Lara S. Kaufmann, Senior Counsel & Director of Education Policy for At-Risk Students

by Lara S. Kaufmann, Senior Counsel, 
National Women’s Law Center 

There is plenty to celebrate during Women’s History Month, particularly around the advances women have made in education. The impact of Title IX has been far-reaching, increasing the number of women in athletics and improving educational and career opportunities for American women and girls over almost four decades. But as we celebrate this success, it is critical that we not forget that there is a tremendous amount of work left. It therefore seems fitting that Congress chose this month to solicit feedback from the public about the upcoming reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (aka “No Child Left Behind”). And, as you’d expect, we will have a lot to say. 

The truth is, this is a time of crisis for all students in our nation’s schools. But somehow the voices of girls at risk in school largely have been absent from the debate around education reform. In fact, far too many policymakers and the media have bought into the stereotype that all girls are succeeding in school. Unfortunately that is just not the case: 19% of Asian American female students do not graduate on time, if at all (note: this number may be deceivingly low because it does not take into account variations between female students of different Asian and Pacific Islander ethnicities); and the same is true for 41% of Latina students; 43% of African American female students, and 49% of Native American female students. 

by Lara S. Kaufmann, Senior Counsel, 
National Women’s Law Center 

If you watched ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” yesterday, you know it included a segment on a client of ours, a 17-year old high school senior in Fort Worth, Texas. In case you missed it, here it is:

Watch the Video

Our client is a top student, and she was the starting setter on the school’s varsity volleyball team until the athletic coordinator found out that she was pregnant. She was then denied an equal opportunity to play based on her pregnancy, in violation of Title IX’s prohibition against sex discrimination in education. Just last week, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights in Dallas opened an investigation into the matter.

The show was engaging, and I applaud ESPN for devoting media attention to the issue of discrimination against pregnant students, as it is still quite common but most often flies below the public’s radar. Too many people – students, parents, and school staff – still do not know that Title IX applies to schools’ treatment of pregnant and parenting students. (For more information on what Title IX requires in this regard, check out our resources on pregnant and parenting students).