<DOC>
[109th Congress House Hearings]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access]
[DOCID: f:28433.wais]
THE FIRST TEE AND SCHOOLS:
WORKING TO BUILD CHARACTER EDUCATION
=======================================================================
HEARING
before the
COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
AND THE WORKFORCE
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED NINTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
June 28, 2006
__________
Serial No. 109-45
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Education and the Workforce
Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/
house
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______
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COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE
HOWARD P. ``BUCK'' McKEON, California, Chairman
Thomas E. Petri, Wisconsin, Vice George Miller, California,
Chairman Ranking Minority Member
Michael N. Castle, Delaware Dale E. Kildee, Michigan
Sam Johnson, Texas Major R. Owens, New York
Mark E. Souder, Indiana Donald M. Payne, New Jersey
Charlie Norwood, Georgia Robert E. Andrews, New Jersey
Vernon J. Ehlers, Michigan Robert C. Scott, Virginia
Judy Biggert, Illinois Lynn C. Woolsey, California
Todd Russell Platts, Pennsylvania Ruben Hinojosa, Texas
Patrick J. Tiberi, Ohio Carolyn McCarthy, New York
Ric Keller, Florida John F. Tierney, Massachusetts
Tom Osborne, Nebraska Ron Kind, Wisconsin
Joe Wilson, South Carolina Dennis J. Kucinich, Ohio
Jon C. Porter, Nevada David Wu, Oregon
John Kline, Minnesota Rush D. Holt, New Jersey
Marilyn N. Musgrave, Colorado Susan A. Davis, California
Bob Inglis, South Carolina Betty McCollum, Minnesota
Cathy McMorris, Washington Danny K. Davis, Illinois
Kenny Marchant, Texas Raul M. Grijalva, Arizona
Tom Price, Georgia Chris Van Hollen, Maryland
Luis G. Fortuno, Puerto Rico Tim Ryan, Ohio
Bobby Jindal, Louisiana Timothy H. Bishop, New York
Charles W. Boustany, Jr., Louisiana [Vacancy]
Virginia Foxx, North Carolina
Thelma D. Drake, Virginia
John R. ``Randy'' Kuhl, Jr., New
York
[Vacancy]
Vic Klatt, Staff Director
Mark Zuckerman, Minority Staff Director, General Counsel
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
Hearing held on June 28, 2006.................................... 1
Statement of Members:
McKeon, Hon. Howard P. ``Buck,'' Chairman, Committee on
Education and the Workforce................................ 1
Prepared statement of.................................... 3
Norwood, Hon. Charlie, a Representative in Congress from the
State of Georgia, prepared statement of.................... 42
Woolsey, Hon. Lynn C., a Representative in Congress from the
State of California........................................ 4
H. Res. 735.............................................. 5
Statement of Witnesses:
Aldredge, Sharon D., principal, Woodley Hills Elementary
School..................................................... 17
Prepared statement of.................................... 19
Hogshead-Makar, Nancy, professor, Florida Coastal School of
Law, former president of the Women's Sports Foundation,
Olympic champion........................................... 21
Prepared statement of.................................... 24
Nicklaus, Jack, professional golfer.......................... 8
Prepared statement of.................................... 10
Weiss, Dr. Maureen R., professor, Curry School of Education,
University of Virginia..................................... 10
Prepared statement of.................................... 12
THE FIRST TEE AND SCHOOLS: WORKING TO BUILD CHARACTER EDUCATION
----------
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
U.S. House of Representatives
Committee on Education and the Workforce
Washington, DC
----------
The committee met, pursuant to call, at 10 a.m., in room
2175, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Howard P. ``Buck''
McKeon [chairman of the committee] presiding.
Present: Representatives McKeon, Castle, Ehlers, Tiberi,
Osborne, Kline, Inglis, Price, Fortuno, Foxx, Kuhl, Kildee,
Woolsey, Tierney, Kind, Kucinich, Holt, McCollum, and Bishop.
Staff Present: Kevin Frank, Coalitions Director for
Workforce Policy; Ray Grangoff, Legislative Assistant; Jessica
Gross, Press Assistant; Richard Hoar, Professional Staff
Member; Lindsey Mask, Press Secretary; Susan Ross, Director of
Education and Human Resources Policy; Deborah L. Samantar,
Committee Clerk/Intern Coordinator; Brad Thomas, Professional
Staff Member; Denise Forte, Minority Legislative Associate/
Education; Lauren Gibbs, Legislative Associate/Education; Lloyd
Horwich, Minority Legislative Associate/Education; Tom Kiley,
Minority Communications Director; Joe Novotny, Minority
Legislative Assistant/Education; and Mark Zuckerman, Minority
Staff Director/General Counsel.
Chairman McKeon. The Committee on Education and the
Workforce will come to order. We are holding this hearing today
to hear testimony on the First Tee in schools working to build
character education. With that, I ask for unanimous consent
that the hearing record remain open 14 days to allow members'
statements and other extraneous information to be submitted in
the official hearing record.
Without objection, so ordered.
Good morning. A little special day here for us today. We
don't normally have someone of Mr. Nicklaus' stature here with
us, and you can see it attracts a pretty good audience. Thank
you for being here.
I want to thank my colleagues on the committee for joining
me on this unique and important hearing. I welcome each of our
witnesses and applaud them for the work they do to build
character and education in our Nation's youth. I extend a
special welcome back to Mr. Jack Nicklaus for being here with
us again. He testified before the committee 4 years ago, and I
am sure he will have some figures to show us how their program
has grown in the last 4 years.
It is a pleasure to have him here, and it goes without
saying that we are honored to be in the presence of a living
legend.
This morning's hearing focuses on character, education, and
the work organizations that schools are doing to build
character in the U.S. students. Far too many children
throughout the United States face difficult circumstances.
Broken homes, poverty, drugs, alcohol and violence are everyday
factors confronted by many of today's youth. And character
education plays a valuable roll in instilling values to help
them overcome these obstacles.
I was watching TV. You couldn't miss it, I think, the last
couple of days, the gunfights, the violence that young people
are engaged in, and they keep showing those things on
television. They don't show the good things. That is why it is
important to have this hearing today, to focus on the good
things that are happening among some of our Nation's youth.
One organization which has built a solid reputation of
installing positive values through character education is the
The First Tee, which Mr. Nicklaus will be discussing shortly.
The First Tee is a youth character building organization that
provides young people of all backgrounds an opportunity to
develop through both the game of golf and character education,
values and character traits that will positively impact their
lives.
I am a golfer of sorts myself, so I might be biased in
saying this, but I truly believe that no activity better
parallels life and teaches character than the game of golf. On
the golf course you learn responsibility, honesty, patience,
self-control, integrity, respect, confidence and sportsmanship.
For some of us it takes a long time to learn those things,
but it works toward that end. You learn that a short putt is
just as important as a long drive, and that you must put the
last shot behind you in order to execute the next. The First
Tee emphasizes these fine points for countless young Americans,
and I commend the organization for its ongoing good work.
This morning some of us attended a breakfast and had an
opportunity to see some of the things that the program is
doing. We met two of the scholars, youth from this program,
Zalika--did I say that right--Zalika Nesbith and Rashion Paton.
Would you please both stand?
We heard them both speak this morning and they did a much
better job than I am doing. And it would be exciting to watch
what they do in their careers as they go through life because
of some of the things that they have learned from the The First
Tee program.
This hearing will also examine the efforts of schools to
enact the great character education into their curriculum.
Character education typically includes direct instruction and
other efforts that promote in students values such as
responsibility, respect, trust, hard work, and civic
engagement. Through the No Child Left Behind Act, Congress has
stepped forward in promoting character education. The law
establishes competitive grants for States and local school
districts for character education programs that can be
integrated into classroom instruction.
This year alone, this program is funded at nearly $25
million. Scores of schools also are developing character
education curriculum independent of this Federal program.
Many schools who have implemented these types of
initiatives have reported rising test scores and improved
student behavior. And this morning we will hear about the
positive results generated by one such school's character
education initiative.
It is clear the public, private, and nonprofit
organizations are working each day to build character education
in our Nation's youth, and I am pleased that we are providing a
platform to highlight their efforts today.
With that, I would like to yield to my good friend, Ms.
Woolsey for her opening statement.
[The prepared statement of Mr. McKeon follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Howard P. ``Buck'' McKeon, Chairman,
Committee on Education and the Workforce
Good morning, and I thank my colleagues on the Committee for
joining me at this unique and important hearing. I welcome each of our
witnesses and applaud them for the work they do to build character
education in our nation's youth. And I extend a special welcome back to
Mr. Jack Nicklaus, who testified before our Committee four years ago.
It's always a pleasure to have him here, and it goes without saying
that we're honored to be joined by a living legend.
This morning's hearing focuses on character education and the work
organizations and schools are doing to build character in U.S.
students. Far too many children throughout the United States face
difficult circumstances. Broken homes, poverty, drugs, alcohol, and
violence are everyday factors confronted by many of today's youth. And
character education plays a valuable role in instilling values to help
them overcome these obstacles.
One organization which has built a solid reputation of instilling
positive values through character education is The First Tee, which Mr.
Nicklaus will be discussing shortly. The First Tee is a youth character
building organization that provides young people of all backgrounds an
opportunity to develop, through both the game of golf and character
education, values and character traits that will positively impact
their lives.
I am a golfer myself, so I might be biased in saying this. But I
truly believe that no activity better parallels life and teaches
character than the game of golf. On the golf course, you learn
responsibility, honesty, patience, self-control, integrity, respect,
confidence, and sportsmanship. You learn that a short putt is just as
important as a long drive, and that you must put the last shot behind
you in order to execute the next. The First Tee emphasizes these fine
points for countless young Americans, and I commend the organization
for its ongoing good work. At this time, I'd like to recognize and
welcome two recent high school graduates, Zalika Nisbeth and Rayshon
Payton, who are here to represent the First Tee's Scholars Program
Class of 2006.
This hearing will also examine the efforts of schools to integrate
character education into their curriculum. Character education
typically includes direct instruction and other efforts that promote in
students values such as responsibility, respect, trust, hard work, and
civic engagement.
Through the No Child Left Behind Act, Congress has stepped forward
in promoting character education. The law establishes competitive
grants for states and local school districts for character education
programs that can be integrated into classroom instruction. This year
alone, this program is funded at nearly $25 million.
Scores of schools also are developing character education
curriculum independent of this federal program. Many schools who have
implemented these types of initiatives have reported rising test scores
and improved student behavior. And this morning, we'll hear about the
positive results generated by one such school's character education
initiative.
It is clear that public, private, and non-profit organizations are
working each day to build character education in our nation's youth,
and I'm pleased we are providing a platform to highlight their efforts.
And with that, I yield to my friend, Ms. Woolsey, for any opening
statement she may have.
______
Ms. Woolsey. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I apologize for being
late when you were speaking so eloquently.
I look forward to our witnesses' testimony on the
importance of sports, how important it is to character
development. You know, I am the mother of four adults who all
grew up being athletes. My daughter was a competitive skater.
One of my sons was an All Star baseball player all the way
through college. Another son was an All American football
player in college. And I can tell you that their character,
their poise, and their leadership abilities improved and grew
from little kids up to young adults from the experience of
being part of a good athletic program.
In fact, my football player son came to me after he had
graduated from college--he had been an All American for junior
and senior year--and said, Mother I want you to go for a walk
with me. And I said OK. Anything to just hang around with him.
So we went walking around the block and he said, Mother, I
am through with football, and I want you to get over it. It is
so fun as a parent to support a young person who is competing
and doing the best they can in any endeavor, and of course
athletics is one, because I know personally how important
sports is to character development. I am especially interested
in what Professor Hogshead-Makar is going to say about the Bush
administration's Title IX policy changes and how that could
threaten to roll back 34 years of progress for girls and young
women.
It is ironic to me that we are discussing Title IX in the
context of character education, when keeping promises is a sign
of good character, and the Bush administration has broken its
promise on Title IX. And we can't forget that.
In 2002, the administration established a Commission to
study Title IX. In 2003, the Commission recommended actions
that would have so damaged Title IX that after strong public
opposition, the administration was forced to reject the
Commission's proposals and to state its support for
longstanding Title IX policies.
But last year the administration did an about-face without
notice or public input. They changed Title IX policy to allow a
school to use a single e-mail survey to demonstrate that it is
meeting women students' interest in participating in sports.
Not only that, but the administration policy allows the
school to assume that any young woman who does not respond to
the survey is not interested in sports. Think about it: The
administration's policy is to enforce a major civil rights law
based on whether or not people who benefit from the law respond
to one of the hundreds of e-mails in their inbox.
That is more than bad policy. It is unacceptable.
I have introduced a bipartisan resolution, H.Res. 735, that
calls on the administration to rescind its policy change, and I
urge all of my colleagues to support it as soon as you can.
It is also unacceptable that the administration and
Congress have broken their promise under the No Child Left
Behind Act. I believe that we need to take a hard look at how
to improve No Child Left Behind. But even the best written law
will not help our students unless we provide our schools with
the resources that they need.
Unfortunately, the only thing about No Child Left Behind
funding that has increased each year is the gap between what
President Bush and Congress promised our school children and
what they have provided for our school children.
So let us talk about that today. Let us celebrate character
development in athletics, but let us not forget that part of
our character as Members of Congress is fulfilling our promises
to our youth.
I yield back.
[The information referred to follows:]
H. RES. 735
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the
``Additional Clarification of Intercollegiate Athletics Policy: Three-
Part Test--part Three'', issued by the United States Department of
Education without notice or opportunity for public comment on March 17,
2005, is inconsistent with longstanding Department policies and
fundamental principles of equality, is a disservice to our Nation's
young women, and should be withdrawn by the Department of Education.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 16, 2006
Ms. Woolsey (for herself, Mr. Shays, Ms. Solis, Mrs. Johnson of
Connecticut, Mrs. Capps, Mr. Boehlert, Mr. George Miller of
California, Mr. Simmons, Ms. Pelosi, Mr. Peterson of Minnesota,
Ms. Baldwin, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, Mr. Al Green of Texas, Ms.
McCollum of Minnesota, Mr. Farr, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Ms. Matsui,
Ms. Watson, Ms. Millender-McDonald, Mr. Nadler, Ms. Slaughter,
Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, Mr. Capuano, Mr. Olver, Mr. Lewis
of Georgia, Mr. Cardin, Ms. Herseth, Ms. Bean, Mr. Kucinich,
Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. DeGette, Mrs. Maloney,
Mr. Conyers, Ms. Hooley, Mr. Case, Ms. Schakowsky, Mrs.
Tauscher, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, Ms. Zoe
Lofgren of California, Mr. Sabo, Mrs. Capito, Mr. Owens, Mr.
Van Hollen, Mr. Payne, and Mr. Davis of Illinois) submitted the
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on
Education and the Workforce
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the
``Additional Clarification of Intercollegiate Athletics Policy: Three-
Part Test--part Three'', issued by the United States Department of
Education without notice or opportunity for public comment on March 17,
2005, is inconsistent with longstanding Department policies and
fundamental principles of equality, is a disservice to our Nation's
young women, and should be withdrawn by the Department of Education.
