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THE FIRST TEE AND SCHOOLS:

WORKING TO BUILD CHARACTER EDUCATION

HEARING

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION 

AND THE WORKFORCE 

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ONE HUNDRED NINTH CONGRESS

SECOND SESSION

June 28, 2006

Serial No. 109–45

Printed for the use of the Committee on Education and the Workforce

(

Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/house 

or 

Committee address: http://edworkforce.house.gov 

(II)

COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE 

HOWARD P. ‘‘BUCK’’ McKEON, California, Chairman

Thomas E. Petri, Wisconsin, Vice Chairman 

Michael N. Castle, Delaware 

Sam Johnson, Texas 

Mark E. Souder, Indiana 

Charlie Norwood, Georgia 

Vernon J. Ehlers, Michigan 

Judy Biggert, Illinois 

Todd Russell Platts, Pennsylvania 

Patrick J. Tiberi, Ohio 

Ric Keller, Florida 

Tom Osborne, Nebraska 

Joe Wilson, South Carolina 

Jon C. Porter, Nevada 

John Kline, Minnesota 

Marilyn N. Musgrave, Colorado 

Bob Inglis, South Carolina 

Cathy McMorris, Washington 

Kenny Marchant, Texas 

Tom Price, Georgia 

Luis G. Fortun ̃ o, Puerto Rico 

Bobby Jindal, Louisiana 

Charles W. Boustany, Jr., Louisiana 

Virginia Foxx, North Carolina 

Thelma D. Drake, Virginia 

John R. ‘‘Randy’’ Kuhl, Jr., New York 

[Vacancy] 

George Miller, California, 

Ranking Minority Member 

Dale E. Kildee, Michigan 

Major R. Owens, New York 

Donald M. Payne, New Jersey 

Robert E. Andrews, New Jersey 

Robert C. Scott, Virginia 

Lynn C. Woolsey, California 

Rube ́n Hinojosa, Texas 

Carolyn McCarthy, New York 

John F. Tierney, Massachusetts 

Ron Kind, Wisconsin 

Dennis J. Kucinich, Ohio 

David Wu, Oregon 

Rush D. Holt, New Jersey 

Susan A. Davis, California 

Betty McCollum, Minnesota 

Danny K. Davis, Illinois 

Rau ́l M. Grijalva, Arizona 

Chris Van Hollen, Maryland 

Tim Ryan, Ohio 

Timothy H. Bishop, New York 

[Vacancy]

Vic Klatt, Staff Director 

Mark Zuckerman, Minority Staff Director, General Counsel 

(III)

C O N T E N T S 

Page

Hearing held on June 28, 2006 ............................................................................... 1

Statement of Members: 

McKeon, Hon. Howard P. ‘‘Buck,’’ Chairman, Committee on Education 

and the Workforce ......................................................................................... 1

Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 3

Norwood, Hon. Charlie, a Representative in Congress from the State 

of Georgia, prepared statement of ............................................................... 42

Woolsey, Hon. Lynn C., a Representative in Congress from the State 

of California ................................................................................................... 4

H. Res. 735 ................................................................................................. 5

Statement of Witnesses: 

Aldredge, Sharon D., principal, Woodley Hills Elementary School .............. 17

Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 19

Hogshead-Makar, Nancy, professor, Florida Coastal School of Law, former 

president of the Women’s Sports Foundation, Olympic champion ........... 21

Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 24

Nicklaus, Jack, professional golfer .................................................................. 8

Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 10

Weiss, Dr. Maureen R., professor, Curry School of Education, University 

of Virginia ...................................................................................................... 10

Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 12

(1)

THE FIRST TEE AND SCHOOLS: WORKING TO 

BUILD CHARACTER EDUCATION 

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

U.S. House of Representatives 

Committee on Education and the Workforce 

Washington, DC

The committee met, pursuant to call, at 10 a.m., in room 2175, 

Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Howard P. ‘‘Buck’’ McKeon 

[chairman of the committee] presiding. 

Present: Representatives McKeon, Castle, Ehlers, Tiberi, 

Osborne, Kline, Inglis, Price, Fortuno, Foxx, Kuhl, Kildee, Woolsey, 

Tierney, Kind, Kucinich, Holt, McCollum, and Bishop. 

Staff Present: Kevin Frank, Coalitions Director for Workforce 

Policy; Ray Grangoff, Legislative Assistant; Jessica Gross, Press 

Assistant; Richard Hoar, Professional Staff Member; Lindsey Mask, 

Press Secretary; Susan Ross, Director of Education and Human Resources Policy; Deborah L. Samantar, Committee Clerk/Intern Coordinator; Brad Thomas, Professional Staff Member; Denise Forte, 

Minority Legislative Associate/Education; Lauren Gibbs, Legislative Associate/Education; Lloyd Horwich, Minority Legislative Associate/Education; Tom Kiley, Minority Communications Director; Joe 

Novotny, Minority Legislative Assistant/Education; and Mark 

Zuckerman, Minority Staff Director/General Counsel. 

Chairman MCKEON. The Committee on Education and the Workforce will come to order. We are holding this hearing today to hear 

testimony on the First Tee in schools working to build character 

education. With that, I ask for unanimous consent that the hearing 

record remain open 14 days to allow members’ statements and 

other extraneous information to be submitted in the official hearing 

record. 

Without objection, so ordered. 

Good morning. A little special day here for us today. We don’t 

normally have someone of Mr. Nicklaus’ stature here with us, and 

you can see it attracts a pretty good audience. Thank you for being 

here. 

I want to thank my colleagues on the committee for joining me 

on this unique and important hearing. I welcome each of our witnesses and applaud them for the work they do to build character 

and education in our Nation’s youth. I extend a special welcome 

back to Mr. Jack Nicklaus for being here with us again. He testified before the committee 4 years ago, and I am sure he will have 

2

some figures to show us how their program has grown in the last 

4 years. 

It is a pleasure to have him here, and it goes without saying that 

we are honored to be in the presence of a living legend. 

This morning’s hearing focuses on character, education, and the 

work organizations that schools are doing to build character in the 

U.S. students. Far too many children throughout the United States 

face difficult circumstances. Broken homes, poverty, drugs, alcohol 

and violence are everyday factors confronted by many of today’s 

youth. And character education plays a valuable roll in instilling 

values to help them overcome these obstacles. 

I was watching TV. You couldn’t miss it, I think, the last couple 

of days, the gunfights, the violence that young people are engaged 

in, and they keep showing those things on television. They don’t 

show the good things. That is why it is important to have this 

hearing today, to focus on the good things that are happening 

among some of our Nation’s youth. 

One organization which has built a solid reputation of installing 

positive values through character education is the The First Tee, 

which Mr. Nicklaus will be discussing shortly. The First Tee is a 

youth character building organization that provides young people of 

all backgrounds an opportunity to develop through both the game 

of golf and character education, values and character traits that 

will positively impact their lives. 

I am a golfer of sorts myself, so I might be biased in saying this, 

but I truly believe that no activity better parallels life and teaches 

character than the game of golf. On the golf course you learn responsibility, honesty, patience, self-control, integrity, respect, confidence and sportsmanship. 

For some of us it takes a long time to learn those things, but it 

works toward that end. You learn that a short putt is just as important as a long drive, and that you must put the last shot behind 

you in order to execute the next. The First Tee emphasizes these 

fine points for countless young Americans, and I commend the organization for its ongoing good work. 

This morning some of us attended a breakfast and had an opportunity to see some of the things that the program is doing. We met 

two of the scholars, youth from this program, Zalika—did I say 

that right—Zalika Nesbith and Rashion Paton. Would you please 

both stand? 

We heard them both speak this morning and they did a much 

better job than I am doing. And it would be exciting to watch what 

they do in their careers as they go through life because of some of 

the things that they have learned from the The First Tee program. 

This hearing will also examine the efforts of schools to enact the 

great character education into their curriculum. Character education typically includes direct instruction and other efforts that 

promote in students values such as responsibility, respect, trust, 

hard work, and civic engagement. Through the No Child Left Behind Act, Congress has stepped forward in promoting character 

education. The law establishes competitive grants for States and 

local school districts for character education programs that can be 

integrated into classroom instruction. 

3

This year alone, this program is funded at nearly $25 million. 

Scores of schools also are developing character education curriculum independent of this Federal program. 

Many schools who have implemented these types of initiatives 

have reported rising test scores and improved student behavior. 

And this morning we will hear about the positive results generated 

by one such school’s character education initiative. 

It is clear the public, private, and nonprofit organizations are 

working each day to build character education in our Nation’s 

youth, and I am pleased that we are providing a platform to highlight their efforts today. 

With that, I would like to yield to my good friend, Ms. Woolsey 

for her opening statement. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. McKeon follows:]

Prepared Statement of Hon. Howard P. ‘‘Buck’’ McKeon, Chairman, 

Committee on Education and the Workforce 

Good morning, and I thank my colleagues on the Committee for joining me at this 

unique and important hearing. I welcome each of our witnesses and applaud them 

for the work they do to build character education in our nation’s youth. And I extend a special welcome back to Mr. Jack Nicklaus, who testified before our Committee four years ago. It’s always a pleasure to have him here, and it goes without 

saying that we’re honored to be joined by a living legend. 

This morning’s hearing focuses on character education and the work organizations 

and schools are doing to build character in U.S. students. Far too many children 

throughout the United States face difficult circumstances. Broken homes, poverty, 

drugs, alcohol, and violence are everyday factors confronted by many of today’s 

youth. And character education plays a valuable role in instilling values to help 

them overcome these obstacles. 

One organization which has built a solid reputation of instilling positive values 

through character education is The First Tee, which Mr. Nicklaus will be discussing 

shortly. The First Tee is a youth character building organization that provides 

young people of all backgrounds an opportunity to develop, through both the game 

of golf and character education, values and character traits that will positively impact their lives. 

I am a golfer myself, so I might be biased in saying this. But I truly believe that 

no activity better parallels life and teaches character than the game of golf. On the 

golf course, you learn responsibility, honesty, patience, self-control, integrity, respect, confidence, and sportsmanship. You learn that a short putt is just as important as a long drive, and that you must put the last shot behind you in order to 

execute the next. The First Tee emphasizes these fine points for countless young 

Americans, and I commend the organization for its ongoing good work. At this time, 

I’d like to recognize and welcome two recent high school graduates, Zalika Nisbeth 

and Rayshon Payton, who are here to represent the First Tee’s Scholars Program 

Class of 2006. 

This hearing will also examine the efforts of schools to integrate character education into their curriculum. Character education typically includes direct instruction and other efforts that promote in students values such as responsibility, respect, trust, hard work, and civic engagement. 

Through the No Child Left Behind Act, Congress has stepped forward in promoting character education. The law establishes competitive grants for states and 

local school districts for character education programs that can be integrated into 

classroom instruction. This year alone, this program is funded at nearly $25 million. 

Scores of schools also are developing character education curriculum independent 

of this federal program. Many schools who have implemented these types of initiatives have reported rising test scores and improved student behavior. And this 

morning, we’ll hear about the positive results generated by one such school’s character education initiative. 

It is clear that public, private, and non-profit organizations are working each day 

to build character education in our nation’s youth, and I’m pleased we are providing 

a platform to highlight their efforts. And with that, I yield to my friend, Ms. Woolsey, for any opening statement she may have. 

4

Ms. WOOLSEY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I apologize for being 

late when you were speaking so eloquently. 

I look forward to our witnesses’ testimony on the importance of 

sports, how important it is to character development. You know, I 

am the mother of four adults who all grew up being athletes. My 

daughter was a competitive skater. One of my sons was an All Star 

baseball player all the way through college. Another son was an All 

American football player in college. And I can tell you that their 

character, their poise, and their leadership abilities improved and 

grew from little kids up to young adults from the experience of 

being part of a good athletic program. 

In fact, my football player son came to me after he had graduated from college—he had been an All American for junior and 

senior year—and said, Mother I want you to go for a walk with me. 

And I said OK. Anything to just hang around with him. 

So we went walking around the block and he said, Mother, I am 

through with football, and I want you to get over it. It is so fun 

as a parent to support a young person who is competing and doing 

the best they can in any endeavor, and of course athletics is one, 

because I know personally how important sports is to character development. I am especially interested in what Professor HogsheadMakar is going to say about the Bush administration’s Title IX policy changes and how that could threaten to roll back 34 years of 

progress for girls and young women. 

It is ironic to me that we are discussing Title IX in the context 

of character education, when keeping promises is a sign of good 

character, and the Bush administration has broken its promise on 

Title IX. And we can’t forget that. 

In 2002, the administration established a Commission to study 

Title IX. In 2003, the Commission recommended actions that would 

have so damaged Title IX that after strong public opposition, the 

administration was forced to reject the Commission’s proposals and 

to state its support for longstanding Title IX policies. 

But last year the administration did an about-face without notice 

or public input. They changed Title IX policy to allow a school to 

use a single e-mail survey to demonstrate that it is meeting women 

students’ interest in participating in sports. 

Not only that, but the administration policy allows the school to 

assume that any young woman who does not respond to the survey 

is not interested in sports. Think about it: The administration’s policy is to enforce a major civil rights law based on whether or not 

people who benefit from the law respond to one of the hundreds of 

e-mails in their inbox. 

That is more than bad policy. It is unacceptable. 

I have introduced a bipartisan resolution, H.Res. 735, that calls 

on the administration to rescind its policy change, and I urge all 

of my colleagues to support it as soon as you can. 

It is also unacceptable that the administration and Congress 

have broken their promise under the No Child Left Behind Act. I 

believe that we need to take a hard look at how to improve No 

Child Left Behind. But even the best written law will not help our 

students unless we provide our schools with the resources that they 

need. 

5

Unfortunately, the only thing about No Child Left Behind funding that has increased each year is the gap between what President 

Bush and Congress promised our school children and what they 

have provided for our school children. 

So let us talk about that today. Let us celebrate character development in athletics, but let us not forget that part of our character 

as Members of Congress is fulfilling our promises to our youth. 

I yield back. 

[The information referred to follows:]

H. RES. 735

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the ‘‘Additional Clarification of Intercollegiate Athletics Policy: Three-Part Test—part Three’’, issued by the 

United States Department of Education without notice or opportunity for public comment on March 17, 2005, is inconsistent with longstanding Department policies and 

fundamental principles of equality, is a disservice to our Nation’s young women, and 

should be withdrawn by the Department of Education. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MARCH 16, 2006

Ms. WOOLSEY (for herself, Mr. SHAYS, Ms. SOLIS, Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut, Mrs. 

CAPPS, Mr. BOEHLERT, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, Mr. SIMMONS, Ms. 

