Gender Equity in Education

Our Education Committee focuses on current issues affecting public schools. These issues include charter schools, school choice, and school funding. With the pandemic forcing many students to learn remotely, the committee also recognizes the Digital Divide as a serious equity issue. 

Our Education Committee continually monitors public education policy and stays abreast of reports and articles on the subject. We monitor the status of legislation, attend events such as legislative hearings in Harrisburg and the local Constitution Day Roundtable. We also have met with our local legislators and attended 2022 Lobby Day in the state capitol to meet legislative staff over pending legislation to increase public education funding.

Our work is facilitated by alliances with advocacy groups such as Education Voters of PA, PA Schools Work and the Keystone State Education Coalition. The Education Committee welcomes new members who want to be active in ensuring strong public education.

Half a Century of Expanding Access to Education

With 37 words, Congress changed the face of education. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 states: “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.”

50 years ago, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 changed the face of education. This groundbreaking civil rights law prohibits sex discrimination in education and protects people of all genders, both staff and students, in any educational institution or program receiving federal funds. Title IX ushered in an era of enormous progress for girls and women from classrooms to playing fields, but advocates continue to fight efforts to weaken it. Join AAUW as we honor five decades of advancing educational equity for all and engage where advocacy is still needed to achieve the full promise of Title IX.