Whereas title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits educational
institutions that receive Federal funding from discriminating on the basis
of sex, including in their athletics programs and activities;
Whereas prior to 1972 and the enactment of title IX, virtually no college
or university offered athletic scholarships to women, fewer than 32,000
women participated in collegiate sports, and women's sports received only 2
percent of funds spent on college athletics programs;
Whereas as a result of title IX, women's opportunities to participate in
and benefit from collegiate athletics programs have grown dramatically,
such that there are now nearly 160,000 women competing on intercollegiate
teams;
Whereas despite the gains engendered by title IX, discriminatory barriers
to women's participation in sports remain, and women receive only about 43
percent of the opportunities to play intercollegiate sports, 38 percent of
athletic operating budgets, and 33 percent of the funds spent to recruit
new athletes;
Whereas the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare issued ``Title IX
of the Education Amendments of 1972; a Policy Interpretation; Title IX and
Intercollegiate Athletics'' in 1979 (later adopted by the Department of
Education) (``1979 Policy Interpretation'') that allows educational
institutions to comply with title IX's requirement that they provide equal
sports participation opportunities for their male and female students in
one of three independent ways: by providing participation opportunities for
male and female students in numbers substantially proportionate to their
respective full-time enrollments, by showing a history and continuing
practice of program expansion responsive to the interests and abilities of
the under-represented sex, or by fully and effectively accommodating the
interests and abilities of members of the under-represented sex;
Whereas the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Education in 1996
issued a ``Clarification of Intercollegiate Athletics Policy Guidance''
(``1996 Clarification'') that set out specific examples and additional
advice to guide educational institutions in meeting the standards of this
``three-part test;''
Whereas the 1979 Policy Interpretation and the 1996 Clarification provide
educational institutions with ample and fair guidance on compliance with
title IX and provide flexibility to the institutions so that they may
determine for themselves how best to comply with the law;
Whereas two out of three educational institutions have complied with the
three-part test under the second or third part of the test;
Whereas the three-part test has been deferred to by every Federal appellate
court--nine of nine--that has considered it;
Whereas the three-part test has been supported by every Department of
Education since its adoption in 1979;
Whereas the most recent affirmation of the three-part test came on July 11,
2003, when the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Education
issued the ``Further Clarification of Intercollegiate Athletics Policy
Guidance Regarding Title IX Compliance'' (``Further Clarification'') which
reaffirmed that the three-part test is flexible and fair, specifically
incorporated the factors and examples set forth in the 1996 Clarification,
and pledged to aggressively enforce title IX standards;
Whereas the 2003 Further Clarification followed the Department's
establishment of a Commission on Opportunity in Athletics, which Commission
made recommendations for changes to the title IX athletics policies that
would have seriously weakened title IX's protections and resulted in
significant losses in participation opportunities and scholarships to which
young women are legally entitled;
Whereas the recommendations made by the Commission on Opportunity in
Athletics triggered massive public opposition and generated thousands of
communications to the Department, the White House, and the Congress
supporting the maintenance of the then-current title IX athletics policies
without change;
Whereas the 2003 Further Clarification represented the Department's
rejection of the Commission's recommendations;
Whereas the Department, without notice or opportunity for public input,
issued an ``Additional Clarification of Intercollegiate Athletics Policy:
Three-Part Test--part Three'' on March 17, 2005 (``Additional
Clarification''), which allows schools to demonstrate full accommodation of
women's athletic interests under the third part of the three-part test
solely by conducting an e-mail survey and further allows schools to treat a
lack of response to the survey as a lack of interest in playing additional
sports;
Whereas the Additional Clarification is inconsistent with the 1996
Clarification and with basic principles of equity under title IX because
it, among other problems (1) permits schools to use surveys alone, rather
than the multiple factors set forth in the 1996 Clarification, as a means
to demonstrate full accommodation of women's athletic interests, (2)
conflicts with a key purpose of title IX--to encourage women's interests in
sports and eliminate stereotypes that discourage them from participating,
(3) allows schools to restrict surveys to enrolled and admitted students,
thereby permitting them to evade their legal obligation to measure interest
broadly, (4) authorizes a flawed survey methodology, including by allowing
schools to count non-responses as evidence of lack of interest in
additional sports opportunities, (5) shifts the burden to female students
to show that they are interested in and entitled to additional
participation opportunities, and (6) makes no provision for the Department
of Education to monitor schools' implementation of the survey or its
results;
Whereas for these reasons, the Additional Clarification makes it easier for
colleges and universities to evade their legal obligation to provide equal
opportunity in sports and violates the Department's 2003 commitment to
strongly enforce long-standing title IX standards;
Whereas for these reasons, the Additional Clarification is likely to be
found to violate the standards of title IX as explained in relevant court
cases; and
Whereas for these reasons, the Additional Clarification threatens to
reverse the enormous progress women and girls have made in sports since the
enactment of title IX and to slow, if not stop, efforts to address the
continuing discrimination to which female athletes are still subject: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives
that--
(1) the March 17, 2005, ``Additional Clarification''
violates the spirit and intent of the mandate of title IX of
the Education Amendments of 1972 to provide equal opportunities
in athletics and changes prior Department of Education policies
and longstanding title IX law;
(2) the Department of Education should withdraw the March
17, 2005, ``Additional Clarification,'' leaving intact the
standards of the 1996 Clarification, which standards anticipate
the use of a multiplicity of tools and analyses to demonstrate
compliance under the third part of title IX's three-part test;
and
(3) the Department of Education should honor its 2003
commitment to enforce the standards of longstanding title IX
athletics policies, including the 1996 Clarification.
______
Chairman McKeon. We are going to have a good day today.
What we want to do is focus on the character development
for our children, and I am glad to see a bunch of them here in
the audience.
We have a distinguished panel of witnesses today, and I
want to begin by welcoming them.
First, Mr. Jack Nicklaus, also known as the Golden Bear,
has won a record 20 major championship titles and is arguably
the greatest golfer of all time. He has been named Golfer of
the Century or Golfer of the Millennium by almost every golf
media. He is involved in numerous charitable causes ranging
from junior golf to children's hospitals. Mr. Nicklaus serves
as co-chairperson of the First Tees More Than a Game Campaign.
And I am really, really appreciative of him taking the time out
to be with us here this morning.
Then we will hear from Dr. Maureen Weiss. She is a
professor of the Currey School of Education at the University
of Virginia. Her research has focused on the psychological and
social development of children and adolescents through
participation in sport and physical activity, with particular
interest in self-perceptions, motivation, observational
learning, and character development.
Dr. Weiss served as director of the children's summer
sports program at the University of Oregon from 1982 to 1997.
Currently she is conducting a 4-year longitudinal study of
positive youth development through port funding by the The
First Tee of the World Golf Foundation and Phillip Morris youth
smoking prevention programs.
Then we will hear from Ms. Sharon Aldredge, principal of
Woodley Hills Elementary School, located in Alexandria. Miss
Aldredge began her time in 2001 as an assistant principal and
has served as principal for the last 2 years. Prior to working
at Woodley Hills, Ms. Aldredge was a special education teacher
for nearly 10 years. She has done a greet deal of work with
regards to character education and has even presented
information on this topic to visiting delegations from China
and Egypt.
Finally, we will here from Miss Nancy Hogshead-Makar who is
a world-class swimmer. At the 1984 Olympics she won more Gold
Medals than any other swimmer; three Gold and one Silver. Nancy
has been inducted into seven halls of fame, including the
International Swimming Hall of Fame. In 2004 she was inducted
into the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame. In 2000,
Sports Illustrated named her as Florida's 13th greatest athlete
of the 20th century. Today, Ms. Hogshead-Makar is a professor
at the Florida Coastal School of Law, where she teaches torts
and sports law.
We would like to hear from each of you and then we will
have time for questions from the members of the committee.
Excuse me. I didn't hear that, but we do have a motion to
adjourn. That means Democrats are playing games. So we will go
over and vote and come right back. If we could ask you to
indulge us in that.
Committee stands in recess for 5 minutes.
[Recess.]
Chairman McKeon. The committee will come to order.
Now we can begin. We will have Mr. Nicklaus begin with his
testimony.
STATEMENT OF JACK NICKLAUS, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER
Mr. Nicklaus. My name is Jack Nicklaus.
Chairman McKeon. Jack, is your Mike on.
Mr. Nicklaus. Now we have got it.
OK. I'll start over. My name is Jack Nicklaus. I serve as
Chair for More Than a Game Campaign for The First Tee. My wife
Barbara and I have had a long interest in the welfare of
children, particularly in giving them the opportunity to
develop their full potential. The First Tee is a program that
does exactly that. The First Tee uses the game of golf to teach
youngsters skills that enable them to incorporate positive
values into their behaviors.
The First Tee is based upon nine core values: honesty
responsibility, respect, judgment, courtesy, perseverance,
integrity, confidence, and sportsmanship. And our Life Skills
curriculum ensures that every youngster who comes to The First
Tee is taught more than the game of golf. Some of you might say
that golf is the vehicle but not the destination.
I was fortunate as a child, and I had a strong loving
family with parents who taught me solid values and ethics and
integrity, were interested in everything I did, and encouraged
me, supported me. That included my golf career. Through golf, I
learned at an early age the discipline that this sport
requires, the sportsmanship that it requires. I learned these
and other important values because I was fortunate to have
strong role models, among them my father and my longtime
teacher Jack Grout. My father introduced me to the game and
guided me on the fundamentals, but focused me on the aspects of
golf that could make me a better person than a better golfer.
The first time he saw me throw a golf club, he told me he would
hope that would be the last, and it was.
Jack Grout came into my life at one point for the next four
decades. My fondest memories of Jack were the days that we just
talked about everything in life except golf.
My father and Jack told me that what I actually
accomplished in my golf game was not nearly as important as
earning the respect of others for how I conducted myself and my
life, and that is something I have always tried to do. Golf is
a wonderful vehicle to teach you life lessons, but sometimes it
is the people you meet in the game of golf that guide you
through the most important lessons. Not every child gets the
kind of grounding and positive reinforcement at home and school
that I was fortunate to receive, and that is why programs like
The First Tee are so important for the development of the next
generation.
Children are precious to my wife and me and that is why our
priorities at home or in the community tend to focus on youth.
That is why when Barbara and I created an endowment fund, we
chose The First Tee as the avenue to direct these youngsters so
they might reach and impact as many youngsters' lives as
possible, because we knew The First Tee makes a difference.
I had the privilege of testifying before this committee on
behalf of The First Tee in 2002. The growth and implementation
that we have seen since then has been remarkable.
In 2002, we reached 103,000 youngsters. In 2005 we reached
760,000 youngsters. In 2002 we had 115 facilities; now we have
258. In 2002 we were in 20 States; now we are in 47.
Besides the growth of our First Tee network since I was
here last, we have launched The First Tee national school
program. We are now introducing golf and First Tee's nine core
values into the physical education curriculum in elementary and
middle schools. By 2010, our goal is to be to in 4,000 schools
and to reach 2-1/2 million children through that program alone.
Dr. Weiss is going to tell you about the research we have
done to document the effectiveness of our Life Skills
curriculum. But I would like to say a word about some of the
The First Tee youngsters I have met.
In 2002 I was joined on this panel by Amber Davis, a young
lady and The First Tee participant from Atlanta. I was so
impressed by Amber's maturity, composure, and what she had to
say, I invited her a few months later to come to a grand
opening of one of the golf courses I did. She was terrific.
This morning we had two youngsters, Zalike and Rayshon,
who--I couldn't talk after I was done listening, they were so
terrific. They were just unbelievable.
And last year before the President's Cup competition, I
participated in a First Tee achievers program. Twelve young
people who had persevered through some hardship were brought
together and were honored. One of the two national award
winners, Eric Jones from Fort Smith, had been in a car accident
and it forced him to have to learn to walk and talk all over
again. And as part of his road to recovery, he returned to the
The First Tee of Fort Smith and served as a mentor to younger
children in the program. Eric knew that by helping others he
would also be helping himself.
There are just a few examples of the positive impact The
First Tee has in every chapter, in every part of this country.
At a time when we need to do everything we can to promote
positive values in our children, particularly thinking beyond
ourselves and caring for ourselves, The First Tee has adopted
that mission and is doing it effectively.
These children need our help, including yours. We hope you
will look favorably upon The First Tee and, in turn, the
children this program can and will touch. Thank you for
allowing me to speak to you today and be a voice on behalf of
the children of The First Tee. Thank you.
Chairman McKeon. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Nicklaus follows:]
Prepared Statement of Jack Nicklaus, Professional Golfer
My name is Jack Nicklaus and I serve as a co-chair of the More Than
A Game Campaign for The First Tee. My wife Barbara and I have had a
long time interest in the welfare of children, particularly giving them
the opportunity to develop their full potential. The First Tee is a
program that does exactly that.
The First Tee uses the game of golf to teach youngsters skills that
enable them to incorporate positive values into their behaviors. The
First Tee is based upon nine core values (honesty, responsibility,
respect, judgment, courtesy, perseverance, integrity, confidence, and
sportsmanship) and our Life Skills curriculum ensures that every
youngster who comes to The First Tee is taught more than the game of
golf.
I had the privilege of testifying before this committee on behalf
of The First Tee in 2002. The growth and impact that we have had since
that time has been remarkable:
<bullet> in 2002 we reached 103,000 youngsters; in 2005 we reached
760,000;
<bullet> in 2002 we had 115 facilities, we now have 257;
<bullet> in 2002 we were in 20 states, we are now in 47.
Besides the growth of our Chapter network, since I was here last,
we also launched The First Tee National School Program. We are now
introducing golf and The First Tee's Nine Core Values into the physical
education curriculum in elementary and middle schools. By 2010 our goal
is to be in 4,000 schools and to reach 2.5 million children through
that program alone.
Dr. Weiss is going to tell you about the research we have done to
document the effectiveness of our Life Skills curriculum, but I would
just like to say a word about some of The First Tee youngsters I have
met.
In 2002 I was joined on this panel by Amber Davis, a young lady and
First Tee participant from Atlanta. I was so impressed by what Amber
had to say and her composure that later that year I invited her to
speak at the grand opening of a new golf course I designed in her area.
Last year before the Presidents Cup competition, I participated in The
First Tee's Achiever of the Year program. Twelve young people who had
persevered through some hardship were brought together to be honored.
One of the two national award winners, Eric Jones from Fort Smith, had
been in a car accident that forced him to have to learn to walk and
talk all over again. As part of his road to recovery he returned to The
First Tee of Fort Smith and served as a mentor to the younger children
in the program. Eric knew that by helping others he would also be
helping himself.
There are examples of the positive impact of The First Tee in every
Chapter in every part of the country. At a time when we need to do
everything we can to promote positive values in our children,
particularly thinking beyond themselves and caring for others, The
First Tee has adopted that mission and is doing it effectively.
Thank you for your attention and interest in The First Tee.
______
Chairman McKeon. Dr. Weiss.
STATEMENT OF MAUREEN R. WEISS, PROFESSOR OF EDUCATION,
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
Ms. Weiss. Thank you for the opportunity to speak about the
passion of my life's work: the potential of sport participation
to make an impact on character development and other forms of
social and psychological development.
In my 5 minutes today, I would like to make three key
points:
One, that sports can build character in youth participants,
but it is not an automatic consequence of mere participation.
Second, there is a body of research knowledge out there
that informs us of the conditions under which positive youth
development, including character, can and will likely occur.
And third, the First Tee is an exemplary program for
demonstrating how to maximize positive youth development based
on scientific evidence of its effectiveness.
To my first point that sports can build character but is
not automatic, the role of support in our society in teaching
values to youth has been a controversial topic for many
decades; in fact, at least three centuries or even longer. On
the one hand, we have advocates of sport who claim that sport
builds character by teaching values such as honesty, respect,
responsibility, fair play and cooperation.
There is the other side, though, as well, the sport critics
who say sport doesn't build character. It develops character by
showing individuals how to cheat, be dishonest, and even engage
in aggressive play.
The bottom line is really that sport is a double-edged
sword. It can build character or characters. It depends
tremendously on the quality of adult leadership and the
structure of activities in experiences for youth.
To my second point that a body of knowledge exists that
specifies how and why positive youth departments, including
character education, is most likely to occur through sport
participation. There are many social, contextual, and personal
factors that affect whether individuals develop character. Most
notably, there are three conditions or ingredients that
maximize positive social and psychological outcomes among
youth. One is a psychologically safe climate that emphasizes
personal mastery in group cooperation, rather than comparing
favorably to others and an emphasis on winning. Second is
close, trusting, and caring relationships with both important
adults, such as coaches, parents, and other educators, as well
as peers such as teammates, classmates, and nonsport friends.
And the third condition is the importance of learning skills
that are transferable to other life domains.
So if one is learning honesty and responsibility within
support, the important thing is, rather, that transfers to
other domains of their lives such as school and home.
