Corrected: This story misquoted Susan Aspey, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Education. In criticizing the report, Ms. Aspey said it amounted to 鈥渟pecial-interest politics in a political year.鈥�
The Bush administration is accused of rolling back the progress of girls and women, including their opportunities to succeed at school, in a sharply worded report issued last week by the National Women鈥檚 Law Center.
View the April 2004 report, from the . (Requires .)
The Washington-based advocacy organization cites a range of what it perceives as offenses related to education, such as efforts by the Bush administration to zero out funding for the Women鈥檚 Educational Equity Act and to 鈥渨eaken Title IX protections for female athletes,鈥� and its failure to investigate the exclusion of females from certain education programs.
Moreover, the law center, which has been a vocal critic of Bush administration policies, attacked proposed Education Department rules issued in March on single-sex schooling. The group contends that the changes would 鈥渄ecrease the safeguards that ensure equal opportunity when sex-segregated programs are provided.鈥� (鈥淩ules on Single-Sex Education Allow Room to Experiment,鈥� March 10, 2004.)
The April 8 report reviews the administration鈥檚 record in 10 major areas, and recommends a series of measures the group believes would expand and protect women鈥檚 rights and opportunities. Beyond education, the report covers subjects from child care and tax policy to Social Security, abortion rights, violence against women, and women in the military.
鈥淲hat we鈥檙e trying to do is to pull all of these instances together,鈥� said Nancy Duff Campbell, the group鈥檚 co-president, 鈥渢o show a 鈥� widespread pattern.鈥�
Ms. Campbell, in an April 8 conference call with reporters, said that while certain Bush administration moves have been widely known, 鈥渟ome of these actions are occurring almost completely out of the public eye.鈥�
Claims Called 鈥楤ogus鈥�
Education Department spokeswoman Susan Aspey said the report amounted to 鈥渟pecial-interest politics in an election year.鈥�
鈥淭he education claims are outrageous and, frankly, bogus, and they know it,鈥� she added.
The law center laments President Bush鈥檚 lack of support for the $3 million Women鈥檚 Educational Equity program, which, among other provisions, provides curricula and materials to help schools comply with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Title IX prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs receiving federal funds.
鈥淓very year it has been in office, the administration has tried to eliminate funding for [the program],鈥� the report says.
In its budget proposal for fiscal 2005, the Education Department said such activities could be supported through 鈥渓arger, more flexible鈥� federal education programs.
The law center maintains that the department has 鈥渞efused鈥� to investigate the exclusion of women from traditionally male educational programs, from vocational education in high school to enrollment and employment in math and science programs at major research universities.
For instance, the center filed 12 鈥減etitions for compliance review鈥� in June 2002, requesting investigation of what it described as 鈥渟tark patterns of sex segregation in high school vocational programs.鈥� The department declined to investigate these matters, the report says. The law center cites a letter it received on the matter from the department鈥檚 office for civil rights in January 2003, which argued that the agency would not undertake such compliance activities based on statistical data alone.
The Education Department鈥檚 Ms. Aspey said the agency sent letters in response seeking more specific information, such as the names of schools.
鈥淭he bottom line is, we take all allegations of discrimination very, very seriously,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e asked them for more information, and for whatever reason they won鈥檛 provide it. 鈥� We can鈥檛 investigate an allegation if we don鈥檛 have enough facts.鈥�
