Title IX: Girls Call Foul

Abstract

Few pieces of legislation have had more of an effect on public education in recent years than Title IX of the 1972 Education Amendments. Female athlete participation has increased considerably as a result of this regulation. The purpose of this study, which was conducted in the state of Texas, was to find out how athletic directors—male and female head coaches—felt about their campuses' compliance with Title IX components. The study focused on the results of a survey instrument that included 14 Likert-scale items and a number of demographic questions. The goal of this study was to (a) look at how athletic directors and head coaches of both male and female athletes perceive their school district's level of Title IX compliance, and (b) look at specific patterns that determine whether Texas school districts are in compliance or noncompliance with specific Title IX provisions. The law focuses on equality in athletic opportunities under the following situations: (a) the choice of sports and performance levels (i.e., the successful accommodation of the desires and skills of members of both sexes); (b) the provision of equipment and supplies; (c) the arrangement of games and practice time; (4) the ability to obtain coaching and academic tutoring; (d) the provision of locker rooms, practice rooms, and competitive facilities; (e) advertising; and (f) the recruitment of coaching and academic tutoring. Descriptive and causal-comparative methods were used to analyze the data. The findings showed that regardless of their function, athletic directors, head girls coaches, and head boys coaches in Texas public high schools believed their schools complied with Title IX criteria to a high degree. A descriptive examination of the replies by respondent role revealed minor differences between male and female head coaches. Finally, the study revealed athletic directors should pay greater attention to coaching assignments, salary, and athletic facilities to comply with Title IX of the 1972 Education Amendments.