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Abstract
The purpose of this study is to identify differences between age of puberty, sexual behavior, and sexual knowledge in relation to high school science curricula for sexuality education. Questions addressed in this study are (1) Do the ages of pubertal onset and first sexual encounter differ between males and females in Black and White populations (2) How is the age of pubertal onset related to knowledge about sexuality for Black and White males and females and (3) Does science curricula provide adequate sexuality education for Grades 9 through 12? Data collection utilized both quantitative and qualitative research. The results indicate differences between Black populations and White populations for pubertal onset and sexual behavior are insignificant. Differences do exist, however, for sexual knowledge. In addition, the study found high school science curricula for sexuality education to be inadequate.