Moreover, states being responsible for education policy is not a good plan. The reason we need national educational plans are for students, like me, who don’t live in the same state their whole lives. When I moved from Florida to Virginia, my grades wouldn’t transfer, and I lost what otherwise would have been a chance at academic honors (including subsequent scholarships). Moreover, the year after I moved, I had to take 3 electives instead of more “core” courses because my new school system didn’t offer the next level of classes for me as a sophomore.

That was WITH some semblance of national policy, and I only moved once. Some families move mid-school year or once every couple of years. No national policy means huge headaches and inconsistent education of our young people.

National policies and laws aren’t going to be perfect. When they stop serving their initial purpose, they should be re-evaluated. But no policy or law is going to work well for everyone. Doesn’t mean we don’t need national policies and laws.

I’m philosophically opposed to the federal government getting involved on education issues, and Title IX is another example of how feminists have used Big Government to force their changes rather than influence society.

I firmly believe that states should be the ultimate voice in education policy. Policies such as Title IX neuter state legislatures and college governing bodies from deciding what is best for their students.

Men and women should have equal access to athletics and programs, but students should advocate for them, not the federal government.

In the same conference, my school had a lot of difficulty awarding athletic scholarships fairly. Strong in athletics, but lacking in national rankings in the two major sports – basketball and football – we didn’t have major endorsements that paid everyone’s way. Title IX made it possible for our women’s soccer team (who finished in the top 5 this year, and may be the best ranked of all our sports this fall) to grant scholarships to their players, even though they don’t really bring in revenue the same way our football team does.

Title IX helped pay for scholarships for our women’s basketball team the year they were ranked (and bunches of other years too), even though it was the men’s teams that sold out the arena (which is sad really, considering they were terrible).

I know it isn’t always fair, and maybe there should be revisions made now that the field has been leveled a bit. But, Title IX has empowered hundreds of women to pursue sports in college and beyond and helped pay for their education along the way. Let’s try to give credit where credit is due.