High School Student Marriages, School Policy, and Family Life Education in California

Abstract

California high schools were surveyed in 1954 and again in 1964 to determine the incidence of student marriages and the policies of school administrators regarding students who marry. The second part of the surveys assessed the teaching of family life courses in the high schools. The 1964 survey finds no significant trends in the incidence of high school marriages since 1954. An evaluation of policies in the two survey years indicates that the schools now have more positive programs to help the students who marry, but a higher dropout rate occurred among married students in 1964 than in 1954. The second part of the survey shows that fewer family living courses are required, fewer are for boys and girls, and a smaller percentage of students are enrolled in the courses.