In September 2021, Peg Pennepacker wrote an op-ed for the National Federation of State High School Associations (NIAAA) on the "50th Anniversary of Title IX Coming in June of 2022." In her opening statement, the NIAAA national faculty member and school board member in a school district in Pennsylvania reminded us of what we oftentimes forget.

"June 23, 2022, will mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Surviving many challenges through the decades, it is arguably one of the most significant pieces of civil rights legislation in America’s history," Pennepacker wrote, noting as well that Berniece Sandler, the godmother of Title IX stated that Title IX is probably the most important law passed for women and girls in Congress since women obtained the right to vote in 1920.

"It may also be the most misunderstood," Pennepacker continued. "Title IX is most often identified with promoting opportunities for sports participation for females in athletics yet neither the word “sports” nor the word “athletics” are mentioned in the original 37-word statute."

According to Pennepacker, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a comprehensive law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex in all programs or activities in all federally funded educational institutions including high schools and middle schools. "Congress passed Title IX with two general objectives: to avoid the use of federal funding to support discriminatory practices and to protect individual citizens against those practices," she wrote. "Generally, the original statute refers in a broad sense to “any education program or activity.” The need to address sex discrimination in athletics came into focus when the proposed regulation to implement the original statute was heard by Congress in 1974."

Although there have been several challenges to the legislation over the years, the landmark case, Cohen v. Brown University, was the first Title IX athletics case to examine how a federal court would review the three-part test.

In the lead-up to the 50th anniversary of Title XI, the U.S. Education Department and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) hosted a fireside chat in March to spotlight how Title IX has helped women enter and succeed in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.

Held during Women's History Month, the fireside chat celebrated the partnership between the education department, the space agency, and the role of Title IX in exposing girls and women to STEM programs. The event, titled, “50 Years of Title IX: Breaking Down Barriers in STEM” was live-streamed.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten and NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy used this year’s 50th anniversary of Title IX to spotlight the vast opportunities that now exist for women to enter and succeed in STEM fields. Listen to the conversation on YouTube.