Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Title IX, Back on Track

New York Times
Published: April 20, 2010

For those of us old enough to remember, school sports used to be all about the boys. In 1972, Congress passed Title IX, which outlawed gender discrimination in educational programs and activities receiving federal financing, including school sports, at all levels.
The George W. Bush administration rolled back some of that progress, issuing guidelines that made it far too easy for schools to evade their obligation to provide equal opportunities. All schools had to do was hold an online survey showing that female students had no unmet sports interests. A low response rate, typical with such surveys, could be equated with a lack of interest.
This week, the Obama administration restored the pre-Bush-era approach. Schools trying to show their sports offerings comply with Title IX will be allowed to use surveys, but low responses will not count as a lack of interest in athletics. The assessment will also include more telling measures, like participation rates in feeder high schools or recreational leagues, and the views of administrators and coaches.

Full Editorial:http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/21/opinion/21wed3.html?th&emc=th

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