Girls

In connection with Title IX's 40th Anniversary in June 2012, the Feminist Majority Foundation released a multi-year (2007-10) three part study of single-sex education in U.S. K-12 public schools. This study reveals that after the Bush Department of Education weakened previous Title IX restrictions on sex segregated education in K-12 public schools in 2006, over 1,000 public schools sex segregated at least some of their classes. Read the complete Press Release here and view the report below.

 Parenthood is not the end of the road for teen moms. Quite to the contrary, motherhood can serve as an educational motivator for many young women. Unfortunately, educational barriers and discrimination often thwart this drive and determination. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is the landmark law that bans sex discrimination in federally funded education programs and activities. Despite Title IX’s prohibition against sex discrimination, there are schools across the country that continue to bar pregnant and parenting students from activities, kick them out of school, pressure them to attend alternative programs, and penalize them for pregnancy-related absences.

Parivartan, which means transformation, engaged cricket coaches and mentors in schools and the community to teach boys lessons about controlling aggression, preventing violence, and promoting respect. Based on the US-based program, Coaching Boys into Men developed by Futures Without Violence, the program engages coaches as positive role models and trains them to deliver messages to their male athletes about the importance of respecting women and understanding violence never equals strength. ICRW along with Futures Without Violence partnered with the Mumbai Schools Sports Association and the non-governmental organization Apnalaya to implement Parivartan in the formal school system and the slum community of Shivaji Nagar, respectively. This report describes the three-year program and summarizes key findings from the evaluation conducted by ICRW.

Madhumita Das, Sancheeta Ghosh, Elizabeth Miller, Brian O'Connor, Ravi Verma
2012

 The unique potential of adolescent girls to contribute to reducing and ending poverty both for themselves and their communities, often referred to as the “Girl Effect,” has been increasingly recognized over the last decade. There is a broad consensus on the desirability of involving boys and men in efforts to change harmful gender norms and create more equitable environments for girls, there is less agreement as to how this is best achieved.

GO ASK A GIRL: A Decade of Findings from the Girl Scout Research Institute (PDF) summarizes the sweep of the GSRI's work over the last decade. It highlights the GSRI research and outcomes studies that have touched on timely issues relevant to girls' lives - and in many cases boys' lives - the impact of the September 11th tragedy on youth, the "obesity epidemic" and healthy living, youth leadership and civic engagement, body image and the fashion industry, girls' interactions with social media and many more. All of this is accomplished in a handy, 28 page booklet that's eye catching and accessible.