PELOSI, Mr. PETERSON of Minnesota, Ms. BALDWIN, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, 

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Ms. MCCOLLUM of Minnesota, Mr. FARR, Mr. BROWN

of Ohio, Ms. MATSUI, Ms. WATSON, Ms. MILLENDER-MCDONALD, Mr. NADLER, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. OLVER, Mr. 

LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. CARDIN, Ms. HERSETH, Ms. BEAN, Mr. KUCINICH, Ms. 

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. DEGETTE, Mrs. MALONEY, Mr. CON- YERS, Ms. HOOLEY, Mr. CASE, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mrs. TAUSCHER, Ms. ROYBAL- ALLARD, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California, Mr. SABO, Mrs. CAPITO, Mr. OWENS, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. PAYNE, and Mr. DAVIS of Illinois) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 

on Education and the Workforce 

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the ‘‘Additional Clarification of Intercollegiate Athletics Policy: Three-Part Test—part Three’’, issued by the 

United States Department of Education without notice or opportunity for public comment on March 17, 2005, is inconsistent with longstanding Department policies and 

fundamental principles of equality, is a disservice to our Nation’s young women, and 

should be withdrawn by the Department of Education.

Whereas title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits educational institutions that receive Federal funding from discriminating on the basis of sex, including in their athletics programs and activities;

Whereas prior to 1972 and the enactment of title IX, virtually no college or university offered athletic scholarships to women, fewer than 32,000 women participated in collegiate sports, and women’s sports received only 2 percent of funds 

spent on college athletics programs;

Whereas as a result of title IX, women’s opportunities to participate in and benefit 

from collegiate athletics programs have grown dramatically, such that there are 

now nearly 160,000 women competing on intercollegiate teams;

Whereas despite the gains engendered by title IX, discriminatory barriers to women’s participation in sports remain, and women receive only about 43 percent 

of the opportunities to play intercollegiate sports, 38 percent of athletic operating budgets, and 33 percent of the funds spent to recruit new athletes;

Whereas the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare issued ‘‘Title IX of the 

Education Amendments of 1972; a Policy Interpretation; Title IX and Intercollegiate Athletics’’ in 1979 (later adopted by the Department of Education) (‘‘1979 

Policy Interpretation’’) that allows educational institutions to comply with title 

IX’s requirement that they provide equal sports participation opportunities for 

their male and female students in one of three independent ways: by providing 

participation opportunities for male and female students in numbers substantially proportionate to their respective full-time enrollments, by showing a hisVerDate 0ct 09 2002 09:48 Oct 26, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 H:\DOCS\FC\6-28-06\28433.TXT EDUWK PsN: DICK
6

tory and continuing practice of program expansion responsive to the interests 

and abilities of the under-represented sex, or by fully and effectively accommodating the interests and abilities of members of the under-represented sex;

Whereas the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Education in 1996 issued 

a ‘‘Clarification of Intercollegiate Athletics Policy Guidance’’ (‘‘1996 Clarification’’) that set out specific examples and additional advice to guide educational 

institutions in meeting the standards of this ‘‘three-part test;’’

Whereas the 1979 Policy Interpretation and the 1996 Clarification provide educational institutions with ample and fair guidance on compliance with title IX 

and provide flexibility to the institutions so that they may determine for themselves how best to comply with the law;

Whereas two out of three educational institutions have complied with the three-part 

test under the second or third part of the test;

Whereas the three-part test has been deferred to by every Federal appellate court—

nine of nine—that has considered it;

Whereas the three-part test has been supported by every Department of Education 

since its adoption in 1979;

Whereas the most recent affirmation of the three-part test came on July 11, 2003, 

when the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Education issued the 

‘‘Further Clarification of Intercollegiate Athletics Policy Guidance Regarding 

Title IX Compliance’’ (‘‘Further Clarification’’) which reaffirmed that the threepart test is flexible and fair, specifically incorporated the factors and examples 

set forth in the 1996 Clarification, and pledged to aggressively enforce title IX 

standards;

Whereas the 2003 Further Clarification followed the Department’s establishment of 

a Commission on Opportunity in Athletics, which Commission made recommendations for changes to the title IX athletics policies that would have seriously weakened title IX’s protections and resulted in significant losses in participation opportunities and scholarships to which young women are legally entitled;

Whereas the recommendations made by the Commission on Opportunity in Athletics 

triggered massive public opposition and generated thousands of communications 

to the Department, the White House, and the Congress supporting the maintenance of the then-current title IX athletics policies without change;

Whereas the 2003 Further Clarification represented the Department’s rejection of 

the Commission’s recommendations;

Whereas the Department, without notice or opportunity for public input, issued an 

‘‘Additional Clarification of Intercollegiate Athletics Policy: Three-Part Test—

part Three’’ on March 17, 2005 (‘‘Additional Clarification’’), which allows schools 

to demonstrate full accommodation of women’s athletic interests under the third 

part of the three-part test solely by conducting an e-mail survey and further allows schools to treat a lack of response to the survey as a lack of interest in 

playing additional sports;

Whereas the Additional Clarification is inconsistent with the 1996 Clarification and 

with basic principles of equity under title IX because it, among other problems 

(1) permits schools to use surveys alone, rather than the multiple factors set 

forth in the 1996 Clarification, as a means to demonstrate full accommodation 

of women’s athletic interests, (2) conflicts with a key purpose of title IX—to encourage women’s interests in sports and eliminate stereotypes that discourage 

them from participating, (3) allows schools to restrict surveys to enrolled and 

admitted students, thereby permitting them to evade their legal obligation to 

measure interest broadly, (4) authorizes a flawed survey methodology, including 

by allowing schools to count non-responses as evidence of lack of interest in additional sports opportunities, (5) shifts the burden to female students to show 

that they are interested in and entitled to additional participation opportunities, and (6) makes no provision for the Department of Education to monitor 

schools’ implementation of the survey or its results;

Whereas for these reasons, the Additional Clarification makes it easier for colleges 

and universities to evade their legal obligation to provide equal opportunity in 

sports and violates the Department’s 2003 commitment to strongly enforce longstanding title IX standards;

Whereas for these reasons, the Additional Clarification is likely to be found to violate the standards of title IX as explained in relevant court cases; and

7

Whereas for these reasons, the Additional Clarification threatens to reverse the 

enormous progress women and girls have made in sports since the enactment 

of title IX and to slow, if not stop, efforts to address the continuing discrimination to which female athletes are still subject: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that—

(1) the March 17, 2005, ‘‘Additional Clarification’’ violates the spirit and intent of the mandate of title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 to provide 

equal opportunities in athletics and changes prior Department of Education 

policies and longstanding title IX law;

(2) the Department of Education should withdraw the March 17, 2005, ‘‘Additional Clarification,’’ leaving intact the standards of the 1996 Clarification, 

which standards anticipate the use of a multiplicity of tools and analyses to 

demonstrate compliance under the third part of title IX’s three-part test; and

(3) the Department of Education should honor its 2003 commitment to enforce the standards of longstanding title IX athletics policies, including the 1996 

Clarification. 

Chairman MCKEON. We are going to have a good day today. 

What we want to do is focus on the character development for 

our children, and I am glad to see a bunch of them here in the audience. 

We have a distinguished panel of witnesses today, and I want to 

begin by welcoming them. 

First, Mr. Jack Nicklaus, also known as the Golden Bear, has 

won a record 20 major championship titles and is arguably the 

greatest golfer of all time. He has been named Golfer of the Century or Golfer of the Millennium by almost every golf media. He 

is involved in numerous charitable causes ranging from junior golf 

to children’s hospitals. Mr. Nicklaus serves as co-chairperson of the 

First Tees More Than a Game Campaign. And I am really, really 

appreciative of him taking the time out to be with us here this 

morning. 

Then we will hear from Dr. Maureen Weiss. She is a professor 

of the Currey School of Education at the University of Virginia. 

Her research has focused on the psychological and social development of children and adolescents through participation in sport and 

physical activity, with particular interest in self-perceptions, motivation, observational learning, and character development. 

Dr. Weiss served as director of the children’s summer sports program at the University of Oregon from 1982 to 1997. Currently she 

is conducting a 4-year longitudinal study of positive youth development through port funding by the The First Tee of the World Golf 

Foundation and Phillip Morris youth smoking prevention programs. 

Then we will hear from Ms. Sharon Aldredge, principal of 

Woodley Hills Elementary School, located in Alexandria. Miss 

Aldredge began her time in 2001 as an assistant principal and has 

served as principal for the last 2 years. Prior to working at 

Woodley Hills, Ms. Aldredge was a special education teacher for 

nearly 10 years. She has done a greet deal of work with regards 

to character education and has even presented information on this 

topic to visiting delegations from China and Egypt. 

Finally, we will here from Miss Nancy Hogshead-Makar who is 

a world-class swimmer. At the 1984 Olympics she won more Gold 

Medals than any other swimmer; three Gold and one Silver. Nancy 

has been inducted into seven halls of fame, including the InterVerDate 0ct 09 2002 09:48 Oct 26, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6602 H:\DOCS\FC\6-28-06\28433.TXT EDUWK PsN: DICK
8

national Swimming Hall of Fame. In 2004 she was inducted into 

the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame. In 2000, Sports Illustrated named her as Florida’s 13th greatest athlete of the 20th 

century. Today, Ms. Hogshead-Makar is a professor at the Florida 

Coastal School of Law, where she teaches torts and sports law. 

We would like to hear from each of you and then we will have 

time for questions from the members of the committee. 

Excuse me. I didn’t hear that, but we do have a motion to adjourn. That means Democrats are playing games. So we will go 

over and vote and come right back. If we could ask you to indulge 

us in that. 

Committee stands in recess for 5 minutes. 

[Recess.] 

Chairman MCKEON. The committee will come to order. 

Now we can begin. We will have Mr. Nicklaus begin with his testimony. 

STATEMENT OF JACK NICKLAUS, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER 

Mr. NICKLAUS. My name is Jack Nicklaus. 

Chairman MCKEON. Jack, is your Mike on. 

Mr. NICKLAUS. Now we have got it. 

OK. I’ll start over. My name is Jack Nicklaus. I serve as Chair 

for More Than a Game Campaign for The First Tee. My wife Barbara and I have had a long interest in the welfare of children, particularly in giving them the opportunity to develop their full potential. The First Tee is a program that does exactly that. The First 

Tee uses the game of golf to teach youngsters skills that enable 

them to incorporate positive values into their behaviors. 

The First Tee is based upon nine core values: honesty responsibility, respect, judgment, courtesy, perseverance, integrity, confidence, and sportsmanship. And our Life Skills curriculum ensures 

that every youngster who comes to The First Tee is taught more 

than the game of golf. Some of you might say that golf is the vehicle but not the destination. 

I was fortunate as a child, and I had a strong loving family with 

parents who taught me solid values and ethics and integrity, were 

interested in everything I did, and encouraged me, supported me. 

That included my golf career. Through golf, I learned at an early 

age the discipline that this sport requires, the sportsmanship that 

it requires. I learned these and other important values because I 

was fortunate to have strong role models, among them my father 

and my longtime teacher Jack Grout. My father introduced me to 

the game and guided me on the fundamentals, but focused me on 

the aspects of golf that could make me a better person than a better golfer. The first time he saw me throw a golf club, he told me 

he would hope that would be the last, and it was. 

Jack Grout came into my life at one point for the next four decades. My fondest memories of Jack were the days that we just 

talked about everything in life except golf. 

My father and Jack told me that what I actually accomplished 

in my golf game was not nearly as important as earning the respect of others for how I conducted myself and my life, and that 

is something I have always tried to do. Golf is a wonderful vehicle 

to teach you life lessons, but sometimes it is the people you meet 

9

in the game of golf that guide you through the most important lessons. Not every child gets the kind of grounding and positive reinforcement at home and school that I was fortunate to receive, and 

that is why programs like The First Tee are so important for the 

development of the next generation. 

Children are precious to my wife and me and that is why our priorities at home or in the community tend to focus on youth. That 

is why when Barbara and I created an endowment fund, we chose 

The First Tee as the avenue to direct these youngsters so they 

might reach and impact as many youngsters’ lives as possible, because we knew The First Tee makes a difference. 

I had the privilege of testifying before this committee on behalf 

of The First Tee in 2002. The growth and implementation that we 

have seen since then has been remarkable. 

In 2002, we reached 103,000 youngsters. In 2005 we reached 

760,000 youngsters. In 2002 we had 115 facilities; now we have 

258. In 2002 we were in 20 States; now we are in 47. 

Besides the growth of our First Tee network since I was here 

last, we have launched The First Tee national school program. We 

are now introducing golf and First Tee’s nine core values into the 

physical education curriculum in elementary and middle schools. 

By 2010, our goal is to be to in 4,000 schools and to reach 2-1/2 

million children through that program alone. 

Dr. Weiss is going to tell you about the research we have done 

to document the effectiveness of our Life Skills curriculum. But I 

would like to say a word about some of the The First Tee youngsters I have met. 

In 2002 I was joined on this panel by Amber Davis, a young lady 

and The First Tee participant from Atlanta. I was so impressed by 

Amber’s maturity, composure, and what she had to say, I invited 

her a few months later to come to a grand opening of one of the 

golf courses I did. She was terrific. 

This morning we had two youngsters, Zalike and Rayshon, who—

I couldn’t talk after I was done listening, they were so terrific. 

They were just unbelievable. 

And last year before the President’s Cup competition, I participated in a First Tee achievers program. Twelve young people who 

had persevered through some hardship were brought together and 

were honored. One of the two national award winners, Eric Jones 

from Fort Smith, had been in a car accident and it forced him to 

have to learn to walk and talk all over again. And as part of his 

road to recovery, he returned to the The First Tee of Fort Smith 

and served as a mentor to younger children in the program. Eric 

knew that by helping others he would also be helping himself. 

There are just a few examples of the positive impact The First 

Tee has in every chapter, in every part of this country. At a time 

when we need to do everything we can to promote positive values 

in our children, particularly thinking beyond ourselves and caring 

for ourselves, The First Tee has adopted that mission and is doing 

it effectively. 

These children need our help, including yours. We hope you will 

look favorably upon The First Tee and, in turn, the children this 

program can and will touch. Thank you for allowing me to speak 

10

to you today and be a voice on behalf of the children of The First 

Tee. Thank you. 

Chairman MCKEON. Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Nicklaus follows:]

Prepared Statement of Jack Nicklaus, Professional Golfer 

My name is Jack Nicklaus and I serve as a co-chair of the More Than A Game 

Campaign for The First Tee. My wife Barbara and I have had a long time interest 

in the welfare of children, particularly giving them the opportunity to develop their 

full potential. The First Tee is a program that does exactly that. 

The First Tee uses the game of golf to teach youngsters skills that enable them 

to incorporate positive values into their behaviors. The First Tee is based upon nine 

core values (honesty, responsibility, respect, judgment, courtesy, perseverance, integrity, confidence, and sportsmanship) and our Life Skills curriculum ensures that 

every youngster who comes to The First Tee is taught more than the game of golf. 

I had the privilege of testifying before this committee on behalf of The First Tee 

in 2002. The growth and impact that we have had since that time has been remarkable: 

• in 2002 we reached 103,000 youngsters; in 2005 we reached 760,000; 

• in 2002 we had 115 facilities, we now have 257; 

• in 2002 we were in 20 states, we are now in 47. 

Besides the growth of our Chapter network, since I was here last, we also 

launched The First Tee National School Program. We are now introducing golf and 

The First Tee’s Nine Core Values into the physical education curriculum in elementary and middle schools. By 2010 our goal is to be in 4,000 schools and to reach 

2.5 million children through that program alone. 

Dr. Weiss is going to tell you about the research we have done to document the 

effectiveness of our Life Skills curriculum, but I would just like to say a word about 

some of The First Tee youngsters I have met. 

In 2002 I was joined on this panel by Amber Davis, a young lady and First Tee 

participant from Atlanta. I was so impressed by what Amber had to say and her 

composure that later that year I invited her to speak at the grand opening of a new 

golf course I designed in her area. Last year before the Presidents Cup competition, 

I participated in The First Tee’s Achiever of the Year program. Twelve young people 

who had persevered through some hardship were brought together to be honored. 

One of the two national award winners, Eric Jones from Fort Smith, had been in 

a car accident that forced him to have to learn to walk and talk all over again. As 

part of his road to recovery he returned to The First Tee of Fort Smith and served 

as a mentor to the younger children in the program. Eric knew that by helping others he would also be helping himself. 

There are examples of the positive impact of The First Tee in every Chapter in 

every part of the country. At a time when we need to do everything we can to promote positive values in our children, particularly thinking beyond themselves and 

caring for others, The First Tee has adopted that mission and is doing it effectively. 

Thank you for your attention and interest in The First Tee. 

Chairman MCKEON. Dr. Weiss. 

STATEMENT OF MAUREEN R. WEISS, PROFESSOR OF 

EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA 

Ms. WEISS. Thank you for the opportunity to speak about the 

passion of my life’s work: the potential of sport participation to 

make an impact on character development and other forms of social 

and psychological development. 

In my 5 minutes today, I would like to make three key points: 

One, that sports can build character in youth participants, but it 

is not an automatic consequence of mere participation. 

Second, there is a body of research knowledge out there that informs us of the conditions under which positive youth development, 

including character, can and will likely occur. 

11

And third, the First Tee is an exemplary program for demonstrating how to maximize positive youth development based on 

scientific evidence of its effectiveness. 

To my first point that sports can build character but is not automatic, the role of support in our society in teaching values to youth 

has been a controversial topic for many decades; in fact, at least 

three centuries or even longer. On the one hand, we have advocates 

of sport who claim that sport builds character by teaching values 

such as honesty, respect, responsibility, fair play and cooperation. 

There is the other side, though, as well, the sport critics who say 

sport doesn’t build character. It develops character by showing individuals how to cheat, be dishonest, and even engage in aggressive 

play. 

The bottom line is really that sport is a double-edged sword. It 

can build character or characters. It depends tremendously on the 

quality of adult leadership and the structure of activities in experiences for youth. 

To my second point that a body of knowledge exists that specifies 

how and why positive youth departments, including character education, is most likely to occur through sport participation. There 

are many social, contextual, and personal factors that affect whether individuals develop character. Most notably, there are three conditions or ingredients that maximize positive social and psychological outcomes among youth. One is a psychologically safe climate 

that emphasizes personal mastery in group cooperation, rather 

than comparing favorably to others and an emphasis on winning. 

Second is close, trusting, and caring relationships with both important adults, such as coaches, parents, and other educators, as well 

as peers such as teammates, classmates, and nonsport friends. And 

the third condition is the importance of learning skills that are 

transferable to other life domains. 

So if one is learning honesty and responsibility within support, 

the important thing is, rather, that transfers to other domains of 

their lives such as school and home. 

The million dollar question, though, is which youth sport programs contain these things that maximize positive youth development. Which brings me to my third point, that being The First Tee 

is a model program for showing how character and other developmental assets can be developed in youth. 

The First Tee is one of the few youth development programs that 

I know of as an educator that has these three essential ingredients 

for maximizing positive youth development in place. They have an 

appropriate climate or context, trained coaches who embrace a 

youth-centered philosophy, and a deliberate curriculum that focuses upon life skills, in addition to standing out based on having 

the components of positive youth development in place. The First 

Tee now has data base evidence of its effectiveness in developing 

character and other positive attributes. Data base evidence is important for demonstrating the efficacy of programs and achieving 

their goals of positive youth development. 

My students and I at the University of Virginia are currently in 

the second year of a 4-year study documenting the effectiveness of 

the The First Tee educational programs on positive youth development. In our first year, our results in a nutshell show that well 

12

over 90 percent of the 11- to 17-year old youths show transfer of 

skills such as showing respect, meeting others, and getting to start 

a conversation, goal setting, managing emotions, maintaining a 

positive attitude, and resisting peer pressure to engage in 

unhealthy behaviors. These skills were learned through the deliberate curriculum within the context of golf and transferred to other 

important life domains such as at school, at home, and other social 

situations, and in their neighborhood. 

This evidence of transfer from the golf context to other life contexts was corroborated through interviews with parents and coaches as well. 

As researchers, we attribute such positive results to what we call 

the synergy among the climate, the program delivery, and the curriculum in the First Tee. That is, the essential components for 

maximizing positive youth development. Collectively, our findings 

have shown scientific evidence of the effectiveness of the The First 

Tee as an exemplary youth development program. 

So in summary, my points are that character development is not 

automatic. One needs to teach for character. The body of knowledge 

indicates the conditions under which we teach for character climate, significant others, and life skills and the First Tee has evidence of effectiveness. 

I want to conclude with a brief quote from one of the 16-yearold boys on how he has learned through the The First Tee to make 

decisions in his life. 

I quote: ‘‘when there is a big challenge, it has really helped me 

to stop and think about what I am doing and make decisions that 

will help me in the long run, ’cause there is so much to get into 

trouble especially at my age. It’s just good to stop and think about 

what you are about to do. Being invited to a party, you know, there 

is going to be drugs and alcohol there. Just don’t get involved in 

it. I have never regretted the decision that I have made ’cause most 

of the time that is what helps me make the right decision.’’

Thank you very much for your attention. 

Chairman MCKEON. Thank you very much. 

[The prepared statement of Ms. Weiss follows:]

Prepared Statement of Dr. Maureen R. Weiss, Professor, Curry School of 

Education, University of Virginia 

Chairman McKeon and members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity 

to speak about a topic for which I have much passion—the unique social context of 

sport in developing character and other forms of social development. In addition, I 

will discuss The First Tee as an example of a youth development program that is 

having a positive impact on instilling character and teaching important life skills 

and values to participants. Today my presentation will include information stemming from my own as well as others’ research on character development through 

sport as well as specific findings from our first year of research evaluating the effectiveness of The First Tee educational programs on positive youth development. First 

I would like to start with some words on the context of youth sport participation 

in our country. 

Context of Youth Sport Participation 

Sport participation is a ubiquitous phenomenon among children and adolescents 

in American society. An estimated 30 million youths between the ages of 5 and 18 

years engage in community-based or agency-sponsored sports (e.g., The First Tee, 

Little League baseball, U.S. Olympic Development programs, YMCA/YWCA, Boys’ 

and Girls’ Clubs), ranging from individual sports such as golf and swimming to team 

sports such as baseball and basketball (Weiss & Hayashi, 1996). Another 7 million 

13

adolescents compete in organized school sports (National Federation of State High 

School Associations, 2003). 

Girls and boys participate in sport for a multitude of reasons, most notably to 

learn and improve skills, to be with and make friends, to feel part of a group, and 

to have fun (Weiss & Williams, 2004). When caring and competent adults supervise 

youth activities, children experience positive feelings that translate to a desire to 

continue participation and opportunities to reap the benefits afforded by involvement in such activities. 

A substantial body of knowledge documents the potential benefits of athletic participation. Some of these benefits include self-esteem, social relationships, intrinsic 

motivation, self-regulation skills, and character development (Reeve & Weiss, 2006; 

Weiss, 1993; Weiss & Smith, 2002). Studies based in school settings have demonstrated positive effects of sport participation on academic achievement, development of peer networks, character development, and identity formation (Barber, Eccles, & Stone, 2001; Eccles & Barber, 1999; Gibbons, Ebbeck, & Weiss, 1995; Marsh 

& Kleitman, 2003). Moreover, participation in structured extracurricular activities 

has been associated with lower dropout rates, lower antisocial behaviors, and higher 

educational status (Mahoney, 2000; Mahoney, Cairns, & Farmer, 2003). Thus, youth 

involvement in sport and physical activity affords many potential social, psychological, and behavioral outcomes. 

It is important to note, however, that improvements in self-confidence, character, 

and interpersonal skills, among other characteristics, are not automatic consequences of sport involvement. The literature on risk prevention and resiliency 

demonstrates that effective youth development programs are those that emphasize 

personal skill development (e.g., self-regulation, social responsibility), positive adult 

leadership styles and behaviors, and a climate focused upon learning and mastery 

(Catalano, Berglund, Ryan, Lonczak, & Hawkins, 2002; Petitpas, Cornelius, Van 

Raalte, & Jones, 2005). Educators and parents are responsible for ensuring that 

youth glean positive experiences from their activity participation. To do so means 

that sport and life skills need to be taught deliberately and systematically. 

Character Development through Sport Participation 

Character development is without doubt one of the most hotly debated topics regarding the benefits and costs of sport involvement. On the one hand, educators and 

parents have long attested that participation in sport can teach children values such 

as honesty, respect, empathy, responsibility, cooperation, and fair play. On the other 

hand, sport critics implore that sport develops characters, not character, by lowering 

the bar for what behaviors are deemed acceptable during the course of play (Weiss 

& Smith, 2002). The bottom line is that sport has the potential to build character 

or characters, depending on the quality of adult leadership and the types of experiences afforded children in the competitive environment. 

Children define character consistent with behavioral norms and conventions within one’s society (e.g., follow the rules, take turns, be honest) as well as concerns 

about the physical and psychological well-being of others (e.g., don’t make fun of 

others, don’t hurt others physically, show respect for others). Children understand 

the gist of ‘‘the golden rule’’ (i.e., treat others the way you would want to be treated) 

and what it means to ‘‘do the right thing’’ when it comes to defining sportsmanship 

and fair play (Weiss & Smith, 2002). Children’s definitions are very much in line 

with the two most prevalent theories of moral development—social learning and 

structural developmental approaches—that have guided inquiry on sport and character development. This is not surprising given moral psychologist Lawrence 

Kohlberg’s observation of ‘‘the child as a moral philosopher,’’ referring to children’s 

use of their social experiences to form judgments about what is just, fair, and right. 

According to social learning theory (Bandura, 1986), character is defined as 

prosocial behaviors that are consistent with societal norms, such as honesty, respect, 

and helping. Children learn these behaviors through observing high status models 

(e.g., coaches, professional athletes), interpreting whether parents, coaches, and 

teammates approve or disapprove of unsportsmanlike play, and experiencing reinforcement vicariously (e.g., seeing another player being praised for supporting teammates). Structural developmental theories focus on individuals’ moral reasoning underlying behavior, or why individuals act the way they do (see Weiss & Smith, 

2002). Children are active participants in constructing meaning about moral issues 

by interacting with adults and peers in a variety of social contexts. According to this 

approach, a moral reasoning structure underlies one’s judgments about what is right 

and wrong; this structure undergoes developmental change as a result of cognitive 

maturation and social interactions. Change proceeds from a focus on self-interest to 

an other-oriented orientation to a principled level emphasizing mutual interest and 

14

welfare. Collectively, character development is concerned with both behavioral expression as well as the reasons underlying behaviors. 

One of the many benefits of theory is that its principles can be tested through 

empirical research in specific social contexts and ultimately applied to practical 

teaching and coaching situations. Rest’s (1984, 1986) four-component model of moral 

action focuses on two major sources of influence—social-contextual and individual 

difference factors—on moral sensitivity, judgment, intention, and behavior. Several 

studies have explored ways in which social settings influence personal beliefs and 

behaviors about what is ‘‘right and wrong.’’ Other work has examined how individual differences influence moral beliefs and actions. Taken together, this body of 

knowledge shows that both factors are important contributors to character development in sport. In the following paragraphs, I briefly summarize the research on social-contextual and individual difference factors in relation to character development 

through sport (Weiss, Smith, & Stuntz, 2006). 

The social context in which children reside is a strong contributor to character development (Weiss, Smith, & Stuntz, 2006). Relationships with teammates, coaches, 

officials, and parents shape youths’ views of which behaviors are acceptable and unacceptable in sport. Internalizing normative beliefs and behaviors occurs through 

many pathways such as (a) socialization of prosocial behaviors, (b) modeling of 

sportsmanlike and unsportsmanlike behaviors, (c) social approval of aggressive and 

unfair play, (d) moral atmosphere, and (e) motivational climate (what goals are valued and emphasized). Studies show that aggressive actions are learned by watching 

elite athletes and are put into play by youth. In addition, believing that significant 

others approve of unsportsmanlike play is related to athletes’ own approval of similar behaviors. The moral atmosphere, or collective group norms about legitimacy of 

behaviors, and perceptions of the motivational climate also influence character development in sport. 

Many individual difference factors also influence character development through 

sport, including social perspective-taking ability, moral reasoning level, achievement 

goal orientations, moral identity, and self-regulation skills (Weiss, Smith, & Stuntz, 

2006). Individuals who use higher levels of moral reasoning, embrace higher task 

and lower ego goal orientations, have a central moral identity, and possess high levels of self-regulatory efficacy to resist peer pressure tend to both disapprove of aggressive and unsportsmanlike actions and do not engage in such actions themselves. 

Combined with previously discussed research on social contextual factors, it is clear 

that both personal and contextual factors influence moral beliefs and behaviors. 

Only by considering both sets of constructs can we comprehensively understand how 

to positively influence character development in sport. 

