 
1. Q: Does Choosing the Best have any research proving it works?
A: Yes. An independent evaluation of Choosing the Best programs conducted by Dr. Stan Weed between 2002 and 2004 indicated a statistically significant 47 percent decline in the initiation of sex among those students receiving Choosing the Best versus a comparison group who did not receive the program. The study, funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, included Choosing the Best WAY, PATH, and LIFE. Here’s how it worked: 7th, 8th and 9th grade students in a south metro Atlanta high school and its feeder middle school received either Choosing the Best abstinence education or the regular health textbook abstinence education curriculum that complies with state guidelines. Students were administered a detailed survey prior to the study and again 12 months later. Three hundred eighteen students were able to be tracked and matched at the pre-test and 12 month follow-up and had usable sexual activity status data. After one year, results among those students in the Choosing the Best program versus those being taught from the health textbook indicated a 47 percent lower rate of sexual activity. There were also statistically significant improvements in attitudes toward delaying sexual intercourse among the Choosing the Best participants. These results are consistent with earlier research studies. For view the full research report, please visit http://www.choosingthebest.org/research_results/index.html
2. Q: Is Choosing the Best medically accurate?
A: Yes. Choosing the Best is committed to providing medically accurate information. Choosing the Best curricula contain facts gathered from the most credible and current sources of information available, such as peer-reviewed, published journals and government agency publications. Because new medical studies and conclusions are always becoming available, Choosing the Best updates materials annually to reflect the latest information. Additionally, Choosing the Best has established a Medical Advisory Board, a team of medical experts that review and approve all curricula.
3. Q: For what age group(s) are Choosing the Best programs targeted and what are the key differences among the programs?
A: Middle School programs include: Choosing the Best WAY (grade 6); Choosing the Best PATH (grade 7); and Choosing the Best LIFE (grade 8); High School Programs include: Choosing the Best JOURNEY (grades 9-10); and Choosing the Best SOUL MATE (grades 11-12).
All five curricula provide abstinence and relationship education. However, the emphasis of WAY, PATH, LIFE, and JOURNEY is on empowering students to choose abstinence, while SOUL MATE focuses on teaching valuable relational skills necessary for a successful marriage, of which abstinence is a component.
WAY, PATH, LIFE, and JOURNEY each cover the risks of teen sexual behavior, the rewards of abstinence, peer pressure and refusal skills, an abstinence pledge, character education, building self-esteem, relationship education, and include parent interview assignments. However, the information in each of these programs is presented in a manner that is age-appropriate and maximizes learning for students given their stage of development. The key differences are the videos used, classroom exercises and the age-appropriate way the issues are discussed and presented. For example, the CTB WAY program, for 6th graders, covers making good decisions and developing the qualities of a good friend, important topics for the younger age groups. CTB PATH, for 7th grade students, provides a strong emphasis on teen role models who are choosing abstinence. Both WAY and PATH utilize experiential learning techniques to capture the attention of these young students. Choosing the Best LIFE, for 8th graders, provides an in-depth discussion of key issues affecting the sexual decision making of this age group, such as the use of alcohol, while JOURNEY for 9th graders expands the discussion to topics such as date rape and pornography. Choosing the Best SOUL MATE inspires upper high school students to develop the communication skills and personal qualities essential for successful relationships of all kinds — with parents, peers, co-workers, teachers — and ultimately, for a lasting marriage. A logical sequel to CTB abstinence programs for younger teens, SOUL MATE continues to emphasize that sexual abstinence is critical to preparing for a lifelong, lasting relationship.
For maximum impact, it is recommended that all five programs (including SOUL MATE) be used simultaneously and consecutively (referred to as a “scope and sequence” approach) to give students an age-appropriate, consistent, compelling message for abstinence during their critical adolescent years.
4. Q: What makes Choosing the Best materials so unique and effective?
A: Choosing the Best is research-based, founded on medical information, and approved by a team of medical experts that comprise the Choosing the Best Medical Advisory Board. Choosing the Best materials foster a dynamic learning environment to engage students, teach relationship education and refusal skills, promote character education, and encourage parent involvement. Specifically, the benefits of the Choosing the Best programs are to:
- Help teens understand and protect themselves from very real, damaging, and often overlooked emotional consequences of premarital sexual involvement such as worry, regret, guilt, declining self-esteem, depression, and distraction from important personal goals.