The million dollar question, though, is which youth sport
programs contain these things that maximize positive youth
development. Which brings me to my third point, that being The
First Tee is a model program for showing how character and
other developmental assets can be developed in youth.
The First Tee is one of the few youth development programs
that I know of as an educator that has these three essential
ingredients for maximizing positive youth development in place.
They have an appropriate climate or context, trained coaches
who embrace a youth-centered philosophy, and a deliberate
curriculum that focuses upon life skills, in addition to
standing out based on having the components of positive youth
development in place. The First Tee now has data base evidence
of its effectiveness in developing character and other positive
attributes. Data base evidence is important for demonstrating
the efficacy of programs and achieving their goals of positive
youth development.
My students and I at the University of Virginia are
currently in the second year of a 4-year study documenting the
effectiveness of the The First Tee educational programs on
positive youth development. In our first year, our results in a
nutshell show that well over 90 percent of the 11- to 17-year
old youths show transfer of skills such as showing respect,
meeting others, and getting to start a conversation, goal
setting, managing emotions, maintaining a positive attitude,
and resisting peer pressure to engage in unhealthy behaviors.
These skills were learned through the deliberate curriculum
within the context of golf and transferred to other important
life domains such as at school, at home, and other social
situations, and in their neighborhood.
This evidence of transfer from the golf context to other
life contexts was corroborated through interviews with parents
and coaches as well.
As researchers, we attribute such positive results to what
we call the synergy among the climate, the program delivery,
and the curriculum in the First Tee. That is, the essential
components for maximizing positive youth development.
Collectively, our findings have shown scientific evidence of
the effectiveness of the The First Tee as an exemplary youth
development program.
So in summary, my points are that character development is
not automatic. One needs to teach for character. The body of
knowledge indicates the conditions under which we teach for
character climate, significant others, and life skills and the
First Tee has evidence of effectiveness.
I want to conclude with a brief quote from one of the 16-
year-old boys on how he has learned through the The First Tee
to make decisions in his life.
I quote: ``when there is a big challenge, it has really
helped me to stop and think about what I am doing and make
decisions that will help me in the long run, 'cause there is so
much to get into trouble especially at my age. It's just good
to stop and think about what you are about to do. Being invited
to a party, you know, there is going to be drugs and alcohol
there. Just don't get involved in it. I have never regretted
the decision that I have made 'cause most of the time that is
what helps me make the right decision.''
Thank you very much for your attention.
Chairman McKeon. Thank you very much.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Weiss follows:]
Prepared Statement of Dr. Maureen R. Weiss, Professor, Curry School of
Education, University of Virginia
Chairman McKeon and members of the Committee, thank you for the
opportunity to speak about a topic for which I have much passion--the
unique social context of sport in developing character and other forms
of social development. In addition, I will discuss The First Tee as an
example of a youth development program that is having a positive impact
on instilling character and teaching important life skills and values
to participants. Today my presentation will include information
stemming from my own as well as others' research on character
development through sport as well as specific findings from our first
year of research evaluating the effectiveness of The First Tee
educational programs on positive youth development. First I would like
to start with some words on the context of youth sport participation in
our country.
Context of Youth Sport Participation
Sport participation is a ubiquitous phenomenon among children and
adolescents in American society. An estimated 30 million youths between
the ages of 5 and 18 years engage in community-based or agency-
sponsored sports (e.g., The First Tee, Little League baseball, U.S.
Olympic Development programs, YMCA/YWCA, Boys' and Girls' Clubs),
ranging from individual sports such as golf and swimming to team sports
such as baseball and basketball (Weiss & Hayashi, 1996). Another 7
million adolescents compete in organized school sports (National
Federation of State High School Associations, 2003).
Girls and boys participate in sport for a multitude of reasons,
most notably to learn and improve skills, to be with and make friends,
to feel part of a group, and to have fun (Weiss & Williams, 2004). When
caring and competent adults supervise youth activities, children
experience positive feelings that translate to a desire to continue
participation and opportunities to reap the benefits afforded by
involvement in such activities.
A substantial body of knowledge documents the potential benefits of
athletic participation. Some of these benefits include self-esteem,
social relationships, intrinsic motivation, self-regulation skills, and
character development (Reeve & Weiss, 2006; Weiss, 1993; Weiss & Smith,
2002). Studies based in school settings have demonstrated positive
effects of sport participation on academic achievement, development of
peer networks, character development, and identity formation (Barber,
Eccles, & Stone, 2001; Eccles & Barber, 1999; Gibbons, Ebbeck, & Weiss,
1995; Marsh & Kleitman, 2003). Moreover, participation in structured
extracurricular activities has been associated with lower dropout
rates, lower antisocial behaviors, and higher educational status
(Mahoney, 2000; Mahoney, Cairns, & Farmer, 2003). Thus, youth
involvement in sport and physical activity affords many potential
social, psychological, and behavioral outcomes.
It is important to note, however, that improvements in self-
confidence, character, and interpersonal skills, among other
characteristics, are not automatic consequences of sport involvement.
The literature on risk prevention and resiliency demonstrates that
effective youth development programs are those that emphasize personal
skill development (e.g., self-regulation, social responsibility),
positive adult leadership styles and behaviors, and a climate focused
upon learning and mastery (Catalano, Berglund, Ryan, Lonczak, &
Hawkins, 2002; Petitpas, Cornelius, Van Raalte, & Jones, 2005).
Educators and parents are responsible for ensuring that youth glean
positive experiences from their activity participation. To do so means
that sport and life skills need to be taught deliberately and
systematically.
Character Development through Sport Participation
Character development is without doubt one of the most hotly
debated topics regarding the benefits and costs of sport involvement.
On the one hand, educators and parents have long attested that
participation in sport can teach children values such as honesty,
respect, empathy, responsibility, cooperation, and fair play. On the
other hand, sport critics implore that sport develops characters, not
character, by lowering the bar for what behaviors are deemed acceptable
during the course of play (Weiss & Smith, 2002). The bottom line is
that sport has the potential to build character or characters,
depending on the quality of adult leadership and the types of
experiences afforded children in the competitive environment.
Children define character consistent with behavioral norms and
conventions within one's society (e.g., follow the rules, take turns,
be honest) as well as concerns about the physical and psychological
well-being of others (e.g., don't make fun of others, don't hurt others
physically, show respect for others). Children understand the gist of
``the golden rule'' (i.e., treat others the way you would want to be
treated) and what it means to ``do the right thing'' when it comes to
defining sportsmanship and fair play (Weiss & Smith, 2002). Children's
definitions are very much in line with the two most prevalent theories
of moral development--social learning and structural developmental
approaches--that have guided inquiry on sport and character
development. This is not surprising given moral psychologist Lawrence
Kohlberg's observation of ``the child as a moral philosopher,''
referring to children's use of their social experiences to form
judgments about what is just, fair, and right.
According to social learning theory (Bandura, 1986), character is
defined as prosocial behaviors that are consistent with societal norms,
such as honesty, respect, and helping. Children learn these behaviors
through observing high status models (e.g., coaches, professional
athletes), interpreting whether parents, coaches, and teammates approve
or disapprove of unsportsmanlike play, and experiencing reinforcement
vicariously (e.g., seeing another player being praised for supporting
teammates). Structural developmental theories focus on individuals'
moral reasoning underlying behavior, or why individuals act the way
they do (see Weiss & Smith, 2002). Children are active participants in
constructing meaning about moral issues by interacting with adults and
peers in a variety of social contexts. According to this approach, a
moral reasoning structure underlies one's judgments about what is right
and wrong; this structure undergoes developmental change as a result of
cognitive maturation and social interactions. Change proceeds from a
focus on self-interest to an other-oriented orientation to a principled
level emphasizing mutual interest and welfare. Collectively, character
development is concerned with both behavioral expression as well as the
reasons underlying behaviors.
One of the many benefits of theory is that its principles can be
tested through empirical research in specific social contexts and
ultimately applied to practical teaching and coaching situations.
Rest's (1984, 1986) four-component model of moral action focuses on two
major sources of influence--social-contextual and individual difference
factors--on moral sensitivity, judgment, intention, and behavior.
Several studies have explored ways in which social settings influence
personal beliefs and behaviors about what is ``right and wrong.'' Other
work has examined how individual differences influence moral beliefs
and actions. Taken together, this body of knowledge shows that both
factors are important contributors to character development in sport.
In the following paragraphs, I briefly summarize the research on
social-contextual and individual difference factors in relation to
character development through sport (Weiss, Smith, & Stuntz, 2006).
The social context in which children reside is a strong contributor
to character development (Weiss, Smith, & Stuntz, 2006). Relationships
with teammates, coaches, officials, and parents shape youths' views of
which behaviors are acceptable and unacceptable in sport. Internalizing
normative beliefs and behaviors occurs through many pathways such as
(a) socialization of prosocial behaviors, (b) modeling of sportsmanlike
and unsportsmanlike behaviors, (c) social approval of aggressive and
unfair play, (d) moral atmosphere, and (e) motivational climate (what
goals are valued and emphasized). Studies show that aggressive actions
are learned by watching elite athletes and are put into play by youth.
In addition, believing that significant others approve of
unsportsmanlike play is related to athletes' own approval of similar
behaviors. The moral atmosphere, or collective group norms about
legitimacy of behaviors, and perceptions of the motivational climate
also influence character development in sport.
Many individual difference factors also influence character
development through sport, including social perspective-taking ability,
moral reasoning level, achievement goal orientations, moral identity,
and self-regulation skills (Weiss, Smith, & Stuntz, 2006). Individuals
who use higher levels of moral reasoning, embrace higher task and lower
ego goal orientations, have a central moral identity, and possess high
levels of self-regulatory efficacy to resist peer pressure tend to both
disapprove of aggressive and unsportsmanlike actions and do not engage
in such actions themselves. Combined with previously discussed research
on social contextual factors, it is clear that both personal and
contextual factors influence moral beliefs and behaviors. Only by
considering both sets of constructs can we comprehensively understand
how to positively influence character development in sport.
One of the main reasons it is so important for youth programs to
target character development comes from the finding that moral
reasoning level in sport and daily life contexts diverges at about ages
12-13 and continues to broaden as age and sport experience increase
(Bredemeier, 1995; Weiss, Smith, & Stuntz, 2006). Moral reasoning for
sport situations is lower than for everyday life issues; Shields and
Bredemeier (1995) coined the term game reasoning to reflect these
differences. Game reasoning reflects one's viewpoint of sport as a form
of bracketed morality or one that is set apart from the broader
morality of everyday life. Game reasoning involves a moral
transformation during athletic contests in which a self-interest
perspective is considered a legitimate means of pursuing the goal of
winning. Features of the sport context help form the ``brackets'' of
sport morality that are embedded within daily life reasoning, such as
rules of the game, officials deciding on rule infractions, and spatial
and temporal separation of sport and everyday life experiences. Game
reasoning is seen when professional athletes' unethical or violent
actions are minimally punished, compared with similar actions in real
life (e.g., high sticking in ice hockey, intentionally throwing
``payback'' pitches at a baseball player). Given the potential for game
reasoning to exist, it is important to recognize that sport is a valued
and powerful social context for promoting high-level moral reasoning
and associated prosocial behaviors in youth participants.
The most encouraging research on character development in sport
comes from intervention studies designed to promote prosocial and
discourage antisocial behaviors among youth. The Fair Play for Kids
program developed in Canada (Gibbons, Ebbeck, & Weiss, 1995) and the
Responsibility Model (Hellison & Walsh, 2002) have been shown to be
effective mostly in physical education settings. These and other
interventions unequivocally show that when environments are structured
to purposefully teach youth positive values and beliefs about
sportsmanlike play, and positive role models are available to reinforce
such behaviors, effects on character development are significantly
different from control participants and the magnitude of effects are
meaningful. The foundation of these programs--competent and caring
adults and activities that are specifically designed to teach life
skills--serves as an exemplar for developing after-school and
extracurricular sports programs that target positive youth development
(Larson, 2000; Mahoney, Larson, & Eccles, 2005; Petitpas et al., 2005).
The First Tee: A Model Program for Promoting Positive Youth Development
Despite the knowledge that youth sport programs have the potential
to make a positive impact on character and other forms of psychological
and social development, systematic and longitudinal studies of
developmental effects of sport programs are scarce (Petitpas et al.,
2005). We are not aware of any research that has followed youth from
their initial participation onwards in a sports program specifically
designed to develop life skills (social, psychological, self-
regulation, character development). Systematic evaluation data are
necessary to definitively show whether youth who participate in a life
skills program show positive developmental outcomes in both the short
and long term of their involvement.
Because positive youth development refers to acquiring
psychological and social skills and characteristics that transfer to
other domains (i.e., life skills), it is imperative that carefully
designed research be conducted to investigate the efficacy of this
assumption. According to Petitpas et al. (2005), positive youth
development is most likely to occur when young people are (a) engaged
in a desired activity within an appropriate environment (context), (b)
surrounded by caring adult mentors and a positive group or community
(external resources), and (c) learning skills that are important for
managing life situations (internal assets). The First Tee is one of the
few youth development programs that have these components in place.
Specifically, The First Tee uses golf as a context and coaches as
external resources to teach life skills (internal assets) to youth so
that positive psychosocial and behavioral outcomes are maximized
(positive youth development).
The mission of The First Tee explicitly targets youth development:
``To impact the lives of young people by providing learning facilities
and educational programs that promote character development and life-
enhancing values through the game of golf.'' Recall that psychosocial
development among youth does not happen automatically; curricula must
be carefully designed based on the body of knowledge on youth
development to ensure positive outcomes. To accomplish its goals, The
First Tee Life Skills Experience provides the core lessons for teaching
interpersonal, self-management, goal setting, and resistance skills.
The First Tee Coach Program provides the training and youth-centered
philosophy to ensure that life skills and positive social and
psychological qualities are likely outcomes. Together, The First Tee
Life Skills Experience and The First Tee Coach Program characterize the
internal assets and external resources, respectively, which target
positive youth development. The First Tee Nine Core Values represent
positive youth development outcomes: honesty, integrity, sportsmanship,
respect, courtesy, judgment, confidence, responsibility, and
perseverance.
Educators, program directors, and policymakers need to know whether
youth programs are effective in achieving their goal of positive
development. If so, this would provide evidence-based information of
effectiveness, pinpoint what works and what doesn't work, identify
program components that are particularly effective, and help identify
where resources should be directed. To borrow from a well-known
advertisement, such information would be ``priceless.''
We are conducting on-going, longitudinal research to document the
effectiveness of The First Tee educational programs on positive youth
development. I would like to share some findings from our first year of
data collection in 2005. We specified three purposes: (a) What impact
do The First Tee life skills programs have on positive youth
development? (b) What is unique about The First Tee life skills
programs that make an impact on positive youth development? (c) What
improvements are suggested for the life skills curriculum and delivery?
Specifically, we were interested in learning how and why The First Tee
contributes to youth development in the Nine Core Values.
We interviewed 95 youth (ages 11-17), 26 coaches, and 24 parents
representing Chapters varying in geographical area and diversity of
participants. We used interviews because they yield substantial
information, empower respondents by allowing information to emerge from
them, and enable a viable method for learning about program
effectiveness. Consistent with the core lesson content of The First Tee
Life Skills Experience, we assessed how knowledgeable and skilled youth
participants were in using interpersonal, self-management, goal
setting, and resistance skills both in the golf context and most
importantly in other domains of their life such as home, school, social
situations, and workplace.
Due to the volume of information we obtained, I will focus on two
sets of results: (a) youth participants' responses relative to the
first purpose on impact of The First Tee life skills education programs
on positive development, and (b) unique features of The First Tee
education programs that make an impact on youth development. For more
detailed information, please see the document I submitted under
separate cover, Summary Report of University of Virginia Research;
``More than a Game:'' Longitudinal Effects of a Life Skills Education
Program on Positive Youth Development.
Results for Purpose #1: What Impact do The First Tee Life Skills
Programs Have on Positive Youth Development?
<bullet> Learning Interpersonal Skills
<bullet> 100% of participants shared how they transfer meeting and
greeting skills to other life domains such as school, home,
neighborhood, sports, and workplace.
