As Title IX turns 50, many US schools ignoring the sex bias ban

By Tom Hall,

Published April 14, 2022 at 12:27 PM EDT

Title IX of the 1972 Education Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any education program or activity receiving federal aid. The statute, where it has been honored, has greatly improved educational and athletic opportunities for girls and women across the nation. (photo courtesy Women's Sports Foundation)

Today, we're going to talk about Title IX.

What's Title IX? It's a statute within the Education Act passed by the US Congress in 1972 which states that:

"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."

That has been the law of the land for 50 years. And in recognition of that milestone, a group of journalists from the University of MD have spent four months looking closely into whether Title IX is doing what it set out to do when it comes to high school sports. They have published a series of reports called “Unlevel Playing Fields.”

Three guests join Tom to talk about this investigation and what it has revealed.

Sandy Baniskyis a former editor at the Baltimore Sun, and the Abell Professor in Baltimore Journalism for the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland. And, full disclosure, Sandy also serves as a member of the board of directors of WYPR…

Mark Hyman has been a good friend of Midday for many years. He is a former reporter for the Baltimore Sun and other publications, and he’s written three books on youth sports. He is the director of The Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism at the University of MD…

Lauren Rosh is a senior at the University of Maryland and the managing editor of Testudo Times, which covers sports at the school. She is one of more than 20 student reporters who contributed their talents to this project.

The ambitious project was a collaborative effort by the Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism and the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism.

All our guests join us on Zoom from College Park, Maryland.

Mark Hyman, dir. Povich Center for Sport Journalism; Lauren Rosh, editor at Testudo Times, senior at Merrill College; Sandy Banisky, professor at Merrill College School of Journalism at University of Maryland. (courtesy photos) — Mark Hyman, director of the Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism; Lauren Rosh, editor at Testudo Times, senior at Merrill College; Sandy Banisky, professor at Merrill College School of Journalism at the University of Maryland. (courtesy photos)

What’s your experience as a female student athlete or the parent of a high school girl who plays sports? Has Title IX helped ensure that the programs you’ve been involved with treat boys and girls sports equitably? Let us know…Call 410.662.8780, email [email protected] Tweet us: @MiddayWYPR