One of the main reasons it is so important for youth programs to target character 

development comes from the finding that moral reasoning level in sport and daily 

life contexts diverges at about ages 12-13 and continues to broaden as age and sport 

experience increase (Bredemeier, 1995; Weiss, Smith, & Stuntz, 2006). Moral reasoning for sport situations is lower than for everyday life issues; Shields and 

Bredemeier (1995) coined the term game reasoning to reflect these differences. 

Game reasoning reflects one’s viewpoint of sport as a form of bracketed morality or 

one that is set apart from the broader morality of everyday life. Game reasoning 

involves a moral transformation during athletic contests in which a self-interest perspective is considered a legitimate means of pursuing the goal of winning. Features 

of the sport context help form the ‘‘brackets’’ of sport morality that are embedded 

within daily life reasoning, such as rules of the game, officials deciding on rule infractions, and spatial and temporal separation of sport and everyday life experiences. Game reasoning is seen when professional athletes’ unethical or violent actions are minimally punished, compared with similar actions in real life (e.g., high 

sticking in ice hockey, intentionally throwing ‘‘payback’’ pitches at a baseball player). Given the potential for game reasoning to exist, it is important to recognize that 

sport is a valued and powerful social context for promoting high-level moral reasoning and associated prosocial behaviors in youth participants. 

The most encouraging research on character development in sport comes from 

intervention studies designed to promote prosocial and discourage antisocial behaviors among youth. The Fair Play for Kids program developed in Canada (Gibbons, 

Ebbeck, & Weiss, 1995) and the Responsibility Model (Hellison & Walsh, 2002) have 

been shown to be effective mostly in physical education settings. These and other 

interventions unequivocally show that when environments are structured to purposefully teach youth positive values and beliefs about sportsmanlike play, and positive role models are available to reinforce such behaviors, effects on character development are significantly different from control participants and the magnitude of effects are meaningful. The foundation of these programs—competent and caring 

adults and activities that are specifically designed to teach life skills—serves as an 

15

exemplar for developing after-school and extracurricular sports programs that target 

positive youth development (Larson, 2000; Mahoney, Larson, & Eccles, 2005; 

Petitpas et al., 2005). 

The First Tee: A Model Program for Promoting Positive Youth Development 

Despite the knowledge that youth sport programs have the potential to make a 

positive impact on character and other forms of psychological and social development, systematic and longitudinal studies of developmental effects of sport programs are scarce (Petitpas et al., 2005). We are not aware of any research that has 

followed youth from their initial participation onwards in a sports program specifically designed to develop life skills (social, psychological, self-regulation, character 

development). Systematic evaluation data are necessary to definitively show whether youth who participate in a life skills program show positive developmental outcomes in both the short and long term of their involvement. 

Because positive youth development refers to acquiring psychological and social 

skills and characteristics that transfer to other domains (i.e., life skills), it is imperative that carefully designed research be conducted to investigate the efficacy of this 

assumption. According to Petitpas et al. (2005), positive youth development is most 

likely to occur when young people are (a) engaged in a desired activity within an 

appropriate environment (context), (b) surrounded by caring adult mentors and a 

positive group or community (external resources), and (c) learning skills that are important for managing life situations (internal assets). The First Tee is one of the 

few youth development programs that have these components in place. Specifically, 

The First Tee uses golf as a context and coaches as external resources to teach life 

skills (internal assets) to youth so that positive psychosocial and behavioral outcomes are maximized (positive youth development). 

The mission of The First Tee explicitly targets youth development: ‘‘To impact the 

lives of young people by providing learning facilities and educational programs that 

promote character development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf.’’ 

Recall that psychosocial development among youth does not happen automatically; 

curricula must be carefully designed based on the body of knowledge on youth development to ensure positive outcomes. To accomplish its goals, The First Tee Life 

Skills Experience provides the core lessons for teaching interpersonal, self-management, goal setting, and resistance skills. The First Tee Coach Program provides the 

training and youth-centered philosophy to ensure that life skills and positive social 

and psychological qualities are likely outcomes. Together, The First Tee Life Skills 

Experience and The First Tee Coach Program characterize the internal assets and 

external resources, respectively, which target positive youth development. The First 

Tee Nine Core Values represent positive youth development outcomes: honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, courtesy, judgment, confidence, responsibility, and 

perseverance. 

Educators, program directors, and policymakers need to know whether youth programs are effective in achieving their goal of positive development. If so, this would 

provide evidence-based information of effectiveness, pinpoint what works and what 

doesn’t work, identify program components that are particularly effective, and help 

identify where resources should be directed. To borrow from a well-known advertisement, such information would be ‘‘priceless.’’

We are conducting on-going, longitudinal research to document the effectiveness 

of The First Tee educational programs on positive youth development. I would like 

to share some findings from our first year of data collection in 2005. We specified 

three purposes: (a) What impact do The First Tee life skills programs have on positive youth development? (b) What is unique about The First Tee life skills programs 

that make an impact on positive youth development? (c) What improvements are 

suggested for the life skills curriculum and delivery? Specifically, we were interested 

in learning how and why The First Tee contributes to youth development in the 

Nine Core Values. 

We interviewed 95 youth (ages 11-17), 26 coaches, and 24 parents representing 

Chapters varying in geographical area and diversity of participants. We used interviews because they yield substantial information, empower respondents by allowing 

information to emerge from them, and enable a viable method for learning about 

program effectiveness. Consistent with the core lesson content of The First Tee Life 

Skills Experience, we assessed how knowledgeable and skilled youth participants 

were in using interpersonal, self-management, goal setting, and resistance skills 

both in the golf context and most importantly in other domains of their life such 

as home, school, social situations, and workplace. 

Due to the volume of information we obtained, I will focus on two sets of results: 

(a) youth participants’ responses relative to the first purpose on impact of The First 

Tee life skills education programs on positive development, and (b) unique features 

16

of The First Tee education programs that make an impact on youth development. 

For more detailed information, please see the document I submitted under separate 

cover, Summary Report of University of Virginia Research; ‘‘More than a Game:’’ 

Longitudinal Effects of a Life Skills Education Program on Positive Youth Development. 

Results for Purpose #1: What Impact do The First Tee Life Skills Programs Have 

on Positive Youth Development? 

• Learning Interpersonal Skills • 100% of participants shared how they transfer meeting and greeting skills to 

other life domains such as school, home, neighborhood, sports, and workplace. • 94% of participants shared ways in which they show respect to others in other 

life domains, such as school, home, sports, and workplace. • Learning Self-Management Skills • 95% of participants used specific strategies taught in the curriculum to control 

negative emotions such as Be Patient, Be Positive, and Ask for Help, the 4Rs (replay, relax, ready, redo), and STAR (stop, think, anticipate, respond). • 100% of participants said they use these methods to manage negative thoughts, 

emotions, and behaviors in school, at home, in other sports, and when dealing with 

siblings, parents, classmates, and friends. • Learning to Make Healthy Choices • 91.3% of youth defined wellness in physical, mental, emotional, and social 

terms, stated why well-being was important in golf and life, and disclosed ways of 

promoting healthy behaviors. • Learning to Appreciate Diversity • 91.3% of youth indicated how experiences in The First Tee led to a greater appreciation for differences in skill, age, race, ethnicity, and culture. Appreciation for 

diversity was defined in terms of respecting others, enhancing social well-being, understanding others’ perspectives, and learning from others. 

Results for Purpose #2: What is Unique about The First Tee Life Skills Programs 

that Make an Impact on Positive Youth Development? 

• Purposeful Connections to Promote Positive Youth Development: Synergy 

among Climate, Program Delivery, and Curriculum • Voices of adolescents, stories by coaches and parents, and percentage of youth 

transferring lessons learned in golf to life domains substantiate the unique synergy 

among the program components—climate, program delivery, curriculum, and core 

values. • Seamless Approach: A Durable Bridge of Golf and Life Skills • An important aspect of the curriculum is integration of golf and life skills into 

one activity. The seamless approach to teaching is likely to have a long-lasting effect 

on young people because learning golf is not achieved independently from learning 

about life skills in a classroom. They are intertwined in one fun activity and bridged 

at the end of the activity. • Optimal Challenges: Matching the Activity to the Child, Not the Child to the 

Activity • The mastery-driven approach is known in the motivation literature as optimal 

challenges—defining success for the child relative to her or his abilities. Modifying 

facilities, equipment, and rules, and sequencing skills, align with the child’s capabilities such as the concept of Personal Par. • Empowering Youth: Creating an Autonomy-Supportive Environment • Allowing youth to make choices about activities and goals creates what the motivation literature calls an autonomy-supportive environment. Including youth in decision making communicates that the coach is a valued source of support. As The 

First Tee Coach Philosophy espouses, ‘‘Kids don’t care what you know until they 

know you care.’’ • Catching Kids Doing Things Right: Motivating through Good-Better-How • The Good-Better-How approach takes more time than ‘‘fixing the problem’’ as 

many coaches stated as the signature of most junior golf programs. Instead it is consistent with a philosophy of being youth-centered, which will motivate young people 

to enjoy their experiences and improve their skills and confidence. 

Summary of Year 1 Findings and Future Directions 

Collectively, findings provide scientific data-based evidence of the effectiveness of 

The First Tee as an exemplary youth development program. The First Tee is having 

a strong positive impact on young people’s development of life skills and core values. 

Additionally, the program is unique especially in the synergy among context (golf), 

external resources (program delivery by coaches), internal assets (life skills curriculum), and The First Tee Nine Core Values. We are now embarking on Year 2 

17

data collection with our 2005 group and adding a new group in 2006. Both groups 

will be followed for at least 3 years to document (a) retention of life skills knowledge 

and use as well as levels of psychological and social development, and (b) differences 

in life skills and psychosocial outcomes compared to youth who are not participants 

in The First Tee. 

Answers to our study questions should ultimately benefit the children and adolescents who partake of The First Tee in communities across the United States and 

abroad. Additionally, the in-depth information on context, external resources, internal assets, and psychosocial outcomes identifies The First Tee program as an exemplar for other youth agencies and provides scientific evidence that may influence 

youth public policy. Such evidence should justify funding for youth programs that 

can demonstrate efficacy in developing character and other important social, psychological, and behavioral outcomes. 

Concluding Thoughts: Sport Participation and Positive Youth Development 

Youth sports comprise an important part of children’s experiences in our society. 

When experiences are positive, enhanced self-esteem, character, social relationships, 

and motivation to maintain an active lifestyle follow. Caring and competent adults 

are crucial in shaping positive attitudes and behaviors through modeling, reinforcement, expression of beliefs, and creating a cooperative climate. Based on theory and 

research, several conditions are necessary to maximize positive youth development: 

(a) a psychologically safe environment in which activities are optimally challenging, 

(b) close, trusting relationships with important adults and peers, and (c) acquisition 

of skills that are transferable to other life domains (character, social, emotional). 

The First Tee has these components in place and is making a significant impact on 

positive youth development, thereby achieving the goals identified in its mission 

statement. It is important that other youth development programs also demonstrate 

their effectiveness in reaching similar goals. The bottom line is an investment in 

our future—youth who grow up to become honest, responsible, and caring citizens 

in our society. 

Chairman MCKEON. Miss Aldredge. 

STATEMENT OF SHARON ALDREDGE, PRINCIPAL, WOODLEY 

HILLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 

Ms. ALDREDGE. Good morning, Mr. Chairman and members of 

the committee. First of all, I would like to commend you all for discussing such an important aspect of education, and that is the development of moral reason and character in our youth. As was stated, I have been in education for 15 years, spending the last 5 years 

as administrator, and the last 2 as principal of Woodley Hills elementary School in Fairfax County. I can attest to the positive results of a strong character education initiative in a school. 

In 1998 Woodley Hills would have been considered, and was considered, an unsuccessful school. Our test scores were very low. 

Only 40 to 50 percent of our students were passing the Virginia 

standards of learning test. There was an increase in suspensions 

from our students, one or two a week. But at that time, the principal and other administrator, parents and community members, 

came together and decided to implement a chair to education initiative within the building. 

There have been several positive results because of that. In 2001 

Woodley Hills was named a national school of character by the 

Character Education Partnership Organization. Eighty to ninety 

percent of our children are now passing the Virginia tests. And we 

have only three to five suspensions a year. 

There have been a lot of changes in that building and, more importantly, our children come to school happy and they understand 

why character education is important. 

18

We did ask some of our fifth grade students why they thought 

it was important in the building, and I would like to read two of 

their quotes: 

One said, ‘‘Larger education at this school is very important, because character education is what keeps this school in order. It 

teaches us the importance of being respectful, responsible, trusting, 

caring, acting like a family member, and how to become a hardworking person when we are older. Character education also teaches us how to be kind to others, so that is why character education 

is important.’’

Another fifth grader stated that, ‘‘I would say character education has made a very big difference here because a lot of the kids 

in here pay attention to their lesson and they respect themselves, 

others, and property. A lot of kids in this school are well behaved,’’ 

she said, ‘‘because we were taught what was right to do and what 

is wrong to do.’’

Now, I need you to know that the success of the school has not 

been because of the change in our demographics. We received Title 

1 funding because 57 percent of our children receive free and reduced lunches, 33 percent of our students are limited English proficient, 16 percent of our children receive special education services. 

And two-thirds are minority. It has not been because of changes, 

except that we all consider one another a family and we are responsible for one another’s success. 

Now we have—the one factor that did change from 1998 because 

materials and resources were available was that implementation of 

a strong character education initiative. There was a shared vision 

between administrator staff, office staff, the custodians, bus drivers. Every employee that touched the child came together to develop a program and institute character education into every aspect 

of the curriculum. 

As adults, we know that we must model what we expect from our 

children. In the morning, administrators and staff members greet 

the children as they come off the bus with a smile, a warm hello, 

and a hug. 

The children are welcomed into their classrooms and are given 

jobs so that they learn the sense of family and responsibility. 

During the day, teachers integrate character-building lessons 

into the language arts program. They are asked to read. When they 

read literature, they are asked to decide whether the character has 

made a good choice or bad decision. And they are also asked to determine whether that decision will impact others, and, if they were 

in that story, how would it impact them. 

In writing they use journals and other writing activities to have 

the children concentrate on responsibility and caring so that they 

become people that can determine whether or not these characteristics are important in life, and that they are. 

Cooperative learning activities are used throughout the day, especially in science and social studies where they learn that they 

must be responsible and that they are accountable to others; that 

what they do will determine the success of a project or an activity 

that they are learning. 

