A New Guide for Title IX
As you might expect, here at Equality 1o1, we’ve written about Title IX before. Title IX was a major milestone in legislation for equality in education. And it should be a tool for parents, teachers, and students to use to have the power to ensure access to an equal education.
Of course, most people involved in education know a little something about Title IX, but we lose more of that knowledge every year. I remember the first time my mom told me that Title IX had to do with all aspects of education, not just sports, and I was surprised! Which makes me wonder how much our students know about the legislation, and how much their young parents know, as well.
Luckily, the National Women’s Law Center has released a useful guide for parents, teachers, and students all about what Title IX entails, what rights students should have, and what they can do if they feel those rights have been violated. From the website:
The National Women’s Law Center is excited to announce the release of its new guide, It’s Your Education: How Title IX Protections Can Help You. This easy-to-use tool provides information to students at all levels of education about their rights under Title IX to ensure that male and female students receive the education they deserve. It’s Your Education lays out the key protections under Title IX and provides tips for students on what to do if they suspect that they are experiencing discrimination in school.
Some of the topics covered in the actual guide include:
- Athletics
- Sexual Harassment
- Pregnancy and Parenting
- Career and Technical Education
- Single-Sex Education
- How to Stand Up for Your Education
The report itself is easy to read and provides some really great information that’s geared towards empowering students and parents, but this information can also help us teachers when a student comes to us fearing he or she has been the subject of gender discrimination in a classroom.
Title IX still has a ways to go to help all students – eliminating the boy-girl binary in the language of this report would be a good place to start ensuring that no student faces discrimination based on gender, sexuality, or any other factor. It is also incredibly unfortunate that students and parents often have to take matters of discrimination into their own hands rather than schools and teachers holding themselves accountable, but it is important for students, parents, and teachers to have the resources available to take action when necessary. Please share this report with everyone you know!
Thanks for sharing this Ashley! I’ll be honest – I didn’t know Title IX covered as much as it does. This is definitely important information for parents/teachers/administrators/students – everyone involved in the educational process.
I also agree that it is unfortunate that students and parents often times have to take matters into their own hands, but at the same time at least it teaches them how to fight against their own injustices. Until we can erase injustice in the world, we need people who know how to use their resources and take action when it is necessary.