Compliance with Title IX by Tennessee public schools during 1975-76

The problem investigated by this study was discrimination on the basis of sex in public education. The purpose of the study was to investigate to what extent public school districts in Tennessee had complied with the letter and intent of the final Title IX Regulation of the Education Amendments of 1972 with respect to the requirements of the first twelve months (July 21, 1975 to July 21, 1976). They pertained to: (a) notification of policy, (b) designation of a Title IX Coordinator, (c) adoption of grievance procedures, (d) completion of an institutional self-evaluation, and (e) completion of assurance documents. A second purpose of the study was to determine what relationships existed between completion of the requirements of Title IX and the following variables: (a) gross pupil enrollment of the school districts, (b) the sex of the Title IX Coordinator, (c) geographic location of the school districts by grand division, (d) the position in the administrative hierarchy of the regular job of the Title IX Coordinator, and (e) participation of personnel from responding school districts in Title IX Workshops conducted by the Educational Opportunities Planning Center at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The final purpose of the study was to determine whether or not there was general agreement between the responses of Title Ix Coordinators and high school principals with respect to progress made toward completion of the requirements of Title IX in Tennessee public schools.

A thirty-item questionnaire adopted from the Title IX compliance checklist initially developed by the Resource Center on Sex Roles in Education, of the National Foundation for the Improvement of Education, was used to collect data relative to the required Title IX tasks.

Data were analyzed to determine progress made by school districts toward achieving overall and single sub-task compliance with Title IX. Title Ix Coordinators and principals of academic high schools in Tennessee public school districts participated in the study.

Eighty-six percent of the responding school districts were not in compliance with the final Title IX Regulation. Much sex bias still prevailed in Tennessee public schools in June, 1976. School districts made the greatest progress in completing the task of appointing a Title IX Coordinator. The task school districts had the greatest difficulty in accomplishing was completion of the institutional self-evaluation study School districts of l0,ooo or more students made the greatest progress toward overall compliance. Districts with female Title IX Coordinators made greater overall progress toward compliance with Title IX than districts with male Title IX Coordinators. School districts in East Tennessee made greater progress toward overall compliance with Title IX than school districts in Middle and West Tennessee. School districts that sent personnel to participate in EOPc Title IX Workshops made significant progress s toward completion of a number of sub-task items in the areas of policy notification and grievance procedures.

Principals and Title IX Coordinators were in general agreement relative to progress made toward completion of the requirements of Title IX in their respective school districts.