<bullet> 94% of participants shared ways in which they show respect
to others in other life domains, such as school, home, sports, and
workplace.
<bullet> Learning Self-Management Skills
<bullet> 95% of participants used specific strategies taught in the
curriculum to control negative emotions such as Be Patient, Be
Positive, and Ask for Help, the 4Rs (replay, relax, ready, redo), and
STAR (stop, think, anticipate, respond).
<bullet> 100% of participants said they use these methods to manage
negative thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in school, at home, in other
sports, and when dealing with siblings, parents, classmates, and
friends.
<bullet> Learning to Make Healthy Choices
<bullet> 91.3% of youth defined wellness in physical, mental,
emotional, and social terms, stated why well-being was important in
golf and life, and disclosed ways of promoting healthy behaviors.
<bullet> Learning to Appreciate Diversity
<bullet> 91.3% of youth indicated how experiences in The First Tee
led to a greater appreciation for differences in skill, age, race,
ethnicity, and culture. Appreciation for diversity was defined in terms
of respecting others, enhancing social well-being, understanding
others' perspectives, and learning from others.
Results for Purpose #2: What is Unique about The First Tee Life Skills
Programs that Make an Impact on Positive Youth Development?
<bullet> Purposeful Connections to Promote Positive Youth
Development: Synergy among Climate, Program Delivery, and Curriculum
<bullet> Voices of adolescents, stories by coaches and parents, and
percentage of youth transferring lessons learned in golf to life
domains substantiate the unique synergy among the program components--
climate, program delivery, curriculum, and core values.
<bullet> Seamless Approach: A Durable Bridge of Golf and Life
Skills
<bullet> An important aspect of the curriculum is integration of
golf and life skills into one activity. The seamless approach to
teaching is likely to have a long-lasting effect on young people
because learning golf is not achieved independently from learning about
life skills in a classroom. They are intertwined in one fun activity
and bridged at the end of the activity.
<bullet> Optimal Challenges: Matching the Activity to the Child,
Not the Child to the Activity
<bullet> The mastery-driven approach is known in the motivation
literature as optimal challenges--defining success for the child
relative to her or his abilities. Modifying facilities, equipment, and
rules, and sequencing skills, align with the child's capabilities such
as the concept of Personal Par.
<bullet> Empowering Youth: Creating an Autonomy-Supportive
Environment
<bullet> Allowing youth to make choices about activities and goals
creates what the motivation literature calls an autonomy-supportive
environment. Including youth in decision making communicates that the
coach is a valued source of support. As The First Tee Coach Philosophy
espouses, ``Kids don't care what you know until they know you care.''
<bullet> Catching Kids Doing Things Right: Motivating through Good-
Better-How
<bullet> The Good-Better-How approach takes more time than ``fixing
the problem'' as many coaches stated as the signature of most junior
golf programs. Instead it is consistent with a philosophy of being
youth-centered, which will motivate young people to enjoy their
experiences and improve their skills and confidence.
Summary of Year 1 Findings and Future Directions
Collectively, findings provide scientific data-based evidence of
the effectiveness of The First Tee as an exemplary youth development
program. The First Tee is having a strong positive impact on young
people's development of life skills and core values. Additionally, the
program is unique especially in the synergy among context (golf),
external resources (program delivery by coaches), internal assets (life
skills curriculum), and The First Tee Nine Core Values. We are now
embarking on Year 2 data collection with our 2005 group and adding a
new group in 2006. Both groups will be followed for at least 3 years to
document (a) retention of life skills knowledge and use as well as
levels of psychological and social development, and (b) differences in
life skills and psychosocial outcomes compared to youth who are not
participants in The First Tee.
Answers to our study questions should ultimately benefit the
children and adolescents who partake of The First Tee in communities
across the United States and abroad. Additionally, the in-depth
information on context, external resources, internal assets, and
psychosocial outcomes identifies The First Tee program as an exemplar
for other youth agencies and provides scientific evidence that may
influence youth public policy. Such evidence should justify funding for
youth programs that can demonstrate efficacy in developing character
and other important social, psychological, and behavioral outcomes.
Concluding Thoughts: Sport Participation and Positive Youth Development
Youth sports comprise an important part of children's experiences
in our society. When experiences are positive, enhanced self-esteem,
character, social relationships, and motivation to maintain an active
lifestyle follow. Caring and competent adults are crucial in shaping
positive attitudes and behaviors through modeling, reinforcement,
expression of beliefs, and creating a cooperative climate. Based on
theory and research, several conditions are necessary to maximize
positive youth development: (a) a psychologically safe environment in
which activities are optimally challenging, (b) close, trusting
relationships with important adults and peers, and (c) acquisition of
skills that are transferable to other life domains (character, social,
emotional). The First Tee has these components in place and is making a
significant impact on positive youth development, thereby achieving the
goals identified in its mission statement. It is important that other
youth development programs also demonstrate their effectiveness in
reaching similar goals. The bottom line is an investment in our
future--youth who grow up to become honest, responsible, and caring
citizens in our society.
______
Chairman McKeon. Miss Aldredge.
STATEMENT OF SHARON ALDREDGE, PRINCIPAL, WOODLEY HILLS
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Ms. Aldredge. Good morning, Mr. Chairman and members of the
committee. First of all, I would like to commend you all for
discussing such an important aspect of education, and that is
the development of moral reason and character in our youth. As
was stated, I have been in education for 15 years, spending the
last 5 years as administrator, and the last 2 as principal of
Woodley Hills elementary School in Fairfax County. I can attest
to the positive results of a strong character education
initiative in a school.
In 1998 Woodley Hills would have been considered, and was
considered, an unsuccessful school. Our test scores were very
low. Only 40 to 50 percent of our students were passing the
Virginia standards of learning test. There was an increase in
suspensions from our students, one or two a week. But at that
time, the principal and other administrator, parents and
community members, came together and decided to implement a
chair to education initiative within the building.
There have been several positive results because of that.
In 2001 Woodley Hills was named a national school of character
by the Character Education Partnership Organization. Eighty to
ninety percent of our children are now passing the Virginia
tests. And we have only three to five suspensions a year.
There have been a lot of changes in that building and, more
importantly, our children come to school happy and they
understand why character education is important.
We did ask some of our fifth grade students why they
thought it was important in the building, and I would like to
read two of their quotes:
One said, ``Larger education at this school is very
important, because character education is what keeps this
school in order. It teaches us the importance of being
respectful, responsible, trusting, caring, acting like a family
member, and how to become a hardworking person when we are
older. Character education also teaches us how to be kind to
others, so that is why character education is important.''
Another fifth grader stated that, ``I would say character
education has made a very big difference here because a lot of
the kids in here pay attention to their lesson and they respect
themselves, others, and property. A lot of kids in this school
are well behaved,'' she said, ``because we were taught what was
right to do and what is wrong to do.''
Now, I need you to know that the success of the school has
not been because of the change in our demographics. We received
Title 1 funding because 57 percent of our children receive free
and reduced lunches, 33 percent of our students are limited
English proficient, 16 percent of our children receive special
education services. And two-thirds are minority. It has not
been because of changes, except that we all consider one
another a family and we are responsible for one another's
success.
Now we have--the one factor that did change from 1998
because materials and resources were available was that
implementation of a strong character education initiative.
There was a shared vision between administrator staff, office
staff, the custodians, bus drivers. Every employee that touched
the child came together to develop a program and institute
character education into every aspect of the curriculum.
As adults, we know that we must model what we expect from
our children. In the morning, administrators and staff members
greet the children as they come off the bus with a smile, a
warm hello, and a hug.
The children are welcomed into their classrooms and are
given jobs so that they learn the sense of family and
responsibility.
During the day, teachers integrate character-building
lessons into the language arts program. They are asked to read.
When they read literature, they are asked to decide whether the
character has made a good choice or bad decision. And they are
also asked to determine whether that decision will impact
others, and, if they were in that story, how would it impact
them.
In writing they use journals and other writing activities
to have the children concentrate on responsibility and caring
so that they become people that can determine whether or not
these characteristics are important in life, and that they are.
Cooperative learning activities are used throughout the
day, especially in science and social studies where they learn
that they must be responsible and that they are accountable to
others; that what they do will determine the success of a
project or an activity that they are learning.
We also believe at Woodley Hills that it is extremely
important to our children to know that we honor their opinions
and that their concerns should be addressed. We give them an
opportunity to share those concerns during class meetings that
are held by each teacher, and at that time the children are
allowed to express their concerns and to develop ability to
solve problems.
Now we have some of our fifth and sixth grade students
utilize those skills on a daily basis as peer mediators, as
student counsel representatives, as patrols. And we spend an
exorbitant amount of time teaching the children how they should
respond to such a civic responsibility and to honor that they
have been chosen to represent their peers.
Character education is also taught in P.E., arts and music,
and I am so pleased to read about the The First Tee program and
am very interested in trying to implement it now into our
school because during P.E. We not only talk about sportsmanship
and honoring rules, but they must respect their bodies. And
there are notebooks which the children utilize to express goals
for their health as well as an opportunity to discuss how they
solve problems. So they often in those notebooks will write how
they have completed a chore, how they have helped a family
member, or how they have avoided a potentially negative
situation that they have encountered in their neighborhood or
with a family member or friend.
Now, there is a wonderful sense of family and mutual
respect at Woodley Hills, but we do have problems on occasions
as every school will. But what we do to work through those
problems is that we process through the issue with the child,
because it is extremely important for them to learn about their
mistakes and, more importantly, to avoid them again.
Now, if a child does disrupt learning in the building, then
they are asked to make amends for that disruption by providing
some type of civic service to either the school or their
classroom. We want to teach them that, again, we are
responsible for one another.
At Woodley Hills, character education has truly become part
of our culture. We do not view the development of moral
reasoning and character as a program or an isolated topic to
teach. We feel and are very committed to integrating character
education into every aspect of the school day.
And due to the implementation of character education and
sound teaching, we are proud to say that Woodley Hills has
transformed into a successful school and the students, the
parents, and the staff members are very pleased to call that
home.
In closing, I would like to share one final quote from one
of our students. Again he was asked, Why is character education
important? And he simply stated, Our school is a better, safer
place because of character education. And I could not have
answered that question better myself.
Again, I thank you for your time and attention on such an
important matter. And I hope we can continue this conversation.
Thank you very much.
Chairman McKeon. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Aldredge follows:]
Prepared Statement of Sharon D. Aldredge, Principal, Woodley Hills
Elementary School
Good morning, Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee. First, I
would like to commend you for taking the time to discuss such an
important aspect of education. It is wonderful that you recognize what
Socrates, Kohlberg, Lickona and so many others have taught us
throughout the years; that is, the importance of developing moral
character in our youth.
Thank you for the honor of testifying on such an important topic.
My name is Sharon D. Aldredge, and I have been an educator for fifteen
years. I have spent the last two years of my career as principal of
Woodley Hills ES in Fairfax County Public Schools, Virginia.
I could share information on the positive results of character
education initiatives in states such as South Carolina and California;
however, I would like to offer a personal story. I can attest that the
implementation of a strong character education initiative will affect
every aspect of a school. By establishing a positive culture and
climate, there will be an increase in test scores, grades and
attendance rates. More importantly, children will learn skills that
will enable them to be successful not only in school but in life.
Students will become civically responsible members of their school
communities as well as society.
In 1998, Woodley Hills was considered an unsuccessful school. Only
40 to 50 percent of our students were passing the Virginia Standards of
Learning tests and suspensions were occurring once or twice a week.
Woodley Hills was ranked as one of the bottom twenty schools in the
division.
After much discussion and debate, the administration, parents,
staff and community members began a character education initiative, and
there have been several noticeable changes in the school since the late
1990s. In 2001, Woodley Hills was named a ``National School of
Character'' by the Character Education Partnership organization. Eighty
to ninety percent of our students have passed the Virginia Standards of
Learning tests. Discipline problems are almost nonexistent in the
school, with only three to five suspensions a year. Our children are
happy to come to school, and they understand why we are teaching
character education. Two students shared the following statements when
asked if character education is important.
``Character education at this school is very important because
character education is what keeps this school in order. It teaches us
the importance of being respectful, responsible, trusting, caring,
acting like a family member, and how to become a hardworking person
when we're older. Character education also teaches us how to be kind to
others, so that's why our school has character education.''
``I would say character education has made a very big difference
here because a lot of kids in this school pay attention to their
lessons and they respect themselves, others and property. A lot of kids
in this school are well-behaved because we were taught what is right to
do and what is wrong to do.''
The success of the school has not been because of changes in our
demographics. In fact, we receive funding from Title I, and we are
classified as a school-wide program. Approximately 57 percent of our
543 students receive free or reduced meals, and 2/3 of our student body
are minority students. Thirty-three percent of our students are
identified as Limited English Proficient, 16% receive special education
services and 20% Gifted and Talented. Our students come from very
diverse backgrounds and speak over 30 different languages; however, we
view each other as family members, and we believe we are responsible
for one another's success.
It is important to note that there was a strong academic program
with materials and resources available to teachers and students prior
to 1998. The one factor that changed was the implementation of a
character education initiative that involved every member of the school
community. The students, office staff, custodians, parents, teachers,
cafeteria employees and administrators developed a shared vision and
became responsible for modeling and integrating character education
into every aspect of the school environment.
As adults, we model the behaviors we expect to see from our
children. In the morning, administrators and staff members greet the
children as they enter the building with a smile, hug, and a warm
hello. The children are welcomed into their classrooms and are asked to
complete jobs to build a sense of responsibility and family. During the
day, the teachers integrate character building into lessons that are
focused on the FCPS Program of Studies and the VA SOLs. When reading
literature children are asked to determine if the character has made a
``good choice'', or to determine how others in a story might be
affected by the decisions that were made. Teachers also use journals or
writing activities to encourage children to express the importance of
respect, responsibilities and many other character traits. Cooperative
learning activities are utilized to teach the children how our actions
affect those around us and the importance of responsibility, trust and
hard work. These attributes are taught during all content area;
however, they are explicitly emphasized during science and social
studies instruction.
At Woodley Hills, we have also found that we must let our children
know they are important and that we want to hear their opinions, so
every teacher conducts class meetings. During these meetings, children
have an opportunity to share their concerns and opinions, thus teaching
the children how to advocate for themselves and speak up when they
notice both positive contributions by their peers as well as areas
where improvement is needed. The children are given the support they
need to solve their own problems. Some of our fifth and sixth grade
students are called upon to utilize such skills by serving as peer
mediators, Student Council representatives, as well as safety patrols.
We spend a great deal of time teaching our students how to handle such
civic responsibilities.
Character education is also taught in art, music, and physical
education. In the respective subject areas, the children learn about
famous artists, musicians, and athletes who have demonstrated exemplary
character. In music, the children sing songs and learn skits focused on
specific character traits. In physical education classes, children not
only learn about good sportsmanship and honoring rules, they also learn
how they must respect their bodies. One of our physical education
teachers requires the students to keep a notebook in which they write
down their health goals and how they demonstrate the character traits
at home or school. The children often share how they have helped a
family member, completed a chore, or how they avoided a potentially
negative situation in the neighborhood or with a friend or family
member.
Although there is a wonderful sense of family and mutual respect in
the school, there are problems on occasion. However, I can proudly
state that 97% of our students never receive an office referral due to
behavior. If a child does demonstrate a behavior problem, we take time
to process through the issue with the student. It is important that the
child learn from his or her mistake and more importantly learn how to
avoid the same behavior again. If a child disrupts the learning of
other students, he or she will often perform a service for the school
or their class to make amends for their behavior.
At Woodley Hills, character education is truly part of our school
culture. We do not view the development of moral reasoning and
character as a program or an isolated topic to teach. The staff is
committed to integrating character education into every facet of the
school day. Due to the implementation of character education and sound
teaching, Woodley Hills has transformed into a school that the
students, parents and staff can be proud to call home.
In closing, I would like to share one final quote. When our fifth
grade students were asked why character education is important to
Woodley Hills, one young man simply answered, ``Our school is a better,
safer place because of character education.'' I must say that I could
not have answered the question better myself.
