Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Title IX audit being released

From another post:

Anonymous wrote:

"http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/highschool/s_675241.html

The long awaited Title IX audit is being released at tonight's Education Committee meeting at 5:30.

The spin doctors are already at work..."no apparent discrimination...to "moderate" problems." I wonder if the Board will release the report in its entirety, or just parts they "edit"?

It is also interesting that the PPS web site has Derrick Lopez listed under that topic tonight as well. It is no surprise then that he already had that coaches meeting at Brashear. That will be part of the PR. "We already started addressing problems...blah, blah."


Aparent wrote:

"I saw a middle grade girls' soccer game yesterday for the first time in years. The coach exemplified all the qualities anyone would find necessary to make a great coach. He did not need a meeting with Mr. Lopez to make him a quality coach. He brought to the field the methods and practices that make him a good teacher.

Why on earth did PPS volunteer for the Title IX audit in the first place? How the admin uses the results will be interesting to see."


Mark Rauterkus wrote:

"The Title IX audit was done as a delay ploy, IMNSHO. PPS got to do nothing (i.e., no overhaul now) for 2 years in the name of an audit. Plus, the one doing the audit is from out of town. Good cover there."

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

PPS "volunteered" for the audit because the Womens' Law Project found some problems. The audit was better than facing litigation.

Questioner said...

The Women's Law Project should be able to cut through spin and evaluate whether any problems are being addressed.

Mark Rauterkus said...

The audit didn't fix jack. I'd much rather have had the PPS volunteer to fix the issues at hand at the time -- not navel gaze and swear off changes until the audit was complete.

Anyone could have found problems. The Women's Law Project was no vangard here.

We know that the problems are not being addressed -- yet. The spin is the delay. They got spun. Damage done. No (or perhaps 1) girl sports teams at Peabody. Go figure.

And, it is not just a girl problem.

PPS is shrinking and has shrunk. Did only the girls depart? Of course not. We've got system wide problems -- not girl vs boy problems.

They'll swing the hammer of division, and we'll all be less for it.

I think Heather Arnet should wear the target on her back for this. Where have you gone, Heather?

Anonymous said...

Is anyone going to the meeting tonight to report on what is said? I would like to go, but the notice of the report's release was so short, I have a prior committment I can't change.

Worst case scenario, I'll read about it in tomorrow's newspaper. Of course, PPS will help "write" that article. :)

Anonymous said...

Mark is right. The entire athletic system needs a complete overhaul and it needs done sooner rather that later.

Heather Arnet and the Women's Law Project initiated the audit so they need to finish the process.

Mark Rauterkus said...

I'll be at the meeting, with my video camera.

The Women's Law Center can't coach Diddly nor Diane-shay-tell.

:)

They can cheerlead, sure. We need the boosters.

aparent said...

Folks are probably experiencing lots of eye strain from reading the audit report. One item worthy of deep discussion:

"For example, if booster clubs pay for the purchasing of new uniforms for boy’s teams, then the new uniforms will be considered as part of the overall benefits provided by the school to the boy’s athletics program. And if the new uniforms create an overall disparity of benefits between the boy’s and girl’s programs, then the school must provide the funding to correct the disparity. The evaluation of “other athletics benefits” is not limited merely to those benefits paid for directly by the school itself – benefits paid for by booster clubs, by team fund-raising activities, and by any other source must also be considered when evaluating the overall balance of benefits. This places an additional burden on schools, because they need to monitor the distribution of all benefits to all athletic teams regardless of the source of those benefits."


I know some hard working fundraising parents who will certainly take exception to this.

Anonymous said...

I agree. If your team/coach/parents fund raise, then it should be of no concern to other teams. They can get out and fund raise also.