U.S. Department of Education Secretary Rod Paige announced the formation of a blue-ribbon commission to study Title IX during a June 27 hearing.

Paige's announcement came before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee during a presentation entitled "Title IX: Building on 30 Years of Progress." The HELP committee chair, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Massachusetts, said that women and girls have more opportunities than ever as a result of Title IX.

The 15-member Commission on Opportunity in Athletics will be co-chaired by former WNBA star Cynthia Cooper and Ted Leland, director of athletics at Stanford University. Other members include Deborah A. Yow, athletics director at the University of Maryland, College Park; Percy Bates, faculty athletics representative at the University of Michigan; University of Notre Dame women's basketball coach Muffet McGraw; and Gene DeFilippo, athletics director at Boston College.

Paige noted during the hearing that the commission will gather information on Title IX and provide advice to the Department of Education, but that the Department would not automatically adopt any recommendations.

Not all groups are embracing the formation of the commission. Shortly after the hearing, the National Women's Law Center called the appointment of the commission "an unwarranted step that raises concerns about an agenda of reversing the Title IX policies that have opened the doors to athletics, education and careers for American women and girls."

Art Coleman, a former Clinton Administration official, while not opposing the formation of a commission, expressed the view that Title IX has enjoyed bipartisan support and open discussion for 30 years.

The commission, according to its charter, will recommend steps that might be taken to improve the effectiveness of Title IX. The group will hold public hearings and speak with parents, athletes, coaches, college officials, educators and other experts, as well as state, local and national leaders, to gather information and prepare recommendations that will be submitted to Paige by January 31, 2003.

Paige assigned the group eight questions, among other issues, to consider:

Are Title IX standards for assessing equal opportunity in athletics working to promote opportunities for male and female athletes?

Is there adequate Title IX guidance that enables colleges and school districts to plan for an athletics program that effectively meets the needs and interests of their students?

Are other steps necessary at the high-school level, where the availability or absence of opportunities will critically affect the interests and abilities of prospective college student-athletes?

How should cheerleading and bowling factor into the analysis of equitable opportunities?

How do revenue-producing and large-roster teams affect the provision of equal opportunities?

Are men more apt to "walk on" to teams than women, and if so, what are the implications for Title IX analysis?

How do the Olympics, professional leagues and community recreation programs interact with the obligations of colleges and school districts to provide equal opportunities?

Apart from Title IX enforcement, are there other efforts to promote equitable athletics opportunities that the Department of Education might support, such as public-private partnerships to support the efforts of school and colleges in this area?

"Without a doubt, Title IX has opened the doors of opportunity for generations of women and girls to compete, to achieve and to pursue their American dreams," Paige said. "This administration is committed to building on those successes. I am confident that, with the help of this Commission, we will learn how we can do a better job of enforcing a law that represents hope to so many Americans."

Paige also said that President Bush recognizes that while great strides have been made in the fight for equality, more work remains.

"And as the U.S. Secretary of Education," Paige said, "I am proud to be a part of implementing the President's vision of a nation where civil rights laws are enforced fairly and vigorously. When we say we want no child left behind, we mean it. Our goal is to bring out the best efforts of all our young people in our nation's schools -- from kindergarten through college.

"Some would like to settle this in the courts. But we believe the better approach is to discuss all the questions openly, in a forum where all voices and all viewpoints can be heard. The members of this commission are on the front lines, facing the difficult issues in athletics every day."

Also during the hearing, Sens. Paul Wellstone, D-Minnesota; Susan Collins, D-Maine; Barbara A. Mikulski, D-Maryland; and Hillary Clinton, D-New York, praised the accomplishments of Title IX. Although he applauded Title IX, Wellstone said he "hates seeing what's happened to wrestling." Wellstone sponsored a bill to provide athletics scholarships to student-athletes in Olympic sports. A House version of the bill was introduced by Rep. Jim Leach, D-Iowa.