- Help teens understand and protect themselves from serious and widespread STDs by understanding the nature of these STDs, their prevalence and mode of transmission, and the limitation of condoms to prevent the transmission, even when used consistently. Specific STDs covered include those such as genital herpes, an incurable viral infection, and human papilloma virus (HPV), also an incurable viral infection which can cause genital warts and leads to over 90% of all cervical cancer. Also covered are syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, which left untreated can lead to PID and infertility.
- Help students understand and protect themselves from the emotional, social, and economic consequences of teen pregnancy for the teen, the child, and the community.
- Help teens understand how to choose healthy relationships, including how to recognize the differences between infatuation and love.
- Help teens understand the benefits of choosing abstinence in terms of providing the best foundation for marriage, freedom to focus on and pursue personal goals, and freedom from worrying about all of the negative emotional and physical effects of premarital sex mentioned above.
Help teens understand how to set boundaries and learn specific methods for keeping those boundaries, including assertiveness skills and strategies for overcoming pressure. These skills are important in achieving abstinence until marriage and in avoiding other high-risk behaviors such as alcohol/drug abuse.
5. Q: Are you “abstinence-only?” Do you talk about contraception in your curriculum?
A: Yes and yes. “Abstinence-only” is a legislative term for educational materials that meet the federal definition of abstinence education, established in section 510 of the 1996 Welfare Reform Act (also referred to as “Title V”), outlined in conditions A-H. Choosing the Best meets the conditions outlined in A-H and therefore qualifies as “abstinence only” per the government definition.
Teaching and promoting abstinence is the exclusive purpose of Choosing the Best programs. Choosing the Best does educate about contraceptives; however, Choosing the Best does not advocate or demonstrate contraceptive use. Contraceptive methods are presented, including data about efficacy rates with respect to pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Choosing the Best shows, for example, that when used consistently and correctly, condoms are most effective at reducing the risk of HIV but are less effective in protecting against STDs such as chlamydia, herpes, and HPV, which can cause cervical cancer.1 The facts presented are supported by the CDC, illustrating the CDC’s conclusion that “condom use cannot guarantee absolute protection against any STD2” and teaching that only abstinence offers complete, 100% protection against both STDs and pregnancy. Choosing the Best strongly emphasizes that abstinence from sex until marriage is students’ best choice for their health and futures.
For more discussion of this topic, please click here to read “Answering the tough questions about abstinence education.”
6. Q: How does your program address teens who are already sexually active?
A: Each program encourages sexually active teens to make a choice to be abstinent from this point forward, teaching that “renewed virginity” is the best choice they can make for their future. Teachers continually report that teens who have already been sexually active are particularly receptive to the abstinence message. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, the majority of teens — 66% — who've had sex regret it,3 so the message about the benefits of renewed virginity and abstinence makes sense to them. They've experienced first-hand the negative emotional and/or physical consequences of premarital sex and can readily see that choosing abstinence is best for their lives and future."
7. Q: Is training required for a teacher to teach the CTB curriculum?
A: Each curriculum comes equipped with a detailed Leader’s Guide that provides a teacher with a comprehensive lesson plan on how to cover each topic; therefore training is not required to teach any of the Choosing the Best curricula. However, for best results in the classroom, teacher training is highly recommended. To learn more about training opportunities, please click here.
8. Q: Does CTB fulfill all state requirements? (i.e., is it state-approved?)
A: In some states particular approval processes are required. To determine if your state has approved Choosing the Best, contact a CTB educational consultant at 1-800-774-BEST.
9. Q: What are sources of funding for CTB materials?
A: While most school districts view CTB as a supplemental textbook budget item, there are opportunities to apply for various federal and state grants. Please click here to read about Funding and Grant Opportunities.
10. Q: How do I present this to a school or school board?
A: Choosing the Best offers a free 30-day preview on each of our programs. Contact a CTB educational consultant for more details. In addition, the Choosing the Best PARENT PREP parent education program offers a great overview about abstinence education and the CTB curriculum. PARENT PREP is helpful for parent groups as well as other groups involved in abstinence education.
11. Q: How do I get parents of my community to understand the importance of abstinence education and to get more involved? (i.e., Do you have anything for parents?)
A: Choosing the Best offers both a parent education program (PARENT PREP) and a parent book (The BIG TALK Book) which have produced excellent results with parents in communities across the country. Please click here for more information on parent programs.
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