We also believe at Woodley Hills that it is extremely important 

to our children to know that we honor their opinions and that their 

19

concerns should be addressed. We give them an opportunity to 

share those concerns during class meetings that are held by each 

teacher, and at that time the children are allowed to express their 

concerns and to develop ability to solve problems. 

Now we have some of our fifth and sixth grade students utilize 

those skills on a daily basis as peer mediators, as student counsel 

representatives, as patrols. And we spend an exorbitant amount of 

time teaching the children how they should respond to such a civic 

responsibility and to honor that they have been chosen to represent 

their peers. 

Character education is also taught in P.E., arts and music, and 

I am so pleased to read about the The First Tee program and am 

very interested in trying to implement it now into our school because during P.E. We not only talk about sportsmanship and honoring rules, but they must respect their bodies. And there are notebooks which the children utilize to express goals for their health 

as well as an opportunity to discuss how they solve problems. So 

they often in those notebooks will write how they have completed 

a chore, how they have helped a family member, or how they have 

avoided a potentially negative situation that they have encountered 

in their neighborhood or with a family member or friend. 

Now, there is a wonderful sense of family and mutual respect at 

Woodley Hills, but we do have problems on occasions as every 

school will. But what we do to work through those problems is that 

we process through the issue with the child, because it is extremely 

important for them to learn about their mistakes and, more importantly, to avoid them again. 

Now, if a child does disrupt learning in the building, then they 

are asked to make amends for that disruption by providing some 

type of civic service to either the school or their classroom. We 

want to teach them that, again, we are responsible for one another. 

At Woodley Hills, character education has truly become part of 

our culture. We do not view the development of moral reasoning 

and character as a program or an isolated topic to teach. We feel 

and are very committed to integrating character education into 

every aspect of the school day. 

And due to the implementation of character education and sound 

teaching, we are proud to say that Woodley Hills has transformed 

into a successful school and the students, the parents, and the staff 

members are very pleased to call that home. 

In closing, I would like to share one final quote from one of our 

students. Again he was asked, Why is character education important? And he simply stated, Our school is a better, safer place because of character education. And I could not have answered that 

question better myself. 

Again, I thank you for your time and attention on such an important matter. And I hope we can continue this conversation. Thank 

you very much. 

Chairman MCKEON. Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Ms. Aldredge follows:]

Prepared Statement of Sharon D. Aldredge, Principal, Woodley Hills 

Elementary School 

Good morning, Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee. First, I would like 

to commend you for taking the time to discuss such an important aspect of eduVerDate 0ct 09 2002 09:48 Oct 26, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 H:\DOCS\FC\6-28-06\28433.TXT EDUWK PsN: DICK
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cation. It is wonderful that you recognize what Socrates, Kohlberg, Lickona and so 

many others have taught us throughout the years; that is, the importance of developing moral character in our youth. 

Thank you for the honor of testifying on such an important topic. My name is 

Sharon D. Aldredge, and I have been an educator for fifteen years. I have spent the 

last two years of my career as principal of Woodley Hills ES in Fairfax County Public Schools, Virginia. 

I could share information on the positive results of character education initiatives 

in states such as South Carolina and California; however, I would like to offer a 

personal story. I can attest that the implementation of a strong character education 

initiative will affect every aspect of a school. By establishing a positive culture and 

climate, there will be an increase in test scores, grades and attendance rates. More 

importantly, children will learn skills that will enable them to be successful not only 

in school but in life. Students will become civically responsible members of their 

school communities as well as society. 

In 1998, Woodley Hills was considered an unsuccessful school. Only 40 to 50 percent of our students were passing the Virginia Standards of Learning tests and suspensions were occurring once or twice a week. Woodley Hills was ranked as one of 

the bottom twenty schools in the division. 

After much discussion and debate, the administration, parents, staff and community members began a character education initiative, and there have been several 

noticeable changes in the school since the late 1990s. In 2001, Woodley Hills was 

named a ‘‘National School of Character’’ by the Character Education Partnership organization. Eighty to ninety percent of our students have passed the Virginia Standards of Learning tests. Discipline problems are almost nonexistent in the school, 

with only three to five suspensions a year. Our children are happy to come to school, 

and they understand why we are teaching character education. Two students shared 

the following statements when asked if character education is important. 

‘‘Character education at this school is very important because character education 

is what keeps this school in order. It teaches us the importance of being respectful, 

responsible, trusting, caring, acting like a family member, and how to become a 

hardworking person when we’re older. Character education also teaches us how to 

be kind to others, so that’s why our school has character education.’’

‘‘I would say character education has made a very big difference here because a 

lot of kids in this school pay attention to their lessons and they respect themselves, 

others and property. A lot of kids in this school are well-behaved because we were 

taught what is right to do and what is wrong to do.’’

The success of the school has not been because of changes in our demographics. 

In fact, we receive funding from Title I, and we are classified as a school-wide program. Approximately 57 percent of our 543 students receive free or reduced meals, 

and 2/3 of our student body are minority students. Thirty-three percent of our students are identified as Limited English Proficient, 16% receive special education 

services and 20% Gifted and Talented. Our students come from very diverse backgrounds and speak over 30 different languages; however, we view each other as family members, and we believe we are responsible for one another’s success. 

It is important to note that there was a strong academic program with materials 

and resources available to teachers and students prior to 1998. The one factor that 

changed was the implementation of a character education initiative that involved 

every member of the school community. The students, office staff, custodians, parents, teachers, cafeteria employees and administrators developed a shared vision 

and became responsible for modeling and integrating character education into every 

aspect of the school environment. 

As adults, we model the behaviors we expect to see from our children. In the 

morning, administrators and staff members greet the children as they enter the 

building with a smile, hug, and a warm hello. The children are welcomed into their 

classrooms and are asked to complete jobs to build a sense of responsibility and family. During the day, the teachers integrate character building into lessons that are 

focused on the FCPS Program of Studies and the VA SOLs. When reading literature 

children are asked to determine if the character has made a ‘‘good choice’’, or to determine how others in a story might be affected by the decisions that were made. 

Teachers also use journals or writing activities to encourage children to express the 

importance of respect, responsibilities and many other character traits. Cooperative 

learning activities are utilized to teach the children how our actions affect those 

around us and the importance of responsibility, trust and hard work. These attributes are taught during all content area; however, they are explicitly emphasized 

during science and social studies instruction. 

At Woodley Hills, we have also found that we must let our children know they 

are important and that we want to hear their opinions, so every teacher conducts 

21

class meetings. During these meetings, children have an opportunity to share their 

concerns and opinions, thus teaching the children how to advocate for themselves 

and speak up when they notice both positive contributions by their peers as well 

as areas where improvement is needed. The children are given the support they 

need to solve their own problems. Some of our fifth and sixth grade students are 

called upon to utilize such skills by serving as peer mediators, Student Council representatives, as well as safety patrols. We spend a great deal of time teaching our 

students how to handle such civic responsibilities. 

Character education is also taught in art, music, and physical education. In the 

respective subject areas, the children learn about famous artists, musicians, and 

athletes who have demonstrated exemplary character. In music, the children sing 

songs and learn skits focused on specific character traits. In physical education 

classes, children not only learn about good sportsmanship and honoring rules, they 

also learn how they must respect their bodies. One of our physical education teachers requires the students to keep a notebook in which they write down their health 

goals and how they demonstrate the character traits at home or school. The children 

often share how they have helped a family member, completed a chore, or how they 

avoided a potentially negative situation in the neighborhood or with a friend or family member. 

Although there is a wonderful sense of family and mutual respect in the school, 

there are problems on occasion. However, I can proudly state that 97% of our students never receive an office referral due to behavior. If a child does demonstrate 

a behavior problem, we take time to process through the issue with the student. It 

is important that the child learn from his or her mistake and more importantly 

learn how to avoid the same behavior again. If a child disrupts the learning of other 

students, he or she will often perform a service for the school or their class to make 

amends for their behavior. 

At Woodley Hills, character education is truly part of our school culture. We do 

not view the development of moral reasoning and character as a program or an isolated topic to teach. The staff is committed to integrating character education into 

every facet of the school day. Due to the implementation of character education and 

sound teaching, Woodley Hills has transformed into a school that the students, parents and staff can be proud to call home. 

In closing, I would like to share one final quote. When our fifth grade students 

were asked why character education is important to Woodley Hills, one young man 

simply answered, ‘‘Our school is a better, safer place because of character education.’’ I must say that I could not have answered the question better myself. 

Thank you for your time and attention to this most worthy topic. 

Chairman MCKEON. Ms. Hogshead-Makar. 

STATEMENT OF NANCY HOGSHEAD–MAKAR, PROFESSOR AND 

OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST, FLORIDA COASTAL SCHOOL OF 

LAW 

Ms. HOGSHEAD-MAKAR. Thank you. Good morning, Mr. Chairman 

and members of the committee, I am Nancy Hogshead-Makar. I 

want to thank you for this opportunity to testify today regarding 

the importance of increasing opportunities for our children to participate in sports programs such as First Tee to build character, develop leadership skills, and enrich the health of all children. I ask 

my written statements attachments be included in the report. 

As a longtime advocate for asthmatics and for drug-free athletics 

environment as well as gender equity, it is heartening to me that 

other organizations are providing access to athletics as an opportunity to build life skills. The subject we are discussing is heavily 

researched. I provided you with copies of the Women’s Sports Foundation Publication, Her Life Depends on It. It is a compilation of 

the best research on the impacts of sports participation on young 

children, but particularly on young girls. The results of this large 

body of research are stunning, while we in athletics have been exVerDate 0ct 09 2002 09:48 Oct 26, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6602 H:\DOCS\FC\6-28-06\28433.TXT EDUWK PsN: DICK
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posed to the transformative nature of the sports experience. Athletics are a vital part of education. Success is a learned skill. 

I learned a lot about character and leadership development by 

getting into a cold pool every morning for 8 years, swimming 800 

laps a day, plus lifting weights and running on days that I did not 

want to, with every cell in my body. But I did it anyway because 

I was more committed to getting a particular result than to being 

in a good mood on any one particular day. 

The lessons that I took with me 22 years ago are the same ones 

available to every individual participating in athletics today. Research demonstrates the remarkable educational benefits that girls 

in particular derive from sports participation. No, it is not 100 percent, but it is certainly—but participating is associated with 

marked differences in graduation rates, in grades; it seems to 

translate into business success. 

The long-term health benefits of a sports experience in high 

school are astounding. As little as 2 hours of aerobic activity a 

week reduces a woman’s chance of getting breast cancer by 60 percent for the rest of her life. Diseases like osteoporosis and Alzheimer’s also are deeply affected for the rest of one’s life. 

Athletes are less like to engage in risky behaviors. They are less 

likely to be sexually active, to be pregnant, smoke, or use illicit 

drugs. There is also heightened mental health benefits. They are 

less likely to plan a suicide, have much lower rates of depression. 

In addition, this research suggests that failure to provide girls with 

athletic and fitness opportunities endangers the public health. 

One law this legislative body passed more than 34 years ago this 

week, Title IX, is responsible for impressive gains in opportunities 

for girls and women in athletic programs in every measureable criterion, including participation opportunities, athletic scholarships, 

operating budgets and recruiting expenditures. Gender equity in 

athletic departments is fueled by the longing for access to these 

same life-long skills and benefits that sports participants reach, the 

same ones lauded here today. 

Before Title IX was enacted, fewer than 32,000 young women 

took part in collegiate sports. Now it is 150,000. In high school that 

number has gone from 300,000 girls to over 2.8 million. The law 

has provided girls and women with many sporting opportunities, 

and indeed my college athletic experience would not have happened 

but for Title IX. 

But even after 34 years, the playing field is still far from level. 

Women continue to lag behind men’s athletic programs in every 

measurable criteria, including participation rates, scholarship dollars, operating budgets, recruiting expenses. There is still much 

that remains to be done. 

But despite the success that is directly attributable to Title IX, 

the gains that women have achieved through Title IX are in jeopardy. On March 17, 2005, the Department of Education announced 

its, quote, additional clarification. It contravenes the basic provisions of Title IX and its longstanding jurisprudence. The clarification allows schools to claim they are in compliance with Prong 3 

by by gaging females’ interest in athletics by just conducting one 

e-mail survey. 

23

Every legal authority, including the Department’s own prior policies and regulations, agrees that surveying existing students is an 

inaccurate, biased, and invalid method of determining compliance 

to Title IX’s Third Prong. Failure to respond to a survey in these 

days of excessive e-mail spam can be interpreted as a lack of interest in playing sports. 

Surveys also ignore the respect of recruiting and the self-selection of athletes of existing desired sports programs. 

Since then, a wide array of organizations, including athletics, 

civil rights, and academic organization has called for the clarification to be rescinded. Opposing organizations include but are certainly not limited to the NCAA, the Women’s Sports Foundation, 

the National Women’s Law Center, the Leadership Conference on 

Civil Rights, the National Education Association, the YMCA and 

many college presidents, just to name a few. 

Of all of the things this committee could do to promote today’s 

agenda to build character, their leadership skills, and health 

through athletic participation, none is more critical than to demand 

the Department of Education rescind this dangerous policy. Because the clarification directly conflicts with the goals that this 

committee is supporting here today, I respectfully urge further action in this regard. 

Over the 34 years of life of Title IX, it has enjoyed tremendous 

bipartisan support. Despite the fact that sports in girls and women 

have proven to be so beneficial, and despite the fact that girls’ 

gains have not come at boys’ expense, there is still a deeply destructive backlash against the promise of equity made in the law 

more than three decades ago. 

First the new policy dramatically weakens existing law and policy. Now they can use this survey alone. Before they had to consider many other factors such as they had to ask—they had to have 

interviews with students and coaches and administrators. They 

had to look at requests by other students to add a particular sport. 

They had to look at what the participation rates were in club 

sports and intramural sports. They had to look at participation 

rights in high school and amateur athletic associations that were 

operating in the area or community sports leagues from which the 

school draws its students. The clarification eliminates the need to 

look at these other factors. 

The surveys are likely to measure only the current discrimination that has limited or continues to limit sports opportunities for 

girls. 

If surveys have been permissible when I graduated from college 

in the late 1980’s, quote, interest and ability would have been 

capped at the then-current rate of 25 percent rather than the 41 

percent that collegiate women enjoy today; because if a girl has 

never been given the opportunity to participate, she is unlikely to 

fill out the form and say that she wants to participate; or, two, that 

she has already developed the skills to be ready to participate. 

To quote the movie in The Field of Dreams, If you build it they 

will come: I know of no instance in which a coach was hired, facilities were provided and a budget was provided and a coach was not 

able to fill that team. 

