Exciting News! Results Are In! Get Real Works!

As you already know, PPLM has a long-standing commitment to developing innovative, effective sexuality education programs, including its comprehensive school-based curriculum, Get Real: Comprehensive Sex Education That Works. We are thrilled to announce that Get Real was added to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) list of evidence-based programs! This is very big news because inclusion on this list requires meeting stringent criteria for effectiveness. Get Real is now among only 37 programs in the country included on the HHS list and is the first curriculum developed by Planned Parenthood to earn this important distinction.

Get Real delivers accurate, age-appropriate information on sex and sexuality and emphasizes healthy relationship skills and family involvement through both classroom and take-home activities for middle school-aged children.

The three-year impact study of Get Real, conducted by the Wellesley Centers for Women (WCW), was published in the November 2014 issue of the Journal of School Health showing Get Real is effective at delaying risky sexual behavior for both boys and girls.

Among students who participated in Get Real, 16% fewer boys and 15% fewer girls had sex compared to their peers who did not participate in Get Real. For boys in particular, family involvement showed an added effect on delaying sex. Boys who completed the Get Real take-home activities in 6th grade were more likely to delay sex in the 8th grade than boys who did not complete these activities, highlighting the importance of parents and sons talking earlier and more frequently about sex. These findings are particularly impressive because Get Real was tested among young people at high risk for early sexual intercourse.

To date, almost 200 schools and youth-serving programs in Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Ohio, and Texas have selected Get Real. We have partnered with ETR, a leading national publisher of science-based health promotion curricula and materials, to take Get Real to more schools and after school settings across the country. This effective program gives young people the information and skills they need to make responsible decisions leading to healthier outcomes. 

We couldn’t be more excited about what this means for young people and families everywhere. But don’t just take our word for it. Recently, a parent of three children in a Massachusetts school teaching Get Real applauded the curriculum for the emphasis it places on engaging parents, saying, “Under the guidance of Get Real, these important conversations with our kids are easier and less awkward. It helps parents make real headway in empowering the young people in their lives to navigate the road ahead."