Next to last year to see a Schenley musical

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown

Peabody Auditorium 8 pm Thursday, April 29th, Friday, April 30th and May 1st $7

PA's First Lady promotes legal careers

Tribune article describing the program held at Schenley:

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_677794.html

Gender based public schools

A committee sponsored by PPS recommended division of Westinghouse into separate girls' and boys' academies. Currently 9th grade core classes at the school are divided by gender.

Similar gender based classrooms were challenged by the ACLU of Louisiana in February 2010. "The evidence in this case indicates that the sex segregation policy at Rene A. Rost cannot overcome the high and even insurmountable legal hurdles to sex-based classifications in public schools," said Mark Friedman, cooperating attorney from Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. "The school's segregation policy is not only clearly against the law, it also fails to provide parents and students any with any real educational choice."

http://www.aclu.org/womens-rights/hearing-begins-today-sex-segregated-public-school-louisiana

Another article reports that a decision was issued this week:

http://www.abbevillenow.com/content/same-sex-classes-continue-rene-rost-middle

According to this article, the judge determined that the school board had been negligent in faily to adequately investigate gender based classrooms. While gender based classes for the remainder of the current school year were not shut down, the article indicates that next year the school must follow guidelines allowing just one all male and one all female classroom at each grade level at the school.

Committee recommends closing Peabody

From the Tribune:

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_677587.html

President Biden announces strengthening of Title IX

From: U.S. Department of Education [mailto:OPA@ed.gov]
Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 2010 2:32 PM
To: U.S. Department of Education
Subject: Vice President Biden Announces Strengthening of Title IX

U.S. Department of Education
Office of Communications & Outreach, Press Office
400 Maryland Ave., S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20202

FOR RELEASE
April 20, 2010
Contact: Justin Hamilton
(202) 401-1576 or justin.hamilton@ed.gov


VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN ANNOUNCES STRENGTHENING OF TITLE IX

Today, Vice President Biden announced that the Administration has issued a 'Dear Colleague' letter that withdraws a 2005 interpretation of Title IX policy. Enacted in 1972, Title IX mandates that any educational institution receiving federal funding for programs and activities cannot discriminate on the basis of sex. The 2005 policy issued compliance standards that were widely criticized for being inadequate and inconsistent with Title IX's nondiscrimination goals. Today's announcement reverses this interpretation, and returns to a more thorough test for assessing compliance with Title IX. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Senior White House Advisor Valerie Jarrett, Chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls, joined the Vice President at George Washington University for this announcement.

"Making Title IX as strong as possible is a no-brainer," said Vice President Biden. "What we're doing here today will better ensure equal opportunity in athletics, and allow women to realize their potential - so this nation can realize its potential."

"There is no doubt that Title IX has dramatically increased athletic, academic, and employment opportunities for women and girls, and educational institutions have made big strides in providing equal opportunities in sports," said Secretary Duncan. "Yet discrimination continues to exist in college athletic programs--and we should be vigilant in enforcing the law and protecting this important civil right."

For more than three decades, the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has provided three options to determine whether athletic programs at colleges, universities and secondary schools provide equal opportunities for athletic participation. Under one of these three options, OCR policy evaluated multiple indicators to determine the athletic interests and abilities of the underrepresented sex at educational institutions. The new 'Dear Colleague' letter clarifies that OCR does not consider survey results alone to be sufficient evidence of a lack of student interest or ability in sports.

Today's event at George Washington University also provided sports activities for youth.

"Title IX has helped women to compete at all levels in athletics, which today's event showcased," said Valerie Jarrett. "By working through the agencies, the White House Council on Women and Girls will continue to support laws such as Title IX that provide opportunities for young girls to get ahead in life."

Today's 'Dear Colleague' letter provides recommendations for effective procedures for collecting, maintaining, and evaluating information on students' interests and abilities, including technical assistance on the nondiscriminatory design and implementation of surveys as one indicator among others of student interests and abilities.

For more information about Title IX, or to review the 'Dear Colleague' letter, please visit:
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/publications.html#TitleIX-Docs
###

"Art of the Steal"

This fascinating movie showing at the Manor is a must see for anyone concerned about the issues raised on this site.

EFA meeting on effective teachers plan

On "Start a new post" Anonymous wrote:

"The next Excellence for All Parent Steering Committee meeting is scheduled for 4/22/10 at Allderdice at 5:30 and will focus on the Empowering Effective Teaches Plan. Parents planning to attend should spend some time becoming familiar with the plan by reviewing at least the 7 Key Initiatives and the FAQs found on the pghboe website. Implementation affects our kids and is our concern too. Lack of participation in the discussion signals agreement, so being prepared with questions should signal that we are concerned about how this will impact our children."