24

Instead, we need to be exposing all of our children to new academic topics and new—and new experiences so that they get to 

reap these benefits. 

Third, by allowing schools to restrict the surveys to enroll an admitted student, the clarification lets schools off the hook by having 

to measure interest broadly. The clarification ignores the reality 

that most students are recruited or, at the very least, self-selected. 

If Duke University had not had a swimming program, I would 

not have gone to Duke University. At the college level athletes are 

only rarely recruited from the existing student body but, rather, recruited from the Nation or country at large. It is no accident that 

Duke University has 7-foot basketball players walking around the 

halls. They don’t just happen to enroll there. Duke goes out there 

and spends enormous resources to be able to do that. At the high 

school level, a couch finds students, with and without experience 

in his field, who is big enough and fast enough, and urges them 

to come out for the team. Now a, college that goes out and recruits 

male athletes from all over the country can eliminate the obligation 

to do the same for female athletes if female athletes fail to receive 

a response or e-mail survey. 

Now a high school is not obligated to encourage female athletes 

to come out for teams in the same way it encourages male athletes 

to come out for teams, so long as it administers an e-mail survey 

that does not generate sufficient response from the girls. 

Four, the clarification authorizes a flawed e-mail survey. 

Chairman MCKEON. Are you just about done? 

Ms. HOGSHEAD-MAKAR. Yes. 

For example, if a student doesn’t respond, you can interpret that 

to mean they are not interested in sports. OK, this turns imperialism on its ear. Normally when you have a survey, a certain percentage of people respond and you take the results of whoever responded and extrapolate that out. You don’t make it mean one way 

or another. 

For all of these reasons, the Department’s new clarification represents a giant step backwards and thwarts the progress that 

women and girls have made for 34 years. If left in place to use by 

schools, the new clarification will lead to reduction in opportunities 

for our Nation’s daughters. 

We call on this Congress to do everything within its power to 

make sure this does not happen. The most effective action this 

committee can take to promote today’s agenda to build character, 

leadership skills, and health through athletic participation, none 

would be more effective than to determine the Department of Education rescind its additional clarification. Because the clarification 

directly conflicts with the goals that this committee is supporting 

today, I respectfully urge for you to take action. Thank you. 

Chairman MCKEON. Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Ms. Hogshead-Makar follows:]

Prepared Statement of Nancy Hogshead-Makar, Professor, Florida Coastal 

School of Law, Former President of the Women’s Sports Foundation, 

Olympic Champion 

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee: Good Morning, I am Nancy Hogshead-Makar. Thank you for providing me with the opportunity to testify today regarding the importance of increasing opportunities for our children to participate in 

25

sports as an exercise in building character, developing leadership skills, and enriching the health of all children. I ask that my written statement and attachments be 

included in the record. 

The subject we are discussing today is important. The mission of the First Tee, 

‘‘To impact the lives of young people by providing learning facilities and educational 

programs that promote character development and life-enhancing values through 

the game of golf’’—is one with which every sports advocate would agree. As a longtime advocate for asthmatics and for a drug-free athletics environment as well as 

gender equity, it is heartening to me that other organizations are providing access 

to athletics as an opportunity to build life skills. 

The subject we are discussing is also heavily researched. While we in athletics 

have long espoused the transformative nature of a sports experience, there is substantial empirical evidence to support that what we’ve known intuitively: Athletics 

are a vital part of education. Sports participation teaches young people critical lessons, including how to set goals and work to achieve them, how to win and lose 

gracefully, how to postpone short term gratification for long term rewards, how to 

perform under pressure, how to function as part of a team, and how to take criticism. Student-athletes develop self-confidence, perseverance and a desire to succeed. 

Representing my country for eight years on the United States National Team was 

a tremendous source of pride. But the most valuable prizes from all those years are 

not my Olympic Gold Medals. Standing on the victory stand was an exceedingly 

proud moment, but the real value to me was in those life lessons. Success is a 

learned skill. World-class training in my sport at that time involved swimming an 

incredible 800 laps per day, plus lifting weights and running, 6 days a week. From 

seventh grade until I graduated from high school, I woke up at 4:45 to get ready 

for a 5:30—7:30am practice. I learned a lot by getting into that cold pool on days 

when every cell in my body wanted to be elsewhere. I did it because I was more 

committed to doing something significant with my life than I was to being in a good 

mood on any one particular day. Seeing what I could achieve became my own noble 

purpose. The lessons I took with me 22 years ago are the same ones available to 

every kid participating in athletics today. 

I have provided to you copies of the Women’s Sports Foundation’s publication, 

‘‘Her Life Depends on It’’, a compilation of the best research on the impact of sports 

participation on young children, but particularly young girls. The results of this 

large body of research show that sports participation and physical activity are fundamental solutions for many of the serious health and social problems faced by 

American girls. 

For example, research confirms that participation in athletics is associated with 

academic success. Contrary to the ‘‘dumb jock’’ myth, interscholastic sports participation provides both boys and girls from diverse socioeconomic, race and ethnicity 

backgrounds measurable positive educational impacts, including improvements in 

self-concept, higher educational aspirations, improved school attendance, increased 

math and science enrollment, more time spent on homework, and higher enrollment 

in honors courses. H.W. Marsh, The Effects of Participation in Sport During the 

Last Two Years of High School, SOCIOLOGY OF SPORT J. 10:18-43 (1993). 

The educational benefits girls, in particular, derive from sports participation are 

stunning. For example, female student-athletes have higher grades and higher graduation rates than their non-athletic peers. NCAA graduation rates for women remain high—68% compared to 58% for the Division I female student body. See 2001 

NCAA Graduation Rates Report, available at http://www.ncaa.org/grad—rates/

2001/index.html. In high school, both white and black female student-athletes graduated at rates higher than their student-body counterparts. See Nat’l Fed’n of State 

High School Ass’ns, The Case for High School Activities (2004), available at http:/

/www.nfhs.org/scriptcontent/Va—custom/va—cm/contentpagedisplay.cfm?content 

—ID=71&SearchWord=case%20high% 20school%20activities (A state-wide, threeyear study by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association found that athletes had higher grade point averages (by almost a full grade point), lower dropout 

rates, and higher high school graduation rates, than their non-athletic peers); see 

also Richard E. Lapchick, Keeping Score When it Counts: Graduation Rates and Diversity in Campus Leadership for the 2004 Women’s Sweet 16 Teams, University 

of Central Florida’s Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports (March 2004) (study 

showing that female athletes in the national basketball tournament had exceedingly 

high graduation rates). 

These educational benefits appear to translate into business success. A recent 

study by the Oppenheimer Fund found that more than four out of five executive 

businesswomen (81%) played sports growing up—and the vast majority reported 

that the lessons they learned on the playing field have contributed to their success 

in business. New Nationwide Research Finds: Successful Women Business ExecuVerDate 0ct 09 2002 09:48 Oct 26, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00029 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 H:\DOCS\FC\6-28-06\28433.TXT EDUWK PsN: DICK
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tives Don’t Just Talk a Good Game * * * They Played One (2002), available at 

http://www.massmutual.com/mmfg/pdf/boardroom.pdf. The business of sports, including athletic administration, coaching, sports management, sports medicine, marketing and manufacturing, is a nearly $200 billion per year industry.4 Sports Bus. 

J. 47 (March 2002), available at http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/images/

random/SportsIndustry.pdf. A common gateway into a career in the sports industry 

is having significant sports experience on one’s resume. 

The life-long health benefits of an adolescent sports experience are as dramatic 

as the academic benefits. The risks for girls and women appear daunting. • Obesity: In 1970, only one out of every 21 girls was obese or overweight; today 

that figure is one in six. (National Center for Health Statistics, 2002). • Heart Disease: Cardiovascular disease is the number-one cause of death among 

American women (44.6% of all deaths), and the death rate is 69% higher for black 

women than for white women (American Heart Association, 2003). • Cancer: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, accounting for 

nearly one of every three cancers diagnosed in American women (Jemal et al, 2004). • Osteoporosis: Of the 10 million Americans estimated to have osteoporosis, eight 

million are women. (National Osteoporosis Foundation, 2003). • Tobacco Use: In grades 9-12, 29.5% of female students report current tobacco 

use. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2002). • Drug Use: Thirty-eight percent of 12th-grade girls and 18% of eighth-grade girls 

have used an illicit drug at least once during the past year (Johnston, O’Malley and 

Bachman 2002). • Sexual Risk: About 1/4 of sexually active adolescents are infected with a sexually transmitted disease each year (Kirby, 2001). • Teen Pregnancy: The United States has the highest teen pregnancy and birth 

rates in the industrialized world. About 80% of teen pregnancies are unintended 

(National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, 2002). • Depression: By age 15, girls are twice as likely as boys to have experienced a 

major depressive episode. This gender gap continues for the next 35 to 40 years, 

until menopause (Cyranowski et al, 2000). • Suicide: In 2001, about one in four U.S. high school girls seriously considered 

suicide, and one in 10 actually 

attempted to kill herself (National Center for Health Statistics, 2003). 

• Pathogenic Weight Loss Behavior: Over 90% of victims of eating disorders are 

female, and 86% report onset by age 20 (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa 

and Associated Disorders, 2004). 

These issues account for much of the more than $1 trillion spent on healthcare 

for treating these issues. The available research demonstrates that more physical 

activity and sports participation are fundamental solutions for many of these serious 

health and social problems faced by our nation’s young girls. See Her Life Depends 

On It, at 38. For example, women who participated in regular physical exercise during their reproductive years have up to a 60% reduced risk of breast cancer. See 

Leslie Bernstein, et al., Physical Exercise and Reduced Risk of Breast Cancer in 

Young Women, 86 J. Nat’l Cancer Inst. 1403 (1994) (reporting that one to three 

hours of exercise per week over a woman’s reproductive lifetime may bring a 20-

30% reduction in the risk of breast cancer, and four or more hours of exercise per 

week may reduce the same risk by almost 60%). Physical activity and sports participation in the school-age years have been shown to increase bone density to prevent 

osteoperosis. D. Teegarden, et al., Previous Physical Activity Relates To Bone Mineral Measures In Young Women, 28 Med. & Sci. in Sports & Exercise 105 (Jan. 

1996). Higher levels of physical activity earlier in life may reduce the risk for Alzheimer’s later in life. See Sandra K. Pope, et al., Will a Healthy Lifestyle Help Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease?, 24 Annual Review of Public Health, 111 (2003). These 

results suggest that implementation of regular physical exercise programs as a critical component of a healthy lifestyle should be a high priority for adolescent and 

adult women. 

Female athletes are also less likely to engage in risky behaviors. Female athletes 

are less likely to become pregnant as teenagers than their non-athlete counterparts. 

See T. Dodge and J. Jaccard, Participation in Athletics and Female Sexual Risk Behavior: The Evaluation of Four Causal Structures, 17 Journal of Adolescent Research 42 (2002); The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Report, 

Physical Activity & Sports in the Lives of Girls, (Spring 1997), available at http:/

/education.umn.edu/tuckercenter/pcpfs/default.html (citing to studies suggesting 

that higher rates of athletic participation among adolescent girls were significantly 

associated with lower rates of both sexual activity and pregnancy). They are also 

less likely to smoke or use illicit drugs. See, e.g., M.J. Melnick et al., Tobacco Use 

Among High School Athletes And Nonathletes: Results Of The 1997 Youth Risk BeVerDate 0ct 09 2002 09:48 Oct 26, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 H:\DOCS\FC\6-28-06\28433.TXT EDUWK PsN: DICK
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havior Survey, 36 Adolescence 727 (2001); see also Wyoming High School Activities 

Ass’n, Student Activities Survey (1998) (finding that only 25% of high school athletes, compared to 40% of non-athletic high school students, smoke cigarettes); K.E. 

Miller et al., The Women’s Sports Foundation Report: Health Risks and the Teen 

Athlete, 1, 8 (2000) available at http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/binarydata/WSF—Article/pdf—file/771.pdf. (national study finding that female athletes, 

especially white female athletes, involved in school or community sports were significantly less likely to use marijuana, cocaine or most other illicit drugs); R.R. Pate 

et al., Sports Participation and Health-Related Behaviors Among U.S. Youth, 154 

Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Med. 904 (2000) (same); The Case for High 

School Activities, (concluding that 92% of high school athletes do not use drugs). 

Additionally, Athletic participation is also associated with heightened mental 

health benefits. Female high school athletes show a markedly lower incidence of 

considering or planning a suicide attempt, and women and girls who participate in 

regular exercise suffer lower rates of depression. See Don Sabo et al., High School 

Athletic Participation and Adolescent Suicide: A Nationwide Study, International 

Review for the Sociology of Sport (2004); G. Nicoloff, and T.S. Schwenk, Using Exercise to Ward Off Depression, 9 Physician Sports Med. 23, 44-58 (1995); R.M. Page 

& L.A. Tucker, Psychosocial Discomfort and Exercise Frequency: An Epidemiological 

Study of Adolescents, 29 Adolescence, 113, 183-91 (1994) (suggesting that physically 

active adolescents tend to feel less lonely, shy, and hopeless as compared to their 

less physically active peers). Indeed, this research suggests that the failure to provide girls with athletic and fitness opportunities endangers the public health. See 

Her Life Depends On It, at 5. 

One law this legislative body passed more than 34 years ago last week—Title IX—

is responsible for impressive gains in opportunities for girls and women in athletics. 

Gender equity in athletic departments is fueled by the longing for access to these 

life-long skills and benefits that sports participants reap, the same ones lauded here 

today. Before Title IX was enacted, fewer than 32,000 young women took part in 

collegiate sports. Now more than 150,000 take part. In high school, the number has 

gone from 300,000 girls to over 2.8 million.1 This law has proven to provide girls 

and women with sporting opportunities. 

But even after 34 years, the playing field is still far from level. Women’s athletic 

programs continue to lag behind men’s athletic programs in every measurable criterion, including participation opportunities, athletic scholarships, operating budgets 

and recruiting expenditures. Much remains to be done. For example, although on 

average women are 54% of the students in colleges, they receive only 43% of the 

sports participation opportunities, 38% of athletic operating dollars and 33% of the 

money spent on recruitment.2 At the high school level, girls represent only 42% of 

varsity athletes.3

Moreover, the gains that women have achieved through Title IX are in jeopardy. 

On March 17, 2005, the Department of Education announced its ‘‘Additional Clarification’’ of its policy for collegiate compliance with Title IX in athletic programs. 

