown, via a kind reader:
By asking students to consider the statistics showing that both adults and kids do better in a household with married parents, these curricula can open up conversations about what success truly means. Instead of a strict focus on avoiding teen pregnancy, these discussions celebrate the meaning and joy that parenthood in the right context can offer. These curricula could be amplified by lessons, such as those passed in Idaho and Tennessee, that require high-school biology classes to teach the basics of fetal development, such as when a heartbeat begins, to help students gain a greater appreciation for human life.
The success sequence is also politically popular. A 2023 poll of parents across five Sun Belt states found high levels of support for teaching students about the sequence in public schools. Nearly three-quarters of parents polled said that they “strongly” or “somewhat” supported teaching it, while only 12% of parents were “strongly” opposed.
Parents are responsible for the moral formation of their children, but they want schools to support rather than undermine their efforts. Career exploration classes help students ponder what they might want to do but don’t help them think about the kind of person they want to become. If the success sequence can kick-start conversations about what it truly means to flourish, it will be well worth it.
