A REGIONAL STUDY OF SUPERINTENDENTS\u27 AND TITLE IX COORDINATORS\u27 FEMINIST/POLITICAL PERSPECTIVES AND THE STATUS OF TITLE IX IMPLEMENTATION IN THEIR DISTRICTS

Although Title IX is a law of the land, there is still much resistance to full, and even partial, compliance. Discrimination on the basis of sex has been and continues to be a crucial and significant issue in American society. The purpose of this study encompassed two foci. The first was to analyze and investigate attitudes and beliefs of superintendents and Title IX coordinators in two Massachusetts regions regarding Title IX, current, and problematic global equity issues. The second concern was the measure of the extent to which the feminist/political perspectives of superintendents may influence the implementation of Title IX in a given system. A review of the literature indicated woefully laggard Title IX implementation, and gender inequities in nearly every aspect of education, including language, texts, guidance, and administrative positions. A questionnaire developed by the researcher and educational consultants was mailed to 161 superintendents and Title IX coordinators from two Massachusetts regions. The questionnaire was comprised of 48 statements which represented issues of equity, education, working women, gender differences, prayer, the military, and change. Participants were asked to respond on a Likert-type scale: 1 = Strongly Disagree; 2 = Disagree; 3 = Neutral; 4 = Agree; 5 = Strongly Agree. The superintendents were also asked to respond to questions concerning Title IX compliance, demographic and personal data. From this information, the researcher hoped to match responses to Levels of belief, according to another instrument, the Quality of Education Index. A synthesis of the evidence indicated variance in response on statements concerning equity and gender differences particularly between the men and women. Statements directly related to Title IX often prompted neutral responses from the superintendents and male coordinators. It was impossible to assign a correlation between feminist/political perspectives and Title IX implementation, as most systems reported full compliance under the law. The questionnaire proved to be an effective instrument with which to gather information concerning equity and other current problems. Continued research should be directed toward the applicability of the questionnaire to other populations and a comprehensive assessment of Title IX implementation, including the process by which a coordinator is chosen