It issued the ‘‘Clarification’’ without any public input or comment, merely posting 

it on its website on a Friday afternoon. The ‘‘clarification’’ is a terrible step backward that undermines the values of the mission of sports opportunities for both genders. In this regard, I am joined by more than 100 organizations who have called 

for the Department’s ‘‘Clarification’’ to be rescinded. These organizations include the 

NCAA, the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education, and many college 

presidents. Of all the things this Committee could do to promote today’s agenda—

to build character, leadership skills and health through athletics participation—

none is more critical than to demand that the Department of Education rescind its 

recent ‘‘Additional Clarification’’, which undermines the provision of full and fair opportunities in athletics. Because the ‘‘Clarification’’ directly conflicts with the goals 

that this Committee is supporting today, I respectfully urge further action in this 

regard. 

Over the 34-year life of Title IX, it has enjoyed tremendous bi-partisan support. 

The framers of the legislation (and later the guidelines governing athletics) understood that requiring equality in educational opportunities in sports programs could 

not happen overnight, and that is the reason why the current guidelines and the 

three-part participation test are crafted the way they are. The guidelines and the 

test are flexible and fair. But Title IX has also been under constant attack and scrutiny since it was enacted, and today is unfortunately no different. Despite the fact 

that sports for girls and women have proven to be so beneficial—and despite the 

fact that the evidence shows that girls’ gains have not come at boys’ expense—there 

is still a deeply destructive backlash against the promise of equality made in the 

law more than three decades ago. 

28

In June 2002, a 15-member commission was appointed by Secretary of Education 

Roderick Paige to review opportunities in athletics. The Department spent a year 

and about $700,000 of taxpayers’ money to come up with 23 recommendations.4 Although a USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll conducted during the Commission’s tenure indicated that seven of ten adults who are familiar with Title IX think the federal 

law should be strengthened or left alone,5 many of the Commission’s ultimate recommendations would have seriously weakened Title IX’s protections and substantially reduced the opportunities to which women and girls are entitled under current 

law. 

For this reason, and because the Commission’s report failed to address key issues 

regarding the discrimination women and girls still face in obtaining equal opportunities in athletics, Co-Commissioners Julie Foudy and Donna DeVarona released a 

Minority Report because their positions were not included in the final report.6 The 

Minority Report pointed out that Title IX athletics policies have been critical in the 

effort to expand opportunities for women and girls, have been in place through Republican and Democratic Administrations, and have been upheld unanimously by 

the federal appellate courts. In addition, advances for women and girls have not resulted in an overall decrease in opportunities for men; in the cases where men’s 

teams have been cut, moreover, budgetary decisions and the athletics ‘‘arms race’’ 

are the true culprits. Even Myles Brand, President of the NCAA, has testified that 

revenue-producing sports in big-time colleges are to blame for current budget problems in colleges. Based on these findings, the Minority Report recommended that 

the current Title IX athletics policies not be changed but enforced to eliminate the 

continuing discrimination against women and girls in athletics. It also recommended 

that schools and the public be educated about the flexible nature of the law, reminded that cutting men’s teams to achieve compliance is not necessary or favored, 

and encouraged schools to rein in escalating athletics costs to give more female and 

male athletes chances to play. 

Instead of implementing any of the 23 recommendations, the outcome of this 

lengthy and costly Opportunity in Athletics debate was that the Department of Education laudably rejected the Commission’s proposals and strongly reaffirmed the 

longstanding Title IX athletics policies. In its July 11, 2003 ‘‘Further Clarification 

of Intercollegiate Athletics Policy Guidance Regarding Title IX Compliance,’’ 7 the 

Department of Education stated: ‘‘After eight months of discussion and an extensive 

and inclusive fact-finding process, the Commission found very broad support 

throughout the country for the goals and spirit of Title IX. With that in mind, OCR 

today issues this Further Clarification in order to strengthen Title IX’s promise of 

non-discrimination in the athletic programs of our nation’s schools.’’ The document 

goes on to say that Title IX’s three-part participation test provides schools with 

three separate ways to comply and that nothing in that test requires or encourages 

schools to cut men’s teams; it also promised that OCR would aggressively enforce 

the longstanding Title IX standards, including implementing sanctions for institutions that do not comply. 

However, less than two years after strongly reaffirming the longstanding Title IX 

athletics policies, and without any notice or public input, the Department of Education did an about-face and posted on its website, late in the afternoon of Friday, 

March 17, 2005, a new Title IX policy that threatens to reverse the enormous 

progress women and girls have made in sports since the enactment of Title IX.8 This 

new policy, called an ‘‘Additional Clarification,’’ creates a major loophole through 

which schools can evade their obligation to provide equal sports opportunities to 

women and girls. The Clarification allows schools to gauge female students’ interest 

in athletics by doing nothing more than conducting an e-mail survey and to claim—

in these days of excessive e-mail spam—that a failure to respond to the survey 

shows a lack of interest in playing sports. It eliminates schools’ obligation to look 

broadly and proactively at whether they are satisfying women’s interests in sports, 

and will thereby perpetuate the cycle of discrimination to which women have been 

subjected. The new Clarification violates basic principles of equality, as I explain 

further below. 

It is deeply troubling that the Department would change its 2003 stated position, 

in which it reaffirmed the longstanding Title IX policies and pledged to enforce 

them. Instead, the Department of Education has unilaterally adopted this dangerous new policy without public announcement or opportunity for public comment. 

To fully understand why this new Clarification is so dangerous, it is important to 

review the relevant longstanding Title IX athletics policies. Title IX requires schools 

to provide males and females with equal sports participation opportunities. A 1979 

Policy Interpretation elaborates on this requirement by providing three independent 

ways that schools can meet it—by showing that: 

29

• The percentages of male and female athletes are about the same as the percentages of male and female students enrolled in the school (the ‘‘proportionality’’ 

prong); or • The school has a history and continuing practice of expanding opportunities for 

the underrepresented sex—usually women; or • The school is fully and effectively meeting the athletic interests and abilities of 

the underrepresented sex.9

The Department’s new Clarification allows schools not meeting the first or second 

prongs—that is, schools that are not providing equal opportunities to their female 

students and that have not consistently improved opportunities for them—to show 

that they are nonetheless in compliance with Title IX by doing nothing more than 

sending a ‘‘model’’ e-mail survey to their female students asking about their interest 

in additional sports opportunities. 

This new policy would dramatically weaken existing law and policy. First, it allows schools to use surveys alone to demonstrate compliance with the law. Under 

prior Department policies, schools had to consider many other factors besides surveys to show compliance with prong three, including: requests by students to add 

a particular sport; participation rates in club or intramural sports; participation 

rates in sports in high schools, amateur athletic associations, and community sports 

leagues in areas from which the school draws its students; and interviews with students, coaches, and administrators.10 The new Clarification eliminates the obligation to consider these important criteria. 

Second, surveys are likely to measure only the current discrimination that has 

limited, and continues to limit, sports opportunities for women and girls. If surveys 

had been permissible when I graduated from college, in the late 1980s, ‘‘interest and 

ability’’ would have been capped the then-current rate of 25%, rather than the 41% 

collegiate women enjoy today. If a girl has never been given the opportunity to participate, she is unlikely to respond favorably to a survey. To quote the movie Field 

of Dreams, ‘‘If you build it, they will come.’’ I know of no instance in which a high 

school or college started a varsity women’s team, hired a coach and then had the 

coach return his or her paycheck because he or she could not find enough women 

to play. Courts, too, have recognized that interest cannot be measured apart from 

opportunity.11 The new Clarification is particularly damaging for students in high 

school, where female students are likely to have had even fewer sports opportunities 

to gain experience prior to being surveyed. Instead, like exposure to new academic 

topics, all students should be encouraged to try many different sports to take advantage of the many health, economic, academic and leadership opportunities that we 

are addressing today, and not have their opportunities limited by what they might 

have already experienced. 

Third, by allowing schools to restrict surveys to enrolled and admitted students, 

the Clarification lets schools off the hook from having to measure interest broadly. 

The Clarification ignores the reality that most student athletes are recruited—or, 

at the very least, that students self-select based on what a school is offering. If Duke 

University had not had a swimming program, I would not have applied to attend. 

At the college level, athletes are only rarely recruited from the existing student 

body, but rather are recruited from the region or country at large. It is no accident 

that Duke has seven-foot tall basketball players walking the halls. It spends enormous resources to make sure that it attracts the top talent from all over the country. At the high school level, the coach finds students with and without experience 

or skill who are big enough or fast enough and urges them to come out for the team. 

Now, a college that goes out and recruits male athletes from all over the country 

can eliminate the obligation to do the same for female athletes if female students 

fail to receive or respond to an e-mail survey. Now, a high school is not obligated 

to encourage female athletes to come out for teams in the same way it encourages 

male athletes to come out for teams, so long as it administers an e-mail survey and 

does not generate sufficient response from the girls. 

Fourth, the Clarification authorizes flawed survey methodology. As one example, 

schools may e-mail the survey to all female students and interpret a lack of response as evidence of lack of interest. The Clarification reads, ‘‘Although rates of 

nonresponse may be high with the e-mail procedure, under these conditions, OCR 

will interpret such nonresponse as a lack of interest.’’ Experts in survey methodology confirm that inferring nonresponses as ‘‘no interest’’ turns survey empiricism 

on its ear. A general rule of thumb is that only a small percentage of persons who 

receive a survey respond to it. The results of the respondents are then generalized 

to the population of interest. If half of the respondents indicated they were interested in sports, then the school should assume that half of the female students are 

interested. For bias demonstrative purposes, reverse the OCR approach. A school 

would send out an e-mail survey and ask students if they have NO interest in a 

30

given sport. Nonresponses would then be interpreted as affirmative interest. Additionally, many high school and college athletes lack access to e-mail. The Clarification will allow schools to avoid adding new opportunities for women even where interest does in fact exist on campus. 

Fifth, the new Clarification shifts the burden to female students to show that they 

are entitled to equal opportunity. The survey creates a presumption of compliance 

with Title IX, as long as the school has not recently dropped a women’s team or 

had a recent request for elevation of women’s club sport to varsity status. Once the 

survey is administered, the burden of demonstrating compliance shifts from the college or school to the athlete, a difficult legal hurdle for an athlete to surmount. It 

will be the rare student who will attend a school and then be prepared to surmount 

such a legal high hurdle. 

Finally, the Department’s new policy does not even require that the Office for 

Civil Rights monitor schools’ use of the survey to ensure that they meet minimal 

requirements for survey use or interpret the results accurately. 

In summary, the Clarification and ‘‘model survey’’ contravene the basic principles 

of Title IX and its long-standing jurisprudence. Every legal authority—including the 

department’s own prior policies and interpretations—agrees that surveys of existing 

students are an inaccurate, biased, and invalid method of determining compliance 

under Title IX’s third prong. Surveys ignore the effect of recruiting and the self-selection of athletes with existing desired sports programs. Yet the Department’s letter and ‘‘model survey’’ contravene the law’s very purpose by further disadvantaging 

women via a biased and rejected methodology. 

Since then, a wide array of organizations, including athletic, civil rights, and academic organizations have continued to object to the Clarification on a number of 

grounds.12 Opposing organizations include the NCAA, the Women’s Sports Foundation, the National Women’s Law Center, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, 

the National Education Association, and the YMCA, to name a few.13

In response to a Senate Appropriations Committee request, the Department prepared a report in March of 2006 that was to respond to the substantial negative 

public response to the Clarification. Unfortunately, the Department of Education’s 

report does not change even the most glaring problems with the Clarification, such 

as allowing e-mail survey non-responses to be interpreted as lack of interest. The 

report only re-confirms that its controversial Clarification is a seismic change in 

course and that schools can shun their fundamental responsibility of offering equal 

athletic opportunities for women, in a manner never before permitted. 

For example, the Department’s new report concludes that for the 14 year study 

period, the Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has never allowed a school 

or university to rely upon a survey alone to deny women additional sports opportunities. Moreover, the report found that most schools considered many factors other 

than surveys in determining the extent of women’s interest in sports, such as participation in high school and community sports, coaches’ opinions and participation 

in club or intramural sports. The report documents 54 cases where schools attempted to justify low numbers of athletic opportunities for women under Prong 3, 

which is an assertion that the school is providing all the interested women with opportunities to participate in athletics. These schools relied on surveys and other indicators, and when the previously-required factors were considered, the schools were 

ultimately required to add a total of 70 new women’s athletic teams. Additionally, 

in each of the six cases where schools attempted to use interest surveys alone to 

assert compliance under Prong 3, the OCR rejected each claim of compliance. Again, 

when the OCR evaluated the previously-required additional factors, they found that 

women were interested in more participation opportunities at these schools. In 

short, the new report supports the obvious conclusion that interest surveys alone 

are woefully inadequate at showing the extent of interest that truly exists on a campus. The report highlights the low response rates of surveys, and that the OCR’s 

active intervention is necessary to ensure full Title IX compliance. The Clarification, 

of course, imposes no such requirement. 

In summary, the overwhelming evidence—including the Department’s own new 

report on the Clarification—demonstrates the Clarification’s serious methodological 

flaws, which have been exposed by commentators, interest groups, and prior judicial 

decisions. As Neena Chaudhry, senior counsel at the National Women’s Law Center 

said in response to the report, ‘‘The report confirms that the Department set too low 

a bar for Title IX compliance—and that that standard is unprecedented in OCR’s 

enforcement efforts. The Department of Education should rescind the policy and instead focus on enforcing the law so that women can finally enjoy equal athletic opportunities at our nation’s schools and colleges and universities.’’

For all these reasons, the Department’s new Clarification represents a giant step 

backwards and thwarts the progress that women and girls have made in the past 

31

34 years. If left in place and used by schools, the new Clarification will lead to a 

reduction in opportunities for our nation’s daughters. We call on this Congress to 

do everything within its power to ensure that this does not happen. The most effective action this Committee can take to promote today’s agenda—to build character, 

leadership skills and health through athletics participation—none would be more effective than to demand that the Department of Education rescind its recent ‘‘Additional Clarification.’’ Because the ‘‘Clarification’’ directly conflicts with the goals that 

this Committee is supporting today, I respectfully urge you to take action. 

ENDNOTES

1 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), 1982-2002 Sponsorship and Participation 

Report 65, available at http://ncaa.org/library/research/participation—rates/1982-2002/participation.pdf; National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), 2002 High School 

Athletics Participation Survey, available at http://www.nfhs.org/nf—survey—resources.asp. 2 NCAA, 2002-03 Gender Equity Report (2004). 

3 NFHS, 2002 High School Athletics Participation Survey. 

4See ‘‘Open to All’’: Title IX at Thirty, The Secretary of Education’s Commission on Opportunity in Athletics, Feb. 28, 2003, available at http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/athletics/report.html. 5 Erik Brady, ‘‘Poll: Most adults want Title IX law left alone,’’ USA TODAY, Jan. 7, 2003. 

