The United States is just a "C" student when it comes to gender equity in education, according to the National Coalition of Women and Girls in Education.

The Coalition released a Report Card on Gender Equity in honor of the 25th anniversary of Title IX, the federal law that prohibits gender discrimination in federally-funded educational programs. The Feminist Majority is a member of the coalition, which is comprised of over 50 national educational and women's organizations.

The "C" average means that while some progress has been made, more improvement is necessary.

The United States received its best grade, B-, for access to higher education. Before Title IX passed in June of 1972, many professional schools such as medical schools and law schools did not admit women. Even colleges that did admit women often had tougher admissions standards for them. Many scholarships were restricted to men, gave preference to men, or were unavailable to married or parenting women. While those barriers have fallen, women continue to be underrepresented in non-traditional fields, and more athletic scholarships are still awarded to men.

The government received its worst grade, D+, for dealing with sexual harassment in education. While 81% of high schoolers say they have experienced sexual harassment, public schools and the Department of Education have done little to deal with this problem.

In other areas the government received a "C" grade: athletics, career education, employment, learning environment, math and science, standardized testing, and treatment of pregnant and parenting students. For more information about the Report Card, call the National Women's Law Center at (202) 588-5180.

Also in honor of Title IX's 25th Anniversary, President Clinton issued a directive asking all federal agencies to develop enforcement plans for Title IX, and to take action to eradicate discrimination in educational programs conducted by the federal government (which are not currently covered by Title IX).

In related news, a new bill in Congress would make it easier to learn about colleges and universities' athletics budgets and participation rates for women. Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun has introduced the Fair Play Act, which would require colleges and universities to submit statistical information about their athletics programs to the Department of Education for dissemination to the public through their World Wide Web site and a toll-free phone number. A previous law introduced by Moseley-Braun requires colleges to collect this information, but not to disseminate it.

If you would like a Title IX baseball cap, they are available at the Women's Sports Foundation, 800-227-3988.