Copyright 2002 eMediaMillWorks, Inc. (f/k/a Federal Document
Clearing House, Inc.) Federal Document Clearing House Congressional Testimony
June 27, 2002 Thursday
SECTION: CAPITOL HILL HEARING TESTIMONY
LENGTH: 1192 words
COMMITTEE:SENATE HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR AND PENSIONS
HEADLINE: TITLE IX: BUILDING ON 30 YEARS OF PROGRESS
TESTIMONY-BY: RODERICK PAIGE, SECRETARY
AFFILIATION: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
BODY: Statement of Roderick Paige
Secretary U.S. Department of Education
Committee on
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
June 27,
2002
Mr. Chairman, Senator Gregg, and members of the
Committee, I appreciate your invitation to join you today, because it gives me
the opportunity to discuss one of the most important civil rights laws in our
nation's history: Title IX of the Education Amendments of
1972.
As you know, we just celebrated the 30'"
anniversary of this landmark legislation. Without a doubt, Title
IX has opened the doors of opportunity for generations of women and girls to
compete, to achieve, and to pursue their American dreams.
Many of the people in this room today are too young to remember what
the world was like prior to 1972 when Title IX became the law
of the land and prohibited schools that receive federal funds from
discriminating on the basis of sex.
Back then, it was
not uncommon for high school girls to be "steered" to courses that narrowed
their future options. High schools routinely excluded girls from classes that
stood to give them the skills to compete for higher paying jobs.
Those who overcame these obstacles and proved themselves worthy of
college admission often faced new barriers, such as quotas that limited female
enrollment.
This held especially true in the
professional schools for such disciplines as law and medicine. The stories are
legion of women who made it into the schools - even graduated first in their
classes - yet they still endured shunning and harassment for their efforts.
Thanks to the vigorous enforcement of Title
IX, as well as society's greater acceptance of women in the workplace and on
the playing field, more women than ever are playing sports, graduating from
college, and pursuing their dreams.
For example, we
have seen explosive growth in certain girl's and women's sports at the high
school and college levels.
In 1971, before Title IX went into effect, more than 294,000 girls participated
in high school sports. Last year, that number exceeded 2.7 million - an 847
percent increase.
Between 1981 and 1999, the number of
college women's teams rose 66 percent. According to the General Accounting
Office, colleges created nearly 3,800 new women's sports teams, including 846
soccer teams, 516 cross-country teams, 432 softball teams, 350 volleyball teams,
304 indoor track teams, and 302 basketball teams.
In
1972, when Title IX became law, 44 percent of all bachelor's
degrees went to women - as compared to 57 percent in 2000, the most recent year
data was published.
Today, the majority of college
students are women. And many are entering professions that once eluded them.
In 1972, only 9 percent of medical degrees went to women -
as compared to nearly 43 percent in 2000. In 1972, only 1 percent of dental
degrees went to women- as compared to 40 percent in 2000. And in 1972, only 7
percent of law degrees went to women - as compared to nearly 46 percent in
2000.
It is no longer unusual to see women in positions
of power and influence - including running large companies, ruling from the
bench, or advising the President of the United States. Women fill key leadership
positions throughout the Administration, including at the Department of
Education.
Clearly, the changes brought about with the
help of Title IX have greatly expanded the opportunities for
girls and women to achieve their greatest potential. And we at the Department of
Education are working to build on these successes.
President Bush put it best when he said: "Tremendous advances have been
made in the fight for equality. But we must remain diligent in enforcing our
nation's laws. And we still have work to do in this area."
Indeed we do. And as the U.S. Secretary of Education, I am proud to be
a part of implementing the President's vision of a nation where civil rights
laws are enforced fairly and vigorously.
In that
regard, the Department of Education is working diligently to address complaints
of Title IX violations. Let me give you some recent
examples.
The Office for Civil Rights received a
complaint from a school district that girls' basketball games were never
scheduled during prime playing time - like Friday nights - as the boys' games
were.
We found this not only to be true in that
district, but in seven other districts in the same area. The Office for Civil
Rights entered into commitments with all the districts, and, starting with this
upcoming school year, all eight districts will provide equal opportunity for
boys and girls to play on prime time nights.
In another
case, we received a complaint against a school district alleging that the
athletic facility for the girls' softball team was inferior to that provided for
the boys' baseball team. We found the charge to be true, and the school district
agreed to build a comparable girls' softball facility on the high school
grounds.
In yet another case, we worked with a state's
school board association to help develop a model policy barring harassment of
students and staff based on sex, race, national origin, and disability. Last
month, the Office for Civil Rights and the school board association issued a
letter announcing the model policy. We are now working to help them spread the
message to all the schools in that state. And we are sharing this model with
other states.
And, finally, after we investigated a
number of complaints against one university, the school agreed to significant
changes, including:
-Recruiting female athletes from
high schools and providing athletic scholarships; -Providing female athletes
with the same opportunities to attend summer school as their male
counterparts;
-Providing the same benefits for the
coaches of the women's teams as is provided for the coaches of the men's teams;
and
-Providing lockers for the women's basketball team,
installing lights on the women's soccer field, and renovating the softball
field.
These are just a few examples. But each one
speaks of this Administration's commitment to the hopes and dreams of thousands
of girls and women in our nation's schools.
When we say
we want no child left behind, we mean it. Our goal is to bring out the best
efforts of all our young people in our nation's schools - from kindergarten
through college.
We celebrate not only the success but
also the spirit of Title IX that says, 'Open to all.' Listen
to the words that are the heart of Title IX:
"No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded
from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to
discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal
financial assistance."
This Administration is committed
to those words.
Mr. Chairman, I want to thank you and
the members of this Committee again for letting me come speak today.
I look forward to working with you, because I know you
share my commitment and the President's commitment to expanding opportunities
for all young Americans - girls and boys, women and men - in the classroom and
on the playing field.
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