Thank you for your time and attention to this most worthy topic.
______
Chairman McKeon. Ms. Hogshead-Makar.
STATEMENT OF NANCY HOGSHEAD-MAKAR, PROFESSOR AND OLYMPIC GOLD
MEDALIST, FLORIDA COASTAL SCHOOL OF LAW
Ms. Hogshead-Makar. Thank you. Good morning, Mr. Chairman
and members of the committee, I am Nancy Hogshead-Makar. I want
to thank you for this opportunity to testify today regarding
the importance of increasing opportunities for our children to
participate in sports programs such as First Tee to build
character, develop leadership skills, and enrich the health of
all children. I ask my written statements attachments be
included in the report.
As a longtime advocate for asthmatics and for drug-free
athletics environment as well as gender equity, it is
heartening to me that other organizations are providing access
to athletics as an opportunity to build life skills. The
subject we are discussing is heavily researched. I provided you
with copies of the Women's Sports Foundation Publication, Her
Life Depends on It. It is a compilation of the best research on
the impacts of sports participation on young children, but
particularly on young girls. The results of this large body of
research are stunning, while we in athletics have been exposed
to the transformative nature of the sports experience.
Athletics are a vital part of education. Success is a learned
skill.
I learned a lot about character and leadership development
by getting into a cold pool every morning for 8 years, swimming
800 laps a day, plus lifting weights and running on days that I
did not want to, with every cell in my body. But I did it
anyway because I was more committed to getting a particular
result than to being in a good mood on any one particular day.
The lessons that I took with me 22 years ago are the same
ones available to every individual participating in athletics
today. Research demonstrates the remarkable educational
benefits that girls in particular derive from sports
participation. No, it is not 100 percent, but it is certainly--
but participating is associated with marked differences in
graduation rates, in grades; it seems to translate into
business success.
The long-term health benefits of a sports experience in
high school are astounding. As little as 2 hours of aerobic
activity a week reduces a woman's chance of getting breast
cancer by 60 percent for the rest of her life. Diseases like
osteoporosis and Alzheimer's also are deeply affected for the
rest of one's life.
Athletes are less like to engage in risky behaviors. They
are less likely to be sexually active, to be pregnant, smoke,
or use illicit drugs. There is also heightened mental health
benefits. They are less likely to plan a suicide, have much
lower rates of depression. In addition, this research suggests
that failure to provide girls with athletic and fitness
opportunities endangers the public health.
One law this legislative body passed more than 34 years ago
this week, Title IX, is responsible for impressive gains in
opportunities for girls and women in athletic programs in every
measureable criterion, including participation opportunities,
athletic scholarships, operating budgets and recruiting
expenditures. Gender equity in athletic departments is fueled
by the longing for access to these same life-long skills and
benefits that sports participants reach, the same ones lauded
here today.
Before Title IX was enacted, fewer than 32,000 young women
took part in collegiate sports. Now it is 150,000. In high
school that number has gone from 300,000 girls to over 2.8
million. The law has provided girls and women with many
sporting opportunities, and indeed my college athletic
experience would not have happened but for Title IX.
But even after 34 years, the playing field is still far
from level. Women continue to lag behind men's athletic
programs in every measurable criteria, including participation
rates, scholarship dollars, operating budgets, recruiting
expenses. There is still much that remains to be done.
But despite the success that is directly attributable to
Title IX, the gains that women have achieved through Title IX
are in jeopardy. On March 17, 2005, the Department of Education
announced its, quote, additional clarification. It contravenes
the basic provisions of Title IX and its longstanding
jurisprudence. The clarification allows schools to claim they
are in compliance with Prong 3 by by gaging females' interest
in athletics by just conducting one e-mail survey.
Every legal authority, including the Department's own prior
policies and regulations, agrees that surveying existing
students is an inaccurate, biased, and invalid method of
determining compliance to Title IX's Third Prong. Failure to
respond to a survey in these days of excessive e-mail spam can
be interpreted as a lack of interest in playing sports.
Surveys also ignore the respect of recruiting and the self-
selection of athletes of existing desired sports programs.
Since then, a wide array of organizations, including
athletics, civil rights, and academic organization has called
for the clarification to be rescinded. Opposing organizations
include but are certainly not limited to the NCAA, the Women's
Sports Foundation, the National Women's Law Center, the
Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the National Education
Association, the YMCA and many college presidents, just to name
a few.
Of all of the things this committee could do to promote
today's agenda to build character, their leadership skills, and
health through athletic participation, none is more critical
than to demand the Department of Education rescind this
dangerous policy. Because the clarification directly conflicts
with the goals that this committee is supporting here today, I
respectfully urge further action in this regard.
Over the 34 years of life of Title IX, it has enjoyed
tremendous bipartisan support. Despite the fact that sports in
girls and women have proven to be so beneficial, and despite
the fact that girls' gains have not come at boys' expense,
there is still a deeply destructive backlash against the
promise of equity made in the law more than three decades ago.
First the new policy dramatically weakens existing law and
policy. Now they can use this survey alone. Before they had to
consider many other factors such as they had to ask--they had
to have interviews with students and coaches and
administrators. They had to look at requests by other students
to add a particular sport. They had to look at what the
participation rates were in club sports and intramural sports.
They had to look at participation rights in high school and
amateur athletic associations that were operating in the area
or community sports leagues from which the school draws its
students. The clarification eliminates the need to look at
these other factors.
The surveys are likely to measure only the current
discrimination that has limited or continues to limit sports
opportunities for girls.
If surveys have been permissible when I graduated from
college in the late 1980's, quote, interest and ability would
have been capped at the then-current rate of 25 percent rather
than the 41 percent that collegiate women enjoy today; because
if a girl has never been given the opportunity to participate,
she is unlikely to fill out the form and say that she wants to
participate; or, two, that she has already developed the skills
to be ready to participate.
To quote the movie in The Field of Dreams, If you build it
they will come: I know of no instance in which a coach was
hired, facilities were provided and a budget was provided and a
coach was not able to fill that team.
Instead, we need to be exposing all of our children to new
academic topics and new--and new experiences so that they get
to reap these benefits.
Third, by allowing schools to restrict the surveys to
enroll an admitted student, the clarification lets schools off
the hook by having to measure interest broadly. The
clarification ignores the reality that most students are
recruited or, at the very least, self-selected.
If Duke University had not had a swimming program, I would
not have gone to Duke University. At the college level athletes
are only rarely recruited from the existing student body but,
rather, recruited from the Nation or country at large. It is no
accident that Duke University has 7-foot basketball players
walking around the halls. They don't just happen to enroll
there. Duke goes out there and spends enormous resources to be
able to do that. At the high school level, a couch finds
students, with and without experience in his field, who is big
enough and fast enough, and urges them to come out for the
team. Now a, college that goes out and recruits male athletes
from all over the country can eliminate the obligation to do
the same for female athletes if female athletes fail to receive
a response or e-mail survey.
Now a high school is not obligated to encourage female
athletes to come out for teams in the same way it encourages
male athletes to come out for teams, so long as it administers
an e-mail survey that does not generate sufficient response
from the girls.
Four, the clarification authorizes a flawed e-mail survey.
Chairman McKeon. Are you just about done?
Ms. Hogshead-Makar. Yes.
For example, if a student doesn't respond, you can
interpret that to mean they are not interested in sports. OK,
this turns imperialism on its ear. Normally when you have a
survey, a certain percentage of people respond and you take the
results of whoever responded and extrapolate that out. You
don't make it mean one way or another.
For all of these reasons, the Department's new
clarification represents a giant step backwards and thwarts the
progress that women and girls have made for 34 years. If left
in place to use by schools, the new clarification will lead to
reduction in opportunities for our Nation's daughters.
We call on this Congress to do everything within its power
to make sure this does not happen. The most effective action
this committee can take to promote today's agenda to build
character, leadership skills, and health through athletic
participation, none would be more effective than to determine
the Department of Education rescind its additional
clarification. Because the clarification directly conflicts
with the goals that this committee is supporting today, I
respectfully urge for you to take action. Thank you.
Chairman McKeon. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Hogshead-Makar follows:]
Prepared Statement of Nancy Hogshead-Makar, Professor, Florida Coastal
School of Law, Former President of the Women's Sports Foundation,
Olympic Champion
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee: Good Morning, I am Nancy
Hogshead-Makar. Thank you for providing me with the opportunity to
testify today regarding the importance of increasing opportunities for
our children to participate in sports as an exercise in building
character, developing leadership skills, and enriching the health of
all children. I ask that my written statement and attachments be
included in the record.
The subject we are discussing today is important. The mission of
the First Tee, ``To impact the lives of young people by providing
learning facilities and educational programs that promote character
development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf''--is
one with which every sports advocate would agree. As a long-time
advocate for asthmatics and for a drug-free athletics environment as
well as gender equity, it is heartening to me that other organizations
are providing access to athletics as an opportunity to build life
skills.
The subject we are discussing is also heavily researched. While we
in athletics have long espoused the transformative nature of a sports
experience, there is substantial empirical evidence to support that
what we've known intuitively: Athletics are a vital part of education.
Sports participation teaches young people critical lessons, including
how to set goals and work to achieve them, how to win and lose
gracefully, how to postpone short term gratification for long term
rewards, how to perform under pressure, how to function as part of a
team, and how to take criticism. Student-athletes develop self-
confidence, perseverance and a desire to succeed.
Representing my country for eight years on the United States
National Team was a tremendous source of pride. But the most valuable
prizes from all those years are not my Olympic Gold Medals. Standing on
the victory stand was an exceedingly proud moment, but the real value
to me was in those life lessons. Success is a learned skill. World-
class training in my sport at that time involved swimming an incredible
800 laps per day, plus lifting weights and running, 6 days a week. From
seventh grade until I graduated from high school, I woke up at 4:45 to
get ready for a 5:30--7:30am practice. I learned a lot by getting into
that cold pool on days when every cell in my body wanted to be
elsewhere. I did it because I was more committed to doing something
significant with my life than I was to being in a good mood on any one
particular day. Seeing what I could achieve became my own noble
purpose. The lessons I took with me 22 years ago are the same ones
available to every kid participating in athletics today.
I have provided to you copies of the Women's Sports Foundation's
publication, ``Her Life Depends on It'', a compilation of the best
research on the impact of sports participation on young children, but
particularly young girls. The results of this large body of research
show that sports participation and physical activity are fundamental
solutions for many of the serious health and social problems faced by
American girls.
For example, research confirms that participation in athletics is
associated with academic success. Contrary to the ``dumb jock'' myth,
interscholastic sports participation provides both boys and girls from
diverse socioeconomic, race and ethnicity backgrounds measurable
positive educational impacts, including improvements in self-concept,
higher educational aspirations, improved school attendance, increased
math and science enrollment, more time spent on homework, and higher
enrollment in honors courses. H.W. Marsh, The Effects of Participation
in Sport During the Last Two Years of High School, SOCIOLOGY OF SPORT
J. 10:18-43 (1993).
The educational benefits girls, in particular, derive from sports
participation are stunning. For example, female student-athletes have
higher grades and higher graduation rates than their non-athletic
peers. NCAA graduation rates for women remain high--68% compared to 58%
for the Division I female student body. See 2001 NCAA Graduation Rates
Report, available at http://www.ncaa.org/grad--rates/2001/index.html.
In high school, both white and black female student-athletes graduated
at rates higher than their student-body counterparts. See Nat'l Fed'n
of State High School Ass'ns, The Case for High School Activities
(2004), available at http://www.nfhs.org/scriptcontent/Va--custom/va--
cm/contentpagedisplay.cfm?content --ID=71&SearchWord=case%20high%
20school%20activities (A state-wide, three-year study by the North
Carolina High School Athletic Association found that athletes had
higher grade point averages (by almost a full grade point), lower
dropout rates, and higher high school graduation rates, than their non-
athletic peers); see also Richard E. Lapchick, Keeping Score When it
Counts: Graduation Rates and Diversity in Campus Leadership for the
2004 Women's Sweet 16 Teams, University of Central Florida's Institute
for Diversity and Ethics in Sports (March 2004) (study showing that
female athletes in the national basketball tournament had exceedingly
high graduation rates).
These educational benefits appear to translate into business
success. A recent study by the Oppenheimer Fund found that more than
four out of five executive businesswomen (81%) played sports growing
up--and the vast majority reported that the lessons they learned on the
playing field have contributed to their success in business. New
Nationwide Research Finds: Successful Women Business Executives Don't
Just Talk a Good Game * * * They Played One (2002), available at http:/
/www.massmutual.com/mmfg/pdf/boardroom.pdf. The business of sports,
including athletic administration, coaching, sports management, sports
medicine, marketing and manufacturing, is a nearly $200 billion per
year industry.\4\ Sports Bus. J. 47 (March 2002), available at http://
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/images/random/SportsIndustry.pdf. A
common gateway into a career in the sports industry is having
significant sports experience on one's resume.
The life-long health benefits of an adolescent sports experience
are as dramatic as the academic benefits. The risks for girls and women
appear daunting.
<bullet> Obesity: In 1970, only one out of every 21 girls was obese
or overweight; today that figure is one in six. (National Center for
Health Statistics, 2002).
<bullet> Heart Disease: Cardiovascular disease is the number-one
cause of death among American women (44.6% of all deaths), and the
death rate is 69% higher for black women than for white women (American
Heart Association, 2003).
<bullet> Cancer: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among
women, accounting for nearly one of every three cancers diagnosed in
American women (Jemal et al, 2004).
<bullet> Osteoporosis: Of the 10 million Americans estimated to
have osteoporosis, eight million are women. (National Osteoporosis
Foundation, 2003).
<bullet> Tobacco Use: In grades 9-12, 29.5% of female students
report current tobacco use. (Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 2002).
<bullet> Drug Use: Thirty-eight percent of 12th-grade girls and 18%
of eighth-grade girls have used an illicit drug at least once during
the past year (Johnston, O'Malley and Bachman 2002).
<bullet> Sexual Risk: About 1/4 of sexually active adolescents are
infected with a sexually transmitted disease each year (Kirby, 2001).
<bullet> Teen Pregnancy: The United States has the highest teen
pregnancy and birth rates in the industrialized world. About 80% of
teen pregnancies are unintended (National Campaign to Prevent Teen
Pregnancy, 2002).
<bullet> Depression: By age 15, girls are twice as likely as boys
to have experienced a major depressive episode. This gender gap
continues for the next 35 to 40 years, until menopause (Cyranowski et
al, 2000).
<bullet> Suicide: In 2001, about one in four U.S. high school girls
seriously considered suicide, and one in 10 actually
attempted to kill herself (National Center for Health Statistics,
2003).
<bullet> Pathogenic Weight Loss Behavior: Over 90% of victims of
eating disorders are female, and 86% report onset by age 20 (National
Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, 2004).
These issues account for much of the more than $1 trillion spent on
healthcare for treating these issues. The available research
demonstrates that more physical activity and sports participation are
fundamental solutions for many of these serious health and social
problems faced by our nation's young girls. See Her Life Depends On It,
at 38. For example, women who participated in regular physical exercise
during their reproductive years have up to a 60% reduced risk of breast
cancer. See Leslie Bernstein, et al., Physical Exercise and Reduced
Risk of Breast Cancer in Young Women, 86 J. Nat'l Cancer Inst. 1403
(1994) (reporting that one to three hours of exercise per week over a
woman's reproductive lifetime may bring a 20-30% reduction in the risk
of breast cancer, and four or more hours of exercise per week may
reduce the same risk by almost 60%). Physical activity and sports
participation in the school-age years have been shown to increase bone
density to prevent osteoperosis. D. Teegarden, et al., Previous
Physical Activity Relates To Bone Mineral Measures In Young Women, 28
Med. & Sci. in Sports & Exercise 105 (Jan. 1996). Higher levels of
physical activity earlier in life may reduce the risk for Alzheimer's
later in life. See Sandra K. Pope, et al., Will a Healthy Lifestyle
Help Prevent Alzheimer's Disease?, 24 Annual Review of Public Health,
111 (2003). These results suggest that implementation of regular
physical exercise programs as a critical component of a healthy
lifestyle should be a high priority for adolescent and adult women.
