Empowering Educators: Integrating the New Massachusetts Frameworks Into Health Education

In September of 2023, the state’s first updated health and physical education guidelines in nearly 25 years were approved by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and are designed to be LGBTQ+ inclusive, medically accurate and developmentally- and age-appropriate. On June 27, SPIFFY sponsored a training for health educators on the new Massachusetts Health Education Curriculum Frameworks. The training drew 25 participants from across Massachusetts who came to learn skills and strategies to effectively implement the new frameworks into 6th-12th grade health education curricula and deliver comprehensive health education to students that gives them the tools they need to make informed decisions and lead healthy lives. This full-day workshop provided a detailed overview of the new Frameworks, hands-on tips for locating evidence-based curriculum that aligns with the Frameworks, lesson planning resources, and strategies and real-time practice in dealing with difficult conversations around issues like sex education. The training was led by Danielle Pantano, MJ McGillicuddy, and Dr. Sue Milstein, and educators received 10 PDPs for participating.