Updated: March 7, 2010
Expressing their outrage over funding cuts and tuition increases, students organized rallies in 29 states on Thursday, to defend the right to an affordable education. The protests came only two days after the White House hosted a live web chat about the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA), which, if passed, would save students $87 billion in loan costs.
AAUW advocates increased support for and access to higher education for women and other disadvantaged populations. Take Action! Urge your senators to support increasing access to higher education for millions of students by passing SAFRA.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for March 5, 2010.
On Monday, President Obama announced new efforts designed to reduce high school dropout rates and improve low-performing schools. The administration will dedicate $3.5 billion to fund changes in the nation's 5,000 of the lowest-performing schools, $900 million to provide "School Turnaround Grants," and $50 million toward decreasing the 2.1 million students who drop out of school every year.
AAUW's 2009-11 Public Policy Program affirms our commitment to "a strong system of public education that promotes gender fairness, equity, and diversity...and advocates increased support for and access to higher education for women and other disadvantaged populations."
- from AAUW's Washington Update for March 5, 2010.
A Louisiana Title IX case, Doe vs. Vermilion Parish School Board, will be heard next week. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued a public middle school in Lafayette, Louisiana, for sex-segregation and Title IX noncompliance for attempting to illegally sex-segregate all classes without providing the mandatory co-ed option. The school temporarily made co-ed accommodations when it was first investigated this past summer; however, parents at the school complained and filed a lawsuit when the school announced that the only co-ed option included those with special education plans.
AAUW strongly supports Title IX and opposes any efforts that would weaken its effectiveness. AAUW's 2009-2011 Public Policy Program commits AAUW to the "vigorous enforcement of Title IX and all other civil rights laws pertaining to education."
- from AAUW's Washington Update for February 26, 2010.
Last week, 12 middle school students joined President Obama in a call to the International Space Station to thank the astronauts for their work; each student was allowed to ask one question. Nine of the 12 were girls who had placed as finalists in engineering competitions across the country.
AAUW supports promoting and strengthening science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education, especially for girls and other underrepresented populations. These efforts will help increase America's competitiveness by reducing gender barriers that deter women from pursuing academic and career goals in these fields.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for February 26, 2010.
With unbalanced layoffs and a gender divide in unemployment, higher education has put women at an advantage in the current competitive marketplace. Recently, the majority of lay-offs have come from male-dominated fields (i.e. construction and manufacturing) often requiring less education, while female-dominated fields (i.e. teaching, health care, government work) that generally require higher education, have held steady, if not grown.
AAUW advocates programs that provide women with education and training to achieve economic self-sufficiency. We will continue to actively work to strengthen educational programs; to improve women's access to postsecondary education, career development and earning potential.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for February 26, 2010.
In the FY2011 budget, the Obama administration proposed big changes to the national education policy and the controversial "No Child Left Behind" law, and a $3 billion increase to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The administration proposed new benchmarks like academic progress and college readiness to judge educational achievement, as opposed to the old policies of high-stakes testing and across-the-board proficiency. The administration promises a serious, competitive and comprehensive approach at education and has consolidated past methods to allow for a budget that provides for new opportunities for grants, innovative teacher trainings, community-based programming and STEM education for minority groups.
AAUW believes it is possible-and necessary-to maintain a commitment to high standards and greater accountability in our nation's public schools and remains committed to ensuring strong academic principles and closing the achievement gap for all children - objectives at the heart of the ESEA. AAUW also believes that the federal government has a critical role to play in attaining these goals and endorses the use of a reasonable accountability system that helps ensure all children are prepared to be successful, participating members of our democracy. As Congress and the administration contemplate reauthorization of the ESEA, AAUW will pursue the following improvements in addition to more general efforts-including increased funding-to strengthen the law's goals, improve its implementation, and make clear progress in closing the achievement gap.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for February 5, 2010.
A new study by the American Council on Education (ACE) reports that the gender gap in higher education continues, but is staggering, with women outnumbering men on college campuses 57 to 43 percent since 2003. The data show that the problem is not across the board and may be one solved by focusing on certain populations. For example, numbers of "traditional students," who go to college straight out of high school, are split evenly; whereas, men are not as likely to go to college at a later time.
While AAUW celebrates the fact that women have made remarkable strides in education during the past four decades, these gains have yet to translate into a push of women who work in science, technology, engineering and math fields nor full equity in pay-even for college-educated women who work full time. AAUW research released in April 2007 shows that just one year out of college, women working full time already earn less than their male colleagues, even when they work in the same field.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for January 29, 2010.
The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA), created to provide students with the option for less expensive government loans as an alternative to private bank loans, has stalled in the Senate. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairperson of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee chose to hold up SAFRA because it could still be used to push health care reform forward. In Wednesday's State of the Union address, the president announced his plan to lower income-based repayments to only 10 percent of one's income in addition to forgiving unpaid debt after twenty years. Senate Democrats must now decide if these new policies should be added to SAFRA or a new bill.
AAUW has been committed to making the dream of a higher education a reality for women. AAUW's 2009-11 Public Policy Program affirms our commitment to "a strong system of public education that promotes gender fairness, equity, and diversity...and advocates increased support for and access to higher education for women and other disadvantaged populations."
- from AAUW's Washington Update for January 29, 2010.
On Nov. 23, President Barack Obama announced the establishment of National Lab Day, an effort supported by AAUW and more than 200 other organizations representing over 6.5 million science, technology, engineering and math professionals and teachers. Now is the time to get involved!