Female athletes are also less likely to engage in risky behaviors.
Female athletes are less likely to become pregnant as teenagers than
their non-athlete counterparts. See T. Dodge and J. Jaccard,
Participation in Athletics and Female Sexual Risk Behavior: The
Evaluation of Four Causal Structures, 17 Journal of Adolescent Research
42 (2002); The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
Report, Physical Activity & Sports in the Lives of Girls, (Spring
1997), available at http://education.umn.edu/tuckercenter/pcpfs/
default.html (citing to studies suggesting that higher rates of
athletic participation among adolescent girls were significantly
associated with lower rates of both sexual activity and pregnancy).
They are also less likely to smoke or use illicit drugs. See, e.g.,
M.J. Melnick et al., Tobacco Use Among High School Athletes And
Nonathletes: Results Of The 1997 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 36
Adolescence 727 (2001); see also Wyoming High School Activities Ass'n,
Student Activities Survey (1998) (finding that only 25% of high school
athletes, compared to 40% of non-athletic high school students, smoke
cigarettes); K.E. Miller et al., The Women's Sports Foundation Report:
Health Risks and the Teen Athlete, 1, 8 (2000) available at http://
www.womenssportsfoundation.org/binary-data/WSF--Article/pdf--file/
771.pdf. (national study finding that female athletes, especially white
female athletes, involved in school or community sports were
significantly less likely to use marijuana, cocaine or most other
illicit drugs); R.R. Pate et al., Sports Participation and Health-
Related Behaviors Among U.S. Youth, 154 Archives of Pediatric &
Adolescent Med. 904 (2000) (same); The Case for High School Activities,
(concluding that 92% of high school athletes do not use drugs).
Additionally, Athletic participation is also associated with
heightened mental health benefits. Female high school athletes show a
markedly lower incidence of considering or planning a suicide attempt,
and women and girls who participate in regular exercise suffer lower
rates of depression. See Don Sabo et al., High School Athletic
Participation and Adolescent Suicide: A Nationwide Study, International
Review for the Sociology of Sport (2004); G. Nicoloff, and T.S.
Schwenk, Using Exercise to Ward Off Depression, 9 Physician Sports Med.
23, 44-58 (1995); R.M. Page & L.A. Tucker, Psychosocial Discomfort and
Exercise Frequency: An Epidemiological Study of Adolescents, 29
Adolescence, 113, 183-91 (1994) (suggesting that physically active
adolescents tend to feel less lonely, shy, and hopeless as compared to
their less physically active peers). Indeed, this research suggests
that the failure to provide girls with athletic and fitness
opportunities endangers the public health. See Her Life Depends On It,
at 5.
One law this legislative body passed more than 34 years ago last
week--Title IX--is responsible for impressive gains in opportunities
for girls and women in athletics. Gender equity in athletic departments
is fueled by the longing for access to these life-long skills and
benefits that sports participants reap, the same ones lauded here
today. Before Title IX was enacted, fewer than 32,000 young women took
part in collegiate sports. Now more than 150,000 take part. In high
school, the number has gone from 300,000 girls to over 2.8 million.\1\
This law has proven to provide girls and women with sporting
opportunities.
But even after 34 years, the playing field is still far from level.
Women's athletic programs continue to lag behind men's athletic
programs in every measurable criterion, including participation
opportunities, athletic scholarships, operating budgets and recruiting
expenditures. Much remains to be done. For example, although on average
women are 54% of the students in colleges, they receive only 43% of the
sports participation opportunities, 38% of athletic operating dollars
and 33% of the money spent on recruitment.\2\ At the high school level,
girls represent only 42% of varsity athletes.\3\
Moreover, the gains that women have achieved through Title IX are
in jeopardy. On March 17, 2005, the Department of Education announced
its ``Additional Clarification'' of its policy for collegiate
compliance with Title IX in athletic programs. It issued the
``Clarification'' without any public input or comment, merely posting
it on its website on a Friday afternoon. The ``clarification'' is a
terrible step backward that undermines the values of the mission of
sports opportunities for both genders. In this regard, I am joined by
more than 100 organizations who have called for the Department's
``Clarification'' to be rescinded. These organizations include the
NCAA, the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education, and many
college presidents. Of all the things this Committee could do to
promote today's agenda--to build character, leadership skills and
health through athletics participation--none is more critical than to
demand that the Department of Education rescind its recent ``Additional
Clarification'', which undermines the provision of full and fair
opportunities in athletics. Because the ``Clarification'' directly
conflicts with the goals that this Committee is supporting today, I
respectfully urge further action in this regard.
Over the 34-year life of Title IX, it has enjoyed tremendous bi-
partisan support. The framers of the legislation (and later the
guidelines governing athletics) understood that requiring equality in
educational opportunities in sports programs could not happen
overnight, and that is the reason why the current guidelines and the
three-part participation test are crafted the way they are. The
guidelines and the test are flexible and fair. But Title IX has also
been under constant attack and scrutiny since it was enacted, and today
is unfortunately no different. Despite the fact that sports for girls
and women have proven to be so beneficial--and despite the fact that
the evidence shows that girls' gains have not come at boys' expense--
there is still a deeply destructive backlash against the promise of
equality made in the law more than three decades ago.
In June 2002, a 15-member commission was appointed by Secretary of
Education Roderick Paige to review opportunities in athletics. The
Department spent a year and about $700,000 of taxpayers' money to come
up with 23 recommendations.4 Although a USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll
conducted during the Commission's tenure indicated that seven of ten
adults who are familiar with Title IX think the federal law should be
strengthened or left alone,\5\ many of the Commission's ultimate
recommendations would have seriously weakened Title IX's protections
and substantially reduced the opportunities to which women and girls
are entitled under current law.
For this reason, and because the Commission's report failed to
address key issues regarding the discrimination women and girls still
face in obtaining equal opportunities in athletics, Co-Commissioners
Julie Foudy and Donna DeVarona released a Minority Report because their
positions were not included in the final report.\6\ The Minority Report
pointed out that Title IX athletics policies have been critical in the
effort to expand opportunities for women and girls, have been in place
through Republican and Democratic Administrations, and have been upheld
unanimously by the federal appellate courts. In addition, advances for
women and girls have not resulted in an overall decrease in
opportunities for men; in the cases where men's teams have been cut,
moreover, budgetary decisions and the athletics ``arms race'' are the
true culprits. Even Myles Brand, President of the NCAA, has testified
that revenue-producing sports in big-time colleges are to blame for
current budget problems in colleges. Based on these findings, the
Minority Report recommended that the current Title IX athletics
policies not be changed but enforced to eliminate the continuing
discrimination against women and girls in athletics. It also
recommended that schools and the public be educated about the flexible
nature of the law, reminded that cutting men's teams to achieve
compliance is not necessary or favored, and encouraged schools to rein
in escalating athletics costs to give more female and male athletes
chances to play.
Instead of implementing any of the 23 recommendations, the outcome
of this lengthy and costly Opportunity in Athletics debate was that the
Department of Education laudably rejected the Commission's proposals
and strongly reaffirmed the longstanding Title IX athletics policies.
In its July 11, 2003 ``Further Clarification of Intercollegiate
Athletics Policy Guidance Regarding Title IX Compliance,'' \7\ the
Department of Education stated: ``After eight months of discussion and
an extensive and inclusive fact-finding process, the Commission found
very broad support throughout the country for the goals and spirit of
Title IX. With that in mind, OCR today issues this Further
Clarification in order to strengthen Title IX's promise of non-
discrimination in the athletic programs of our nation's schools.'' The
document goes on to say that Title IX's three-part participation test
provides schools with three separate ways to comply and that nothing in
that test requires or encourages schools to cut men's teams; it also
promised that OCR would aggressively enforce the longstanding Title IX
standards, including implementing sanctions for institutions that do
not comply.
However, less than two years after strongly reaffirming the
longstanding Title IX athletics policies, and without any notice or
public input, the Department of Education did an about-face and posted
on its website, late in the afternoon of Friday, March 17, 2005, a new
Title IX policy that threatens to reverse the enormous progress women
and girls have made in sports since the enactment of Title IX.\8\ This
new policy, called an ``Additional Clarification,'' creates a major
loophole through which schools can evade their obligation to provide
equal sports opportunities to women and girls. The Clarification allows
schools to gauge female students' interest in athletics by doing
nothing more than conducting an e-mail survey and to claim--in these
days of excessive e-mail spam--that a failure to respond to the survey
shows a lack of interest in playing sports. It eliminates schools'
obligation to look broadly and proactively at whether they are
satisfying women's interests in sports, and will thereby perpetuate the
cycle of discrimination to which women have been subjected. The new
Clarification violates basic principles of equality, as I explain
further below.
It is deeply troubling that the Department would change its 2003
stated position, in which it reaffirmed the longstanding Title IX
policies and pledged to enforce them. Instead, the Department of
Education has unilaterally adopted this dangerous new policy without
public announcement or opportunity for public comment. To fully
understand why this new Clarification is so dangerous, it is important
to review the relevant longstanding Title IX athletics policies. Title
IX requires schools to provide males and females with equal sports
participation opportunities. A 1979 Policy Interpretation elaborates on
this requirement by providing three independent ways that schools can
meet it--by showing that:
<bullet> The percentages of male and female athletes are about the
same as the percentages of male and female students enrolled in the
school (the ``proportionality'' prong); or
<bullet> The school has a history and continuing practice of
expanding opportunities for the underrepresented sex--usually women; or
<bullet> The school is fully and effectively meeting the athletic
interests and abilities of the underrepresented sex.\9\
The Department's new Clarification allows schools not meeting the
first or second prongs--that is, schools that are not providing equal
opportunities to their female students and that have not consistently
improved opportunities for them--to show that they are nonetheless in
compliance with Title IX by doing nothing more than sending a ``model''
e-mail survey to their female students asking about their interest in
additional sports opportunities.
This new policy would dramatically weaken existing law and policy.
First, it allows schools to use surveys alone to demonstrate compliance
with the law. Under prior Department policies, schools had to consider
many other factors besides surveys to show compliance with prong three,
including: requests by students to add a particular sport;
participation rates in club or intramural sports; participation rates
in sports in high schools, amateur athletic associations, and community
sports leagues in areas from which the school draws its students; and
interviews with students, coaches, and administrators.\10\ The new
Clarification eliminates the obligation to consider these important
criteria.
Second, surveys are likely to measure only the current
discrimination that has limited, and continues to limit, sports
opportunities for women and girls. If surveys had been permissible when
I graduated from college, in the late 1980s, ``interest and ability''
would have been capped the then-current rate of 25%, rather than the
41% collegiate women enjoy today. If a girl has never been given the
opportunity to participate, she is unlikely to respond favorably to a
survey. To quote the movie Field of Dreams, ``If you build it, they
will come.'' I know of no instance in which a high school or college
started a varsity women's team, hired a coach and then had the coach
return his or her paycheck because he or she could not find enough
women to play. Courts, too, have recognized that interest cannot be
measured apart from opportunity.\11\ The new Clarification is
particularly damaging for students in high school, where female
students are likely to have had even fewer sports opportunities to gain
experience prior to being surveyed. Instead, like exposure to new
academic topics, all students should be encouraged to try many
different sports to take advantage of the many health, economic,
academic and leadership opportunities that we are addressing today, and
not have their opportunities limited by what they might have already
experienced.
Third, by allowing schools to restrict surveys to enrolled and
admitted students, the Clarification lets schools off the hook from
having to measure interest broadly. The Clarification ignores the
reality that most student athletes are recruited--or, at the very
least, that students self-select based on what a school is offering. If
Duke University had not had a swimming program, I would not have
applied to attend. At the college level, athletes are only rarely
recruited from the existing student body, but rather are recruited from
the region or country at large. It is no accident that Duke has seven-
foot tall basketball players walking the halls. It spends enormous
resources to make sure that it attracts the top talent from all over
the country. At the high school level, the coach finds students with
and without experience or skill who are big enough or fast enough and
urges them to come out for the team. Now, a college that goes out and
recruits male athletes from all over the country can eliminate the
obligation to do the same for female athletes if female students fail
to receive or respond to an e-mail survey. Now, a high school is not
obligated to encourage female athletes to come out for teams in the
same way it encourages male athletes to come out for teams, so long as
it administers an e-mail survey and does not generate sufficient
response from the girls.
Fourth, the Clarification authorizes flawed survey methodology. As
one example, schools may e-mail the survey to all female students and
interpret a lack of response as evidence of lack of interest. The
Clarification reads, ``Although rates of nonresponse may be high with
the e-mail procedure, under these conditions, OCR will interpret such
nonresponse as a lack of interest.'' Experts in survey methodology
confirm that inferring nonresponses as ``no interest'' turns survey
empiricism on its ear. A general rule of thumb is that only a small
percentage of persons who receive a survey respond to it. The results
of the respondents are then generalized to the population of interest.
If half of the respondents indicated they were interested in sports,
then the school should assume that half of the female students are
interested. For bias demonstrative purposes, reverse the OCR approach.
A school would send out an e-mail survey and ask students if they have
NO interest in a given sport. Nonresponses would then be interpreted as
affirmative interest. Additionally, many high school and college
athletes lack access to e-mail. The Clarification will allow schools to
avoid adding new opportunities for women even where interest does in
fact exist on campus.
Fifth, the new Clarification shifts the burden to female students
to show that they are entitled to equal opportunity. The survey creates
a presumption of compliance with Title IX, as long as the school has
not recently dropped a women's team or had a recent request for
elevation of women's club sport to varsity status. Once the survey is
administered, the burden of demonstrating compliance shifts from the
college or school to the athlete, a difficult legal hurdle for an
athlete to surmount. It will be the rare student who will attend a
school and then be prepared to surmount such a legal high hurdle.
Finally, the Department's new policy does not even require that the
Office for Civil Rights monitor schools' use of the survey to ensure
that they meet minimal requirements for survey use or interpret the
results accurately.
In summary, the Clarification and ``model survey'' contravene the
basic principles of Title IX and its long-standing jurisprudence. Every
legal authority--including the department's own prior policies and
interpretations--agrees that surveys of existing students are an
inaccurate, biased, and invalid method of determining compliance under
Title IX's third prong. Surveys ignore the effect of recruiting and the
self-selection of athletes with existing desired sports programs. Yet
the Department's letter and ``model survey'' contravene the law's very
purpose by further disadvantaging women via a biased and rejected
methodology.
Since then, a wide array of organizations, including athletic,
civil rights, and academic organizations have continued to object to
the Clarification on a number of grounds.\12\ Opposing organizations
include the NCAA, the Women's Sports Foundation, the National Women's
Law Center, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the National
Education Association, and the YMCA, to name a few.\13\
In response to a Senate Appropriations Committee request, the
Department prepared a report in March of 2006 that was to respond to
the substantial negative public response to the Clarification.
Unfortunately, the Department of Education's report does not change
even the most glaring problems with the Clarification, such as allowing
e-mail survey non-responses to be interpreted as lack of interest. The
report only re-confirms that its controversial Clarification is a
seismic change in course and that schools can shun their fundamental
responsibility of offering equal athletic opportunities for women, in a
manner never before permitted.
For example, the Department's new report concludes that for the 14
year study period, the Department's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has
never allowed a school or university to rely upon a survey alone to
deny women additional sports opportunities. Moreover, the report found
that most schools considered many factors other than surveys in
determining the extent of women's interest in sports, such as
participation in high school and community sports, coaches' opinions
and participation in club or intramural sports. The report documents 54
cases where schools attempted to justify low numbers of athletic
opportunities for women under Prong 3, which is an assertion that the
school is providing all the interested women with opportunities to
participate in athletics. These schools relied on surveys and other
indicators, and when the previously-required factors were considered,
the schools were ultimately required to add a total of 70 new women's
athletic teams. Additionally, in each of the six cases where schools
attempted to use interest surveys alone to assert compliance under
Prong 3, the OCR rejected each claim of compliance. Again, when the OCR
evaluated the previously-required additional factors, they found that
women were interested in more participation opportunities at these
schools. In short, the new report supports the obvious conclusion that
interest surveys alone are woefully inadequate at showing the extent of
interest that truly exists on a campus. The report highlights the low
response rates of surveys, and that the OCR's active intervention is
necessary to ensure full Title IX compliance. The Clarification, of
course, imposes no such requirement.
