For the last day of National School Choice Week, I think it’s fitting to end on a topic that’s been near and dear to IWF’s heart – Title IX reform.
Suggestion #17: Reform Title IX.
Title IX was enacted in 1972 as part of the Higher Education Amendments Act to ensure gender equity in educational programs and activities that receive federal funding. Sounds pretty benign, right?
Alas, the implementation of the law has been anything but – imposing a number of negative consequences on schools’ education and athletic programs. My colleague Allison has covered Title IX in depth for many years, and I defer to her greater wisdom on the subject. (I urge you to read her many excellent articles and studies on the topic!) Equality is not a zero-sum game – women don’t win when men’s programs are cut.
Accordingly, my final recommendation for National School Choice week is to reform Title IX. First, allow schools to take into account student interest in activities through “interest surveys” – rather than calculating “fairness” based on simple proportionality. This rule was implemented by the Bush Administration, but overturned last year by the Obama Administration.
In the long run, we should aim to get the government out of the business of legislating quotas at all – and let the market work by encouraging schools to choose the programs they want to offer, and students to attend those schools that best fit their needs.