Are you a math, science, or engineering teacher? Are you a professional scientist, engineer, college student, or professor? If so, National Lab Day is for you. Visit the National Lab Day website to join in this exciting new initiative.
While National Lab Day is tentatively scheduled for early May 2010, it is more than just a day. It's a nationwide movement to bring together science, technology, engineering, and math professionals and teachers to provide high-quality, hands-on, lab experiences for students. It's about all of us working together to give children access to well-equipped labs and to the professionals who can inspire them.
Projects can also center on computer or outdoor labs-anywhere where hands-on lessons in these subjects can come alive.
Attracting women and girls to these fields is critical to U.S. competitiveness.
If women and members of other traditionally underrepresented groups joined the science, engineering, technology, and math workforce in proportion to their representation in the overall labor force, the shortage of these professionals would disappear. Although women make up half of the workforce, they only comprise 25 percent of the labor force in science, engineering and technology fields.
AAUW urges you to join the cause to help break through barriers for women and girls in science, technology, enigeering, and math.
- from AAUW's Action Network for January 21, 2010.
The Washington Post ran an article this week about high school classes and programs that introduce girls to engineering and sciences fields. The executive director of the Society of Women Engineers, an AAUW's coalition partners, is quoted in the article as saying, "The real challenges for reaching out to young women is to get over the stereotype that this isn't something girls do and then to help them build their confidence."
While the article focused on programs in the D.C. area, a large part of AAUW's National Girls Collaborative Project is the creation of a program directory of these girl-serving projects and others interested in increasing gender equity in science, technology, engineering, and math. The program directory allows organizations and individuals to network, share resources, and collaborate on STEM-related projects for girls.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for January 8, 2010.
Last Saturday, the House passed (223-202) the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (H.R. 4173), which tightens and enforces regulations within the finance industry. The legislation contains various reforms addressing a variety of issues, including significant implications for private student loans that curb predatory lending. According to Inside Higher Ed, under the new legislation, all student loans would fall under the authority of the new Consumer Financial Protection Agency. Another provision introduced by Rep. Polis (D-CO), requires lenders to verify with the potential recipient's college that the student is eligible for the loan.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for December 18, 2009.
A study released by the Cornell Higher Education Research Institute on Tuesday concluded that when it comes to hiring female faculty members, having a woman in the top job or the number two slot makes a difference. According to Inside Higher Ed, the study also found that having a critical mass of women, defined as women holding either five slots or 25 percent of the board of trustees also makes a difference in terms of the number of female faculty hired. Additionally, the extent of the impact of women in these leadership positions is greater at smaller institutions. This new study further develops the results of a study released by Cornell in January which found that women have made slow but steady progress in their representation on college boards, jumping from 20 percent to 31 percent between 1981 and 2007.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for December 18, 2009.
According to Inside Higher Ed, the Obama administration confirmed Thursday that an increase in the number of eligible students applying for Pell Grants and an increased allowable grant amount will require an additional $18 billion in funding over the next three years. The government's primary need-based student aid program faces a shortfall due in large part to a down economy, which leads to an increase in the number of students returning to college and a worsening financial situation for most students. The administration and key congressional Democrats said, however, that the need for increased spending will not affect the $80 billion they hope to direct to Pell Grants, community colleges, and other higher education priorities through the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (H.R. 3221).
ACTION: AAUW strongly supports the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, which passed the House in September. As one of the single largest investments in higher education ever, this bill will make college more affordable for millions of students and their families. While this bill will help all students, women in particular stand to gain from an amendment that AAUW played a key role in adding to the bill, which focuses on the need to have more women and underrepresented minorities enter science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers. We will continue to work for the bill's passage in the Senate. AAUW also supports H.R. 2492, which would prevent the taxation of federal student loan debt forgiven through the new Income-Based Repayment program and make the ideals behind loan forgiveness a reality. Urge your representatives to cosponsor H.R. 2492 now. For more information, read our position paper on higher education.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for December 11, 2009.
According to Inside Higher Ed, young adults who leave college cite the need to work and make money, rather than the price of college, as the principle cause of leaving. Results from a survey released Wednesday by Public Agenda and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation indicate that, to get students to go back to college, schools should focus on flexible scheduling, financial aid for part-time students, and cutting tuition prices. More than one-third of students who left college but have the desire to return stated they would not be able to afford to, even if scholarships covered their tuitions and books. The stated goal of the survey was to give students a voice, as discussions surrounding college access are usually dominated by higher education officials and policy makers.
As AAUW continues our longstanding work of making the dream of higher education a reality for women, we pledge to work with Congress and the Obama administration to modernize programs under the Higher Education Act so that they reflect and meet the needs of today's student body. For more information, read our higher education policy recommendations submitted to the House and Senate.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for December 11, 2009.
A recent article by Forbes focused on the lack of women who head up our nation's institutions of higher learning. While 75 percent of U.S. school teachers, not including professors, are female, the American Council of Education reports that only 23 percent of college presidents are women. The president of the ACE suggests that one part of the problem is that college presidents are selected by the institution's board of trustees, who are almost always dominated by men. AAUW Director of Research Dr. Catherine Hill is also quoted in the article, pointing out that nearly twice as many male professors have tenure as compared to female professors.
- from AAUW's Washington Update for October 9, 2009.
Where the Girls Are: The Facts About Gender Equity in Education (2008) presents a comprehensive look at girls’ educational achievement during the past 35 years, paying special attention to the relationship between girls’ and boys’ progress. Analyses of results from national standardized tests, such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and the SAT and ACT college entrance examinations, as well as other measures of educational achievement, provide an overall picture of trends in gender equity from elementary school to college and beyond.