In summary, the overwhelming evidence--including the Department's
own new report on the Clarification--demonstrates the Clarification's
serious methodological flaws, which have been exposed by commentators,
interest groups, and prior judicial decisions. As Neena Chaudhry,
senior counsel at the National Women's Law Center said in response to
the report, ``The report confirms that the Department set too low a bar
for Title IX compliance--and that that standard is unprecedented in
OCR's enforcement efforts. The Department of Education should rescind
the policy and instead focus on enforcing the law so that women can
finally enjoy equal athletic opportunities at our nation's schools and
colleges and universities.''
For all these reasons, the Department's new Clarification
represents a giant step backwards and thwarts the progress that women
and girls have made in the past 34 years. If left in place and used by
schools, the new Clarification will lead to a reduction in
opportunities for our nation's daughters. We call on this Congress to
do everything within its power to ensure that this does not happen. The
most effective action this Committee can take to promote today's
agenda--to build character, leadership skills and health through
athletics participation--none would be more effective than to demand
that the Department of Education rescind its recent ``Additional
Clarification.'' Because the ``Clarification'' directly conflicts with
the goals that this Committee is supporting today, I respectfully urge
you to take action.
ENDNOTES
\1\ National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), 1982-2002
Sponsorship and Participation Report 65, available at http://ncaa.org/
library/research/participation--rates/1982-2002/participation.pdf;
National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), 2002 High
School Athletics Participation Survey, available at http://
www.nfhs.org/nf--survey--resources.asp.
\2\ NCAA, 2002-03 Gender Equity Report (2004).
\3\ NFHS, 2002 High School Athletics Participation Survey.
\4\ See ``Open to All'': Title IX at Thirty, The Secretary of
Education's Commission on Opportunity in Athletics, Feb. 28, 2003,
available at http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/athletics/
report.html.
\5\ Erik Brady, ``Poll: Most adults want Title IX law left alone,''
USA TODAY, Jan. 7, 2003.
\6\ See Minority Views on the Report of the Commission on
Opportunity in Athletics, Report Submitted by Donna de Varona and Julie
Foudy, Feb. 2003.
\7\ Office for Civil Rights, United States Department of Education,
``Further Clarification of Intercollegiate Athletics Policy Guidance
Regarding Title IX Compliance,'' July 11, 2003.
\8\ Office for Civil Rights, United States Department of Education,
``Additional Clarification of Intercollegiate Athletics Policy: Three-
Part Test ? Part Three,'' Mar. 17, 2005.
\9\ United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare,
Office for Civil Rights, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972;
a Policy Interpretation; Title IX and Intercollegiate Athletics, 44
Fed. Reg. 71,413 (December 11, 1979).
\10\ United States Department of Education, Office for Civil
Rights, Clarification of Intercollegiate Athletics Policy Guidance: The
Three-Part Test (Jan. 16, 1996).
\11\ Cohen v. Brown University, 101 F.3d 155, 179-80 (1st Cir.
1996).
\12\ Academic experts, in particular, have listed the flaws in the
Clarification. See ``The Center for Research on Physical Activity,
Sport & Health (CRPASH) report on the Limitations of the Department of
Education's Online Survey Method for Measuring Athletic Interest and
Ability on U.S.A. Campuses'' at http://www.dyc.edu/crpash/limits--of--
online--survey.pdf
\13\ A more complete listing of supporting organizations can be
found at: http://www.savetitleix.com/who.html
______
Chairman McKeon. There has been a vote called on the floor.
I will begin questioning. Those of you who would like, if you
would like to go over and vote and come back, I am not planning
on recessing. We will just work through this. There is just one
vote.
Mr. Nicklaus, since you testified before the committee 4
years ago, there has been a lot of growth in the number of
students participating in the program. I would like to know to
what do you attribute this growth and have other youth programs
sought to replicate some of the same things that you are doing
in building character, and do you think that then actually you
are beyond the 780--what were those numbers again, the 760,000?
You probably reached more students by other organizations
picking up some of these same methods.
Mr. Nicklaus. I think so. I think that the support of that
information is better behind me. Len Stachitas can answer that
question better than I can, I think.
Mr. Stachitas. We have partnerships with many youth service
organizations include the Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCAs, and so
the values that we are teaching, while the kids come to The
First Tee, they get it directly. They carry those back to their
other organizations as well. And we are now working on a
program to export our curriculum in to boys' and girls' clubs,
YMCAs, to youngsters who don't have to come to us, but we can
take The First Tee to them.
Chairman McKeon. Is funding one of the limiting factors in
your growth, or have you been able to raise all of the money
you need to move forward?
Mr. Nicklaus. I don't think I need to ask him for that. If
funding wasn't a limiting factor----
Chairman McKeon. I seem to find that in about whatever----
Mr. Nicklaus. Whatever we do.
The ability to be able to build facilities, to be able to
bring people into the programs, obviously takes money. And to
be able to reach all of these kids to do the things that we
need to do is very difficult to do it without funding. I mean,
it has been funded privately, to a large degree, and also with
help from you over the last few years; but to continue to reach
more kids, to continue to expand, obviously finances are
needed.
Chairman McKeon. Thank you.
Ms. Aldredge, you know we have talked a lot around here
about teachers and how important they are in the classroom. We
don't talk enough, I don't think, about principals and how
important they are.
When I go onto a campus, I can tell if there is a good
principal. You just feel it. You feel it in the classroom. You
feel it from the children as they walk around, and their
response to the principal.
You are really to be commended for what you have done on
your campus. How did you get your parents, your faculty, as you
said, everybody on the campus participating? How did you do it?
Ms. Aldredge. Actually, unfortunately, I wasn't there at
the school when they started in 1998 but was very good friends
with the former principal. But what they did was to have a
retreat where they brought in staff members, I think over a 2-
day period of time. Every member of the staff and community
that wanted to be involved came together. They brainstormed.
What they wanted their children to have in their future, how
they wanted to be as adults, and then we--they sat down and
they developed the curriculum and the atmosphere that they
wanted to implement for the children.
From that point, we have continued to do that. I have a lot
of parents involved on committees and a lot of just general
conversations when they come in the building, because a lot of
our parents are working parents, so they do have a difficult
time coming in during the day. But it is the main focus every
time we have a staff meeting, every time an e-mail is out, we
discuss the impact of television, of radio, of their
neighborhoods, of their environments, and how can we counteract
that.
And then also--I have to be honest--when I interview
teachers, I look for those characteristics in the teachers that
we bring into the building to make sure that we continue that
philosophy and that motivation and that energy within the
staff. And we have the children--probably shouldn't say--but
our children truly believe and they also would come with
suggestions to me. So we truly do advocate for them to speak
up, and they bring suggestions and thought.
Chairman McKeon. So the whole community has bought into----
Ms. Aldredge. The whole community has bought into this. I
know it is difficult because we have been doing this since
1998, and I have heard of other schools where it has dwindled
off and it is because we keep that energy going throughout the
community.
Chairman McKeon. Thank you very much.
Ms. Woolsey.
Ms. Woolsey. Let us talk about funding. The House Labor-HHS
appropriations bill that passed committee just a couple weeks
ago cuts P.E. Funding from $72 million a year to $26 million.
This is a 63 percent decrease. So let us--Professor Hogshead-
Makar, why don't you talk about how that affects Title IX?
Ms. Hogshead-Makar. Well, P.E. Is--in many cases is the
gateway to response participation. It is a way the kids learn
the basic skills: how to hit a ball, throw a ball, how to work
in cooperation in teams. It's usually what they do in the
elementary school levels and in junior high school before they
get into the teams on high school. It gives them those
fundamental skills. Obesity right now is an enormous problem in
this country, and girls in particular suffer more obesity and
they have a greater problem with obesity.
So, you know, if we don't have those feeder programs that
lead up to the high schools and colleges, then you know it is
just one more step behind that all of our children are going to
be. I mean, that is a problem for, again, for all of our
children. It is not--doesn't affect one race or one
socioeconomic group or one--you know, it affects everybody,
boys and girls, and that is a very big problem. We really need
to have P.E. In the schools because health--it is hard to do a
lot else in your life when you don't have your health.
Ms. Woolsey. So, Mrs. Aldredge, you are the feeder school.
And you have given testimony about the importance of good
sports programs and the role they play in character and health
and self-confidence. What happens to your school when there
isn't sufficient funding for P.E. classes?
Ms. Aldredge. That is a very good question, and I could see
that we would have great difficulty in the building. And not
just so much the P.E., but it would not give the children an
opportunity to sort of venture out into the sports--organized
sports youthful organizations probably. We are fortunate that
even when sometimes the Federal funding does not come through
in Fairfax County, the community is able and the district is
able to ensure that we have P.E. Teachers. But I do know of
colleagues that have told me that they are cutting them, you
know, music programs and the sports, P.E. Programs, and their
children are not given those opportunities. And that is quite
upsetting to us all because, as you said, as people of
character, if we say we are going to do these things for our
children, then we do need to make sure that we follow through
on it.
Ms. Woolsey. Sports is an equalizer. And it shouldn't
depend on what kind of neighborhood you live in or what school
you attend whether you have those opportunities. I represent
Marin and Sonoma County just north of San Francisco. But there
are poor pockets in my district and the community works very
hard to try to support them, but they don't always have the
same opportunities. And that is what I think the Federal
Government is all about--being the equalizer.
Dr. Weiss, it looks like you might want to say something.
Ms. Weiss. I was wondering if I could make a comment about
the physical education as well.
In 1996, the Surgeon General identified physical inactivity
as a top risk factor for cardiovascular and other physical and
mental diseases. And Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
just had a 10-year conference to look at what is the research
on physical activity in public health. So it is--for me, it is
a real disconnect at a time where physical activity is so
important for public health, including physical and mental,
that there has been this 63 percent cut in physical education
in the schools. And as you can see, The First Tee is also going
into the schools to try and have an impact there as well.
But if there are fewer and fewer physical education
programs, it really does have a negative impact on all kinds of
outcomes. That just comes from my general background as well as
my work with The First Tee.
Ms. Woolsey. Thank you so very much. I am going to go vote,
Mr. Chairman. Are you?
Chairman McKeon. Probably not.
Ms. Woolsey. Do you want to adjourn?
Chairman McKeon. Well, that means I am going to get to ask
more questions here.
Back to fundraising. As cochair of the fund raising, what
are some of the things you do to raise money for The First Tee?
Mr. Nicklaus. Well, we have different outings in different
places. We have different meetings that we go to. We try
different areas that we go to, trying to raise private funds.
And to a large degree, we have been reasonably successful. To
the numbers I think that--Len could give better numbers than I
can. And if you don't mind, I would appreciate getting that
support.
Mr. Stachitas. We have an annual budget of about $15
million and we raise about 12 of that privately. We turn around
and we give over a third of that back to our chapters, so I do
not want you to think we are raising $15 million for
headquarters. That is not the case at all. But what we have
found is really when we talk about the First Tee as a youth
development program, which is how we view ourselves, that that
opens the interest of many possible funders. Frankly, in our
early history, we were viewed as a junior golf program and the
only people interested in that are golfers. Thankfully, there
are a lot of golfers, but we are more than that.. And we never
were just a junior golf program.
So we get a sympathetic hearing in many quarters, I am
happy to say, when we talk about our life skills program and
what we do for the children. And, as Jack said in his testimony
and at the breakfast this morning, that golf is just a vehicle,
it is not the destination.
Having said that, to your earlier question, we have 258
facilities. We could easily have 458 if we had the money to do
it, but we just do not.
Chairman McKeon. Generally, manpower or womanpower, people
power, and finances is the limiting factor probably in any
venture.
Mr. Stachitas. Correct.
Mr. Nicklaus. If I may add just a little bit to that. One
of the things that a lot of us have done, particularly in my
case and particularly with some of the funds that I have
brought in, that the funds came in, are not for administrative;
they are for kids only and the usage of the kids and the
teaching.
Chairman McKeon. You said you give a third back to the
local groups. They must be raising money on their own, then, if
they need. So you do more than 15 million for First Tee, if you
take those, what they raise at a local level.
Mr. Nicklaus. Yes. Some of it is needed for administration,
obviously. Some of it, like stuff that I have done and other
people have done, it totally goes to the kids, which means it
does not go to administration. It all goes into the teaching
part.
Chairman McKeon. Thank you. I am going to go vote.
Mr. Osborne [presiding]. As you can see, we are a little
discombobulated here. We apparently have somebody who has a
motion to rise every 30 minutes, so it is going to be one of
those day. We have something like 80 amendments pending on this
appropriations bill and we are going to try to get through 80
amendments and then have a motion to rise every 30 minutes, so
it will be a very interesting day.
I do have a few questions. First of all, I want to commend
Mr. Nicklaus for being here, and those of you who are
representing First Tee. My experience in athletics has been
paralleled by some of the observations that you have, and that
is that athletics does not automatically build character.
Athletics reveals character oft times. And unless you are
fairly intentional about it, unless you have a specific program
in mind, you may not see the desired results. So we are pleased
that you have done that.
And, Ms. Aldredge, I am really impressed with your
testimony. So I am pleased with all of you being here.
I really did not come here to discuss Title IX, but I have
lived it. I used to be a football coach for 36 years, and so I
thought maybe some of the comments that have been made deserve
some response. And that is that at Nebraska, we had 22 sports
when I left in 1997. One supported itself, football; one broke
even, basketball; and the remaining 20 needed financial support
and were financed primarily by football. And when Title IX was
written, there were three tests of compliance. One was
increased opportunities for the underrepresented sex; in other
words, were more opportunities continually being added. So many
programs complied by continually adding women's sports. At
Nebraska, we added women's rifle, no men's team. We added
women's bowling. No men's team. And so you do that for a while
and then you hit the wall financially. You cannot afford to
continue because there isn't enough money. And Nebraska
receives no State money, so it was all self-generated.
So we saw a tremendous increase in women's participation.
And I applauded that. I was very pleased to see it. And yet at
one point we reached a limit. So then rules were passed that
walk-ons could no longer walk on, because they counted. And so
we would have 150 players walk on, but we could only allow 110
to come out in the fall. We began to see men's wrestling go
away, we saw men's baseball, we saw men's track, because if you
are going to go with proportionality--at one time it was 60/40,
men to women, and now it is 56 percent women and about 44
percent male. And if you are going to have a football program,
you have got a problem with proportionality.
We were not going to get rid of football because that paid
for everything else. And so the question is, what do you do?
Well, you in many cases eliminate men. And that is something
that we need to look at really hard. I do not think anybody
wanted to see that. So it is my time and then I will be glad to
let you talk. So I want to make people aware of that.
The third test, besides proportionality and additional
responsibilities, was interest. And that was on the books; that
was in the law for years and years and years. And it was never
a matter of a court decision. They would not consider it. And
so that has been something that has been added. Now, it may be
the survey, it may be that the questionnaire is not
appropriate. Maybe there is a better way to determine interest.
But I think you do see in high school where it is thrown open,
anybody can go out for anything, you will see more men
participate than women. You will see more men walk on than
women. And so we have to recognize that. It is not a one-size-
fits-all.
So anyway, I just want to make those comments and make sure
that there was some understanding that there is more at stake
here than just a survey. It is something that has been ongoing
for many, many years.
And so with that, I just want to commend you all for
coming, and thank you. My main interest in athletics has been
character development. And I feel that that is what this
primarily should be about, but I do recognize that there is
concern about Title IX.
I do have a question for Ms. Aldredge here, and that would
have to do with the fact that you have seen substantial
improvement in graduation rates and behavior, but a lot of the
academic indicators are doing better since you have done
something with character education. I wonder if you could flesh
that out a little bit in terms of dropout rates, grades, and so
on; things that you could give us in terms of any statistics
that you feel are important.
