More Resources Press release Questions & answers Statement on 30th Anniversary

Mr. Chairman, Senator Gregg, and members of the Committee, I appreciate your invitation to join you today, because it gives me the opportunity to discuss one of the most important civil rights laws in our nation's history: Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

As you know, we just celebrated the 30th anniversary of this landmark legislation. Without a doubt, Title IX has opened the doors of opportunity for generations of women and girls to compete, to achieve, and to pursue their American dreams.

Many of the people in this room today are too young to remember what the world was like prior to 1972 when Title IX became the law of the land and prohibited schools that receive federal funds from discriminating on the basis of sex.

Back then, it was not uncommon for high school girls to be "steered" to courses that narrowed their future options. High schools routinely excluded girls from classes that stood to give them the skills to compete for higher paying jobs.

Those who overcame these obstacles and proved themselves worthy of college admission often faced new barriers, such as quotas that limited female enrollment.

This held especially true in the professional schools for such disciplines as law and medicine. The stories are legion of women who made it into the schools—even graduated first in their classes—yet they still endured shunning and harassment for their efforts.

Thanks to the vigorous enforcement of Title IX, as well as society's greater acceptance of women in the workplace and on the playing field, more women than ever are playing sports, graduating from college, and pursuing their dreams.

For example, we have seen explosive growth in certain girl's and women's sports at the high school and college levels.

In 1971, before Title IX went into effect, more than 294,000 girls participated in high school sports. Last year, that number exceeded 2.7 million—an 847 percent increase.

Between 1981 and 1999, the number of college women's teams rose 66 percent. According to the General Accounting Office, colleges created nearly 3,800 new women's sports teams, including 846 soccer teams, 516 cross-country teams, 432 softball teams, 350 volleyball teams, 304 indoor track teams, and 302 basketball teams.

In 1972, when Title IX became law, 44 percent of all bachelor's degrees went to women—as compared to 57 percent in 2000, the most recent year data was published.

Today, the majority of college students are women. And many are entering professions that once eluded them. In 1972, only 9 percent of medical degrees went to women—as compared to nearly 43 percent in 2000. In 1972, only 1 percent of dental degrees went to women—as compared to 40 percent in 2000. And in 1972, only 7 percent of law degrees went to women—as compared to nearly 46 percent in 2000.

It is no longer unusual to see women in positions of power and influence—including running large companies, ruling from the bench, or advising the President of the United States. Women fill key leadership positions throughout the Administration, including at the Department of Education.

Clearly, the changes brought about with the help of Title IX have greatly expanded the opportunities for girls and women to achieve their greatest potential. And we at the Department of Education are working to build on these successes.

President Bush put it best when he said: "Tremendous advances have been made in the fight for equality. But we must remain diligent in enforcing our nation's laws. And we still have work to do in this area."

Indeed we do. And as the U.S. Secretary of Education, I am proud to be a part of implementing the President's vision of a nation where civil rights laws are enforced fairly and vigorously.

In that regard, the Department of Education is working diligently to address complaints of Title IX violations. Let me give you some recent examples.

The Office for Civil Rights received a complaint from a school district that girls' basketball games were never scheduled during prime playing time—like Friday nights—as the boys' games were.

We found this not only to be true in that district, but in seven other districts in the same area. The Office for Civil Rights entered into commitments with all the districts, and, starting with this upcoming school year, all eight districts will provide equal opportunity for boys and girls to play on prime time nights.

In another case, we received a complaint against a school district alleging that the athletic facility for the girls' softball team was inferior to that provided for the boys' baseball team. We found the charge to be true, and the school district agreed to build a comparable girls' softball facility on the high school grounds.

In yet another case, we worked with a state's school board association to help develop a model policy barring harassment of students and staff based on sex, race, national origin, and disability. Last month, the Office for Civil Rights and the school board association issued a letter announcing the model policy. We are now working to help them spread the message to all the schools in that state. And we are sharing this model with other states.

And, finally, after we investigated a number of complaints against one university, the school agreed to significant changes, including:

• Recruiting female athletes from high schools and providing athletic scholarships;
• Providing female athletes with the same opportunities to attend summer school as their male counterparts;
• Providing the same benefits for the coaches of the women's teams as is provided for the coaches of the men's teams; and
• Providing lockers for the women's basketball team, installing lights on the women's soccer field, and renovating the softball field.

These are just a few examples. But each one speaks of this Administration's commitment to the hopes and dreams of thousands of girls and women in our nation's schools.

When we say we want no child left behind, we mean it. Our goal is to bring out the best efforts of all our young people in our nation's schools—from kindergarten through college.

We celebrate not only the success but also the spirit of Title IX that says, 'Open to all.'

Listen to the words that are the heart of Title IX:

"No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."

This Administration is committed to those words.

As you know, there are criticisms from a number of quarters about our commitment to access for all in athletics. Some say we have gone too far. Others say we have not gone far enough.

For example, there are college administrators who say the Department has failed to provide clear guidance on how to comply with Title IX. There are also groups that allege the Office for Civil Rights has failed to effectively enforce Title IX, causing the elimination of men's teams.

Some would like to settle this in the courts. But we believe the better approach is to discuss all the questions openly, in a forum where all voices and all viewpoints can be heard.

Today I have announced that we will bring together 15 experts to form the Commission on Opportunity in Athletics. These people are on the front lines, facing the difficult issues in athletics every day.

I am proud to say that Cynthia Cooper, and Ted Leland will serve as co-chairman of this Commission.

Cynthia is the head coach of the Phoenix Mercury basketball team. I know you remember Cynthia as one of the brightest stars of the WNBA.

Ted has a long career in athletics and is currently the Athletic Director of Stanford University. I am confident they will be great leaders of this team

The rest of the Commission includes:

Percy Bates, Professor of Education at the University of Michigan and representative to the Big 10 Conference and the NCAA for the past 12 years;

Bob Bowlsby, Director of Men's Athletics at the University of Iowa;

Gene DeFillipo, Athletic Director at Boston College;

Donna De Varona, Chairman of the United States Olympic Committee Government Relations Committee. Donna twice won Olympic gold medals in swimming and co-founded the Women's Sports Foundation.

Julie Foudy, President of the Women's Sports Foundation and Captain of the U. S. National Women's Soccer Team;

Tom Griffith, Assistant Secretary and General Counsel at Brigham Young University;

Cary Groth, Athletic Director at Northern Illinois University;

Lisa Graham Keegan, CEO of the Education Leadership Council and formerly Arizona's Superintendent of Public Instruction;

Muffet McGraw, head coach of women's basketball at the University of Notre Dame;

Mike Slive, Commissioner of Conference USA;

Rita Simon, Professor at American University's School of Public Affairs and Washington College of Law;

Graham Spanier, President of Pennsylvania State University; and finally,

Deborah A. Yow, Director of Athletics at the University of Maryland.

As you can see, the Commission on Opportunity in Athletics includes outstanding professionals. Their mission is to gather the facts, listen to what the American people have to say, and report back to me with their recommendations by the end of January.

I know that questions of fairness often generate strong opinions on all sides. And I welcome the debate. I believe reasonable people can disagree and still find common ground.

And I am confident that, with the help of this Commission, we will learn how we can do a better job of enforcing a law that represents hope to so many Americans.

Mr. Chairman, I want to thank you and the members of this Committee again for letting me come speak today.

I look forward to working with you, because I know you share my commitment and the President's commitment to expanding opportunities for all young Americans—girls and boys, women and men—in the classroom and on the playing field.

I'll be happy to take your questions.

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