Ms. Aldredge. Well, at the elementary level, fortunately,
we do not have a lot of students dropping out. The attendance
rates have improved greatly. Our students are at school 95
percent of the school year, on average. Our scores, we just
recently took our writing SOL tests, and 95 percent of our
children that took the test passed the SOLs this year.
We have had an increase in grades as far as pretty much, I
would say, in Fairfax County. We also have a citizenship
section on our report card with more caveats and things. And,
on average, most of our students receive either outstanding or
good in those indicators as well. But as I said, 97 percent of
our children have never had an office referral. And we have a
school of about 550 children. So we have been fortunate that we
have been able to work with the children so that the majority
of them actually never come into the office because of a
behavior problem. If there are minor issues, they have been
able to have been handled in the classroom.
Mr. Osborne. Well, thank you. And I think there is no
question that behavior is critical in terms of academic
performance. So I think what we are doing is probably more
important than anything we can do, maybe even through No Child
Left Behind. Because if thelearning environment isn't there,
nobody is going to learn.
I have used my time up, and so I would like to recognize
Mr. Kildee at this time. He is the quickest on the Democrat
side. He was able to get over there and vote and get back. So I
recognize him at this time.
Mr. Kildee. I am a track star, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Ms.
Hogshead-Makar, for all you have done. As the father of sons
and daughters, and a grandfather of grandsons and
granddaughters, I am very, very grateful for your role in
making Title IX work. It was passed the year that my daughter
was born and it has transformed her life a great deal. She
attended school in Fairfax County, and we have very much
appreciated the active role that Fairfax County schools play
out there.
If everyone who benefited in Title 1 really turned into as
great an advocate as you, it would really be a lot better. It
is a great program. Patsy Mink used to sit down from me, and we
all loved Patsy Mink. She was such a great advocate for Title
IX.
As your testimony points out, equitable participation in
athletics has had a profound effect upon the lives of women.
But recently the administration's policy clarification really
undermines the intent and value of Title IX.
Ms. Hogshead-Makar. Yes.
Mr. Kildee. Opting in puts a burden on you. In effect, what
the administration is doing is having you opt in; and, to my
mind, there is a certain unfairness requiring an opting in. And
143 of us have written directly to the President of the United
States, not one of his Cabinet officials, not one of his
subalterns, we have written to the President of the United
States. That was a year ago, and he has not yet responded. It
must have got lost in the mail; 143 signed it.
But can you talk about the negative aspect of requiring a
female to have to opt in to a program, really, by this method
for which the administration is working?
Ms. Hogshead-Makar. Sure. In addition to my testimony, men
never have to prove that they are interested in sports; we just
assume they are. We hire the coaches. We build the facilities,
and we provide them with many opportunities to play sports. If
you do the same thing for women, the same thing happens. If you
build it, they will come.
My own personal experience actually sort of mirrors this.
As I said in the beginning, I am 44 years old and right when I
went to college in 1980 was right when the effects of Title IX
were just starting to be seen. It was passed in 1972. The
regulations came out in 1975, saying here is what athletic
departments have to do. So it was right around 1978, 1979;
then, all of a sudden, bang, there were college scholarships
available for women. So people who had my credentials, that
were world champions or national recordholder, that were just 2
years older, did not have any scholarship activities, whereas I
literally could have gone almost anyplace I wanted to. Just
almost overnight, lots and lots of opportunities opened up.
When I was in high school I said in a newspaper interview,
I said, Don't women usually quit right around the age in their
senior year in high school? I just thought physically women
could not do anymore. That that was really it. It was because
of Title IX, having these scholarship opportunities, having
teams that were available at all for women in athletics, that
suddenly the whole world opened up.
Fast forward now to 1984. At the Olympics I tied for the
Gold Medal with Carrie Steinseifer who was only 16 years old.
And Carrie--we had a lot of endorsement opportunities. We
turned them all down because Carrie assumed that, of course,
her athletic career was going to be that long, that she was
going to swim in college, and that she was getting a full ride.
The thinking just changed overnight.
When I was back in high school, if you had said that I had
to fill out a survey and say whether or not I was interested in
playing sports--first I was given the opportunity and then I
developed the interest to be able to go and play in college.
The cart did not come before the horse. I think it will be a
very unusual woman who will go to college that does not offer
that sport, wanting to play that sport, and then sort of do
everything that it is going to take. My goodness, the legal
hurdle these women are going to have to be able to actually
create a team now is going to be almost insurmountable with
this new additional clarification.
Mr. Kildee. I thank you personally and I want to thank you
also on behalf of Patsy Mink, because this is so dear to her
heart. Thank you for what you are doing.
Mr. Osborne. Thank you Mr. Kildee. Mr. Kind.
Mr. Kind. Thank you very much, Coach Osborne. I want to
thank all the panelists for your testimony here today and on
this very important topic. Mr. Nicklaus, I want to especially
thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule for being
with us this morning for the breakfast and for your support for
youth programs generally, but also the First Tee program. It is
an incredibly successful program, still very much in its
infancy, and that was demonstrated this morning with the two
students who were there to address a room full of Members of
Congress and Senators, and it was very important. Mr. Payton
was there and he addressed us this morning. He did an
outstanding job. I see Miss Nesbith had to take off right now,
but you both did an excellent job and I commend you because
that is some heady stuff, walking into the United States
Capitol, maybe for the first time, and having to address a full
room of Members of the House of Representatives and some
Senators in the audience, talking about the First Tee and the
impact it made on your lives. It was very very important.
Now, as the father of two little boys myself, I am trying
to introduce them into a life of athletics as I was able to
grow up under. There is no greater joy than to be able to share
that experience with your own children and teach them the life
lessons and the value system that they hopefully will develop.
That is one of the things that is impressive about the First
Tee program, the life skills education program that is
receiving so much emphasis that you guys talked so eloquently
about this morning at the breakfast. It is not just a game, but
it is character formation and value formation and good
mentoring and role models in young people's lives, which I
think is the key to later success but also academic
achievement.
One of the things that we have coming up in Congress in the
next session will be reauthorization of No Child Left Behind.
It was a bill that was passed in the first year of the Bush
administration. I think we have a lot of work in order to
address some of the deficiencies now that we have seen it play
out. And I see the principal on the panel is kind of nodding
her head in agreement. We are going to be looking for feedback
on what changes we have to effectuate with reauthorization.
On of the deficiencies that really jumped out at me,
though, and I hope we get some support on the committee, is the
fact that physical education is not considered a core academic
subject under No Child Left Behind. I think it is important
that we go back and address that again, especially looking at
the statistics with childhood obesity and type II juvenile
diabetes and the role that athletics help in shaping good
bodies, but, more importantly, good minds for learning
opportunities. I think we have to go back and address that.
And, Dr. Weiss, perhaps it will be an opportunity for us to
follow up with you and get some input and advice, given a lot
of work that you have devoted on this very topic. We are
looking for feedback and what we can do to hopefully shape a
real good program for that through the reauthorization process.
And I really do not have any questions, other than maybe if
Jack has advice on a flying right elbow that I have been
battling in my pretty pathetic golf career.
Mr. Nicklaus. That is my speciality, a flying right elbow.
Mr. Kind. I have read your books. I hopefully have picked
up some valuable points and tips.
Thank you all for your testimony here today, for your
support for these important programs and your testimony about
youth development in general.
I apologize for the erratic schedule that we have. There
are some crazy things going on on the House floor today. Mr.
Chairman, thank you for convening this hearing today. We will
look forward to working with you as the reauthorization of No
Child Left Behind approaches this committee. Thank you very
much.
Chairman McKeon. Thank you. Ms. McCollum.
Ms. McCollum. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It is nice not to
watch you on TV, Mr. Nicklaus. And I want to thank you--I am
from Minnesota--for all the times in the winter I do not have
to look at snow outside and I look at beautiful, beautiful
weather. And I think First Tee has a role to play, but I am
concerned in the way that some of the funds are being
appropriated; $2 million came out of the COPS program and
things like that.
So if this is important enough to fund, we need to find a
way in which it is funded up front, having hearings on its
funding, and then fund it that way, rather than going to
conference committee and it is coming out of the character
education budget for the regular schools and things like that.
I want to just take this opportunity to kind of combine
Title IX and golf together. In 1971 and 1972--for those of you
have who might try to do the math, that makes me about 52, 53.
In 1971 Muriell Foss, who was my phy ed teacher, came up and
tapped me on the shoulder and she said, Would you like to learn
how to play golf? I looked at her and I said, Get out of here,
there is no way, my parents do not play, I do not play, we
literally do not have the money for green fees, whatever. She
said, We are putting together a group of girls who participate
in GAA, which is what we had before we had Title IX, and we
thought it might be an opportunity for some young girls in
south St. Paul to learn how to play golf.
Muriell had a passion for it. We heard her talk about it
all the time in phy ed.
In 1972, my senior year, I got to play again in the fall,
but my access was through Title IX. And so I think that there
is room and opportunities for both programs. But one of the
reasons that I am so passionate about Title IX, sitting here
today--and I barely golf at all--but the opportunity it gave me
to experience a sport, an opportunity. And I think there is a
lot of character to playing golf, a lot of manners, a lot of
respect that goes into it. And so it does help develop
character.
But when I had a town hall meeting on and I sent a letter
to the President, who forwarded my letter to the Secretary of
Education, on the clarification on the way that they were going
to be assessing the interest in high school and college sports
for women, I got back a letter that was very unsatisfying. My
town hall meeting--and we had tennis coaches there, we had golf
coaches from women's athletics, both in high school and
college, and they all said, including the young women athletes,
this was like the worst way to interact with people to get any
response back.
And so it was because of opportunities that First Tee and
Title IX present that I, Mr. McKeon, I really would like to see
us have a discussion that did not become polarized on party
lines but really on how do we continue to move our sons and our
daughters together forward.
So I would like us to look at the way in which First Tee is
funded. If it is important enough to fund alone--and from the
testimony here it should be--it should not be coming out of the
expense of the COPS programs which help provide safe
neighborhoods for students and at the expense of character
development in our schools.
We would look forward to having a hearing in which we can
move forward with Title IX and learn more about programs like
First Tee. Thank you.
Chairman McKeon. I would love to have discussions that do
not become polarized by party. And I think that would be a good
step forward for this committee and all committees here on the
floor. I think we have made lots of progress. Those of you who
have been here, Mr. Kildee has been here a hundred years, he
has seen lots of change, lots of progress. And I think we have
gotten rid of a lot of personal rancor that used to permeate
this committee, and we will continue hopefully to make progress
in that regard.
The COPS program. One of the problems with being here for a
while is you start remembering things that happened back
awhile. And I remember when we first passed the COPS program,
that was just going to be a jump-start program, and I remember
the Los Angeles mayor, Mayor Riordan at the time, calling me
and saying, Look, we just need a little money to get this
started and if you can just help us get it started for a couple
of years, then we will carry it on ourselves. I think that was
about 10 or 12 years ago.
And it is just impossible to get rid of programs here once
they start. They develop a constituency and there is further
demand for the money. And that was when it was originally
passed, was to be a temporary jump-start program that is
continuing to this day.
Mr. Ehlers.
Mr. Ehlers. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you very much
for your testimony. I appreciate it. I think any program that
helps improve the character of kids is worthwhile, but I do
think you made a good choice in golf. And I used to be golfer.
I cannot claim to anymore, because I am down to one game a year
now with this job. There is just no time. And it is irritating
when I go back to Michigan, people say, Well, have you played
Burning Tree yet? And I say, I have not played one game of golf
in Washington. Our schedules are too hectic.
But it is a game that builds character and I first realized
that when I got into it. And what struck me, we had a recent
President who shall remain unnamed, and when I read in the
paper that he cheated on his golf score, I knew there was
something fatally flawed about that President. And
unfortunately I was right. A fine fellow in every other way,
very capable, but he cheated on his golf scores and it showed
in other things. I have learned that I will never play twice
with someone who cheats on his golf score, and I think most
golfers feel that way, so it is a very good place to start and
it does build a lot of character in a lot of different ways.
Ms. Aldredge, I was very impressed with your testimony and
your statements about what you have done in the school. I have
no questions on that. But I was just very impressed with your
recital of what you have accomplished, and that is what we need
in every school in America. And I wanted to pay tribute to you
for the work that you have done and the professional attitude
that you display and the way you handled it. So thank you.
I do not have a question, Mr. Chairman. I could certainly
get into Title IX. I happen to think Title IX was a good thing.
But as scientist I have a theorum about the laws we pass; that
every law we pass creates a need for two additional laws. What
we have done in Title IX was good but not perfect. And I think
it is perfectly legitimate for this committee to look at ways
we can improve Title IX and its effect on the schools and
especially the effect on children. But I think it is marvelous.
There are two occasions in my life where I was convinced
that I was not what I professed to be. I always professed that
I was very open and tolerant about the other sex, and Title IX
proved me wrong on that because I never thought women could
play basketball very well. And every time I watch a woman's
basketball game on TV I say, Shame on you, Ehlers, why didn't
you see this ahead of time? They are really outstanding, and
that is true of every sport.
So Title IX helped change my personality in that regard.
But as I say, the principle is fine. The implementation has not
always worked well. I think that is something we can work on. I
think the Chairman feels the same way.
Thank you very much for being here. I have no specific
questions. I am just very pleased with your testimony and what
you are doing for the kids of this country. Please keep it up.
Thank you, especially, Mr. Nicklaus, for lending your name and
your time to such a worthy cause. We have got to get our kids
on the right track in this country and that is the only way.
Chairman McKeon. Burning Tree. Great, by the way.
Mr. Ehlers. You either have more time or more money than I
do.
Chairman McKeon. You make the time, you smell the roses.
Thank you all for being here today. Thank you for what you
are doing. I hope this has been as enjoyable for you as it has
been for me. I am sorry we have had these interruptions. That
is kind of the way things happen around here, but it drew more
members away. And they did not get to all ask their questions,
but most of them got to hear your testimony and that was really
good. Thank you very much. This hearing is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 12:11 p.m., the committee was adjourned.]
[The prepared statement of Mr. Norwood follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Charlie Norwood, a Representative in
Congress From the State of Georgia
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I think we can all agree that character
education is an important part of the growth and development of our
young people. I realize that this development can come through a number
of mediums and organizations. When I was a young man, I was fortunate
enough to be a boy scout and attend various camps, including the Athens
Y. The same values I learned through those activities are largely
available through the World Golf Foundation's The First Tee.
I am proud that the 9th District of Georgia has welcomed the First
Tee into our community. The program is made possible because of the
sponsorship of the Augusta National Golf Club which continues to
sponsor The First Tee both nationally and locally. In Augusta, The
First Tee facility on Damascus Road is making a significant
contribution to the CSRA, and I am sure that will continue. For
starters, the program reaches 4,500 students annually in public schools
in the area and teaches the basic etiquette of golf.
However the bread and butter of the program began with the 694
initial members that paid $25 to attend. Now, if a student said they
had a desire to participate and did not have the funds, as long as
there was space that student would not be turned down. That shows those
students that as long as they have a desire to learn and improve--in
golf and more importantly in life--then nothing should stand in their
way.
There are also camps every summer where The First Tee showcases the
public-private partnership model that the Education and Workforce
Committee has embraced. The program partners with twenty other
committee organizations, and the children enrolled in camp can play as
many times during the summer as they want.
Now, you might ask, ``How does golf help our young people?'' Though
I am not a golfer myself, I respect the values The First Tee
instructors impart on our youth. Participants are taught
responsibility, courtesy, decision making, goal setting, the importance
of a positive attitude, and respect. Those are all values and assets
that we cannot stress enough to our young people.
If a young person in Augusta grows up to be the next Larry Mize,
Charles Howell, III, or Vaughn Taylor, then the First Tee will have
created a great golfer. But more importantly Mr. Chairman, the program
seeks to create better citizens. I know that is a goal we all embrace.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I yield back.
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