6See Minority Views on the Report of the Commission on Opportunity in Athletics, Report 

Submitted by Donna de Varona and Julie Foudy, Feb. 2003. 7Office for Civil Rights, United States Department of Education, ‘‘Further Clarification of 

Intercollegiate Athletics Policy Guidance Regarding Title IX Compliance,’’ July 11, 2003. 8Office for Civil Rights, United States Department of Education, ‘‘Additional Clarification of 

Intercollegiate Athletics Policy: Three-Part Test ? Part Three,’’ Mar. 17, 2005. 9 United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Office for Civil Rights, Title 

IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; a Policy Interpretation; Title IX and Intercollegiate 

Athletics, 44 Fed. Reg. 71,413 (December 11, 1979). 10 United States Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, Clarification of Intercollegiate Athletics Policy Guidance: The Three-Part Test (Jan. 16, 1996). 11 Cohen v. Brown University, 101 F.3d 155, 179-80 (1st Cir. 1996). 12 Academic experts, in particular, have listed the flaws in the Clarification. See ‘‘The Center 

for Research on Physical Activity, Sport & Health (CRPASH) report on the Limitations of the 

Department of Education’s Online Survey Method for Measuring Athletic Interest and Ability 

on U.S.A. Campuses’’ at http://www.dyc.edu/crpash/limits—of—online—survey.pdf 13 A more complete listing of supporting organizations can be found at: http://

www.savetitleix.com/who.html 

Chairman MCKEON. There has been a vote called on the floor. I 

will begin questioning. Those of you who would like, if you would 

like to go over and vote and come back, I am not planning on 

recessing. We will just work through this. There is just one vote. 

Mr. Nicklaus, since you testified before the committee 4 years 

ago, there has been a lot of growth in the number of students participating in the program. I would like to know to what do you attribute this growth and have other youth programs sought to replicate some of the same things that you are doing in building character, and do you think that then actually you are beyond the 

780—what were those numbers again, the 760,000? You probably 

reached more students by other organizations picking up some of 

these same methods. 

Mr. NICKLAUS. I think so. I think that the support of that information is better behind me. Len Stachitas can answer that question better than I can, I think. 

Mr. STACHITAS. We have partnerships with many youth service 

organizations include the Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCAs, and so the 

values that we are teaching, while the kids come to The First Tee, 

they get it directly. They carry those back to their other organizations as well. And we are now working on a program to export our 

curriculum in to boys’ and girls’ clubs, YMCAs, to youngsters who 

don’t have to come to us, but we can take The First Tee to them. 

32

Chairman MCKEON. Is funding one of the limiting factors in your 

growth, or have you been able to raise all of the money you need 

to move forward? 

Mr. NICKLAUS. I don’t think I need to ask him for that. If funding 

wasn’t a limiting factor——

Chairman MCKEON. I seem to find that in about whatever——

Mr. NICKLAUS. Whatever we do. 

The ability to be able to build facilities, to be able to bring people 

into the programs, obviously takes money. And to be able to reach 

all of these kids to do the things that we need to do is very difficult 

to do it without funding. I mean, it has been funded privately, to 

a large degree, and also with help from you over the last few years; 

but to continue to reach more kids, to continue to expand, obviously 

finances are needed. 

Chairman MCKEON. Thank you. 

Ms. Aldredge, you know we have talked a lot around here about 

teachers and how important they are in the classroom. We don’t 

talk enough, I don’t think, about principals and how important 

they are. 

When I go onto a campus, I can tell if there is a good principal. 

You just feel it. You feel it in the classroom. You feel it from the 

children as they walk around, and their response to the principal. 

You are really to be commended for what you have done on your 

campus. How did you get your parents, your faculty, as you said, 

everybody on the campus participating? How did you do it? 

Ms. ALDREDGE. Actually, unfortunately, I wasn’t there at the 

school when they started in 1998 but was very good friends with 

the former principal. But what they did was to have a retreat 

where they brought in staff members, I think over a 2-day period 

of time. Every member of the staff and community that wanted to 

be involved came together. They brainstormed. What they wanted 

their children to have in their future, how they wanted to be as 

adults, and then we—they sat down and they developed the curriculum and the atmosphere that they wanted to implement for the 

children. 

From that point, we have continued to do that. I have a lot of 

parents involved on committees and a lot of just general conversations when they come in the building, because a lot of our parents 

are working parents, so they do have a difficult time coming in during the day. But it is the main focus every time we have a staff 

meeting, every time an e-mail is out, we discuss the impact of television, of radio, of their neighborhoods, of their environments, and 

how can we counteract that. 

And then also—I have to be honest—when I interview teachers, 

I look for those characteristics in the teachers that we bring into 

the building to make sure that we continue that philosophy and 

that motivation and that energy within the staff. And we have the 

children—probably shouldn’t say—but our children truly believe 

and they also would come with suggestions to me. So we truly do 

advocate for them to speak up, and they bring suggestions and 

thought. 

Chairman MCKEON. So the whole community has bought 

into——

33

Ms. ALDREDGE. The whole community has bought into this. I 

know it is difficult because we have been doing this since 1998, and 

I have heard of other schools where it has dwindled off and it is 

because we keep that energy going throughout the community. 

Chairman MCKEON. Thank you very much. 

Ms. Woolsey. 

Ms. WOOLSEY. Let us talk about funding. The House Labor-HHS 

appropriations bill that passed committee just a couple weeks ago 

cuts P.E. Funding from $72 million a year to $26 million. This is 

a 63 percent decrease. So let us—Professor Hogshead-Makar, why 

don’t you talk about how that affects Title IX? 

Ms. HOGSHEAD-MAKAR. Well, P.E. Is—in many cases is the gateway to response participation. It is a way the kids learn the basic 

skills: how to hit a ball, throw a ball, how to work in cooperation 

in teams. It’s usually what they do in the elementary school levels 

and in junior high school before they get into the teams on high 

school. It gives them those fundamental skills. Obesity right now 

is an enormous problem in this country, and girls in particular suffer more obesity and they have a greater problem with obesity. 

So, you know, if we don’t have those feeder programs that lead 

up to the high schools and colleges, then you know it is just one 

more step behind that all of our children are going to be. I mean, 

that is a problem for, again, for all of our children. It is not—

doesn’t affect one race or one socioeconomic group or one—you 

know, it affects everybody, boys and girls, and that is a very big 

problem. We really need to have P.E. In the schools because 

health—it is hard to do a lot else in your life when you don’t have 

your health. 

Ms. WOOLSEY. So, Mrs. Aldredge, you are the feeder school. And 

you have given testimony about the importance of good sports programs and the role they play in character and health and self-confidence. What happens to your school when there isn’t sufficient 

funding for P.E. classes? 

Ms. ALDREDGE. That is a very good question, and I could see that 

we would have great difficulty in the building. And not just so 

much the P.E., but it would not give the children an opportunity 

to sort of venture out into the sports—organized sports youthful organizations probably. We are fortunate that even when sometimes 

the Federal funding does not come through in Fairfax County, the 

community is able and the district is able to ensure that we have 

P.E. Teachers. But I do know of colleagues that have told me that 

they are cutting them, you know, music programs and the sports, 

P.E. Programs, and their children are not given those opportunities. And that is quite upsetting to us all because, as you said, as 

people of character, if we say we are going to do these things for 

our children, then we do need to make sure that we follow through 

on it. 

Ms. WOOLSEY. Sports is an equalizer. And it shouldn’t depend on 

what kind of neighborhood you live in or what school you attend 

whether you have those opportunities. I represent Marin and 

Sonoma County just north of San Francisco. But there are poor 

pockets in my district and the community works very hard to try 

to support them, but they don’t always have the same opportuniVerDate 0ct 09 2002 09:48 Oct 26, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00037 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6602 H:\DOCS\FC\6-28-06\28433.TXT EDUWK PsN: DICK
34

ties. And that is what I think the Federal Government is all 

about—being the equalizer. 

Dr. Weiss, it looks like you might want to say something. 

Ms. WEISS. I was wondering if I could make a comment about 

the physical education as well. 

In 1996, the Surgeon General identified physical inactivity as a 

top risk factor for cardiovascular and other physical and mental 

diseases. And Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just had 

a 10-year conference to look at what is the research on physical activity in public health. So it is—for me, it is a real disconnect at 

a time where physical activity is so important for public health, including physical and mental, that there has been this 63 percent 

cut in physical education in the schools. And as you can see, The 

First Tee is also going into the schools to try and have an impact 

there as well. 

But if there are fewer and fewer physical education programs, it 

really does have a negative impact on all kinds of outcomes. That 

just comes from my general background as well as my work with 

The First Tee. 

Ms. WOOLSEY. Thank you so very much. I am going to go vote, 

Mr. Chairman. Are you? 

Chairman MCKEON. Probably not. 

Ms. WOOLSEY. Do you want to adjourn? 

Chairman MCKEON. Well, that means I am going to get to ask 

more questions here. 

Back to fundraising. As cochair of the fund raising, what are 

some of the things you do to raise money for The First Tee? 

Mr. NICKLAUS. Well, we have different outings in different 

places. We have different meetings that we go to. We try different 

areas that we go to, trying to raise private funds. And to a large 

degree, we have been reasonably successful. To the numbers I 

think that—Len could give better numbers than I can. And if you 

don’t mind, I would appreciate getting that support. 

Mr. STACHITAS. We have an annual budget of about $15 million 

and we raise about 12 of that privately. We turn around and we 

give over a third of that back to our chapters, so I do not want you 

to think we are raising $15 million for headquarters. That is not 

the case at all. But what we have found is really when we talk 

about the First Tee as a youth development program, which is how 

we view ourselves, that that opens the interest of many possible 

funders. Frankly, in our early history, we were viewed as a junior 

golf program and the only people interested in that are golfers. 

Thankfully, there are a lot of golfers, but we are more than that.. 

And we never were just a junior golf program. 

So we get a sympathetic hearing in many quarters, I am happy 

to say, when we talk about our life skills program and what we do 

for the children. And, as Jack said in his testimony and at the 

breakfast this morning, that golf is just a vehicle, it is not the destination. 

Having said that, to your earlier question, we have 258 facilities. 

We could easily have 458 if we had the money to do it, but we just 

do not. 

35

Chairman MCKEON. Generally, manpower or womanpower, people power, and finances is the limiting factor probably in any venture. 

Mr. STACHITAS. Correct. 

Mr. NICKLAUS. If I may add just a little bit to that. One of the 

things that a lot of us have done, particularly in my case and particularly with some of the funds that I have brought in, that the 

funds came in, are not for administrative; they are for kids only 

and the usage of the kids and the teaching. 

Chairman MCKEON. You said you give a third back to the local 

groups. They must be raising money on their own, then, if they 

need. So you do more than 15 million for First Tee, if you take 

those, what they raise at a local level. 

Mr. NICKLAUS. Yes. Some of it is needed for administration, obviously. Some of it, like stuff that I have done and other people have 

done, it totally goes to the kids, which means it does not go to administration. It all goes into the teaching part. 

Chairman MCKEON. Thank you. I am going to go vote. 

Mr. OSBORNE [presiding]. As you can see, we are a little discombobulated here. We apparently have somebody who has a motion to rise every 30 minutes, so it is going to be one of those day. 

We have something like 80 amendments pending on this appropriations bill and we are going to try to get through 80 amendments 

and then have a motion to rise every 30 minutes, so it will be a 

very interesting day. 

I do have a few questions. First of all, I want to commend Mr. 

Nicklaus for being here, and those of you who are representing 

First Tee. My experience in athletics has been paralleled by some 

of the observations that you have, and that is that athletics does 

not automatically build character. Athletics reveals character oft 

times. And unless you are fairly intentional about it, unless you 

have a specific program in mind, you may not see the desired results. So we are pleased that you have done that. 

And, Ms. Aldredge, I am really impressed with your testimony. 

So I am pleased with all of you being here. 

I really did not come here to discuss Title IX, but I have lived 

it. I used to be a football coach for 36 years, and so I thought 

maybe some of the comments that have been made deserve some 

response. And that is that at Nebraska, we had 22 sports when I 

left in 1997. One supported itself, football; one broke even, basketball; and the remaining 20 needed financial support and were financed primarily by football. And when Title IX was written, there 

were three tests of compliance. One was increased opportunities for 

the underrepresented sex; in other words, were more opportunities 

continually being added. So many programs complied by continually adding women’s sports. At Nebraska, we added women’s rifle, 

no men’s team. We added women’s bowling. No men’s team. And 

so you do that for a while and then you hit the wall financially. 

You cannot afford to continue because there isn’t enough money. 

And Nebraska receives no State money, so it was all self-generated. 

So we saw a tremendous increase in women’s participation. And 

I applauded that. I was very pleased to see it. And yet at one point 

we reached a limit. So then rules were passed that walk-ons could 

no longer walk on, because they counted. And so we would have 

36

150 players walk on, but we could only allow 110 to come out in 

the fall. We began to see men’s wrestling go away, we saw men’s 

baseball, we saw men’s track, because if you are going to go with 

proportionality—at one time it was 60/40, men to women, and now 

it is 56 percent women and about 44 percent male. And if you are 

going to have a football program, you have got a problem with proportionality. 

We were not going to get rid of football because that paid for everything else. And so the question is, what do you do? Well, you 

in many cases eliminate men. And that is something that we need 

to look at really hard. I do not think anybody wanted to see that. 

So it is my time and then I will be glad to let you talk. So I want 

to make people aware of that. 

The third test, besides proportionality and additional responsibilities, was interest. And that was on the books; that was in the law 

for years and years and years. And it was never a matter of a court 

decision. They would not consider it. And so that has been something that has been added. Now, it may be the survey, it may be 

that the questionnaire is not appropriate. Maybe there is a better 

way to determine interest. But I think you do see in high school 

where it is thrown open, anybody can go out for anything, you will 

see more men participate than women. You will see more men walk 

on than women. And so we have to recognize that. It is not a onesize-fits-all. 

So anyway, I just want to make those comments and make sure 

that there was some understanding that there is more at stake 

here than just a survey. It is something that has been ongoing for 

many, many years. 

And so with that, I just want to commend you all for coming, and 

thank you. My main interest in athletics has been character development. And I feel that that is what this primarily should be 

about, but I do recognize that there is concern about Title IX. 

I do have a question for Ms. Aldredge here, and that would have 

to do with the fact that you have seen substantial improvement in 

graduation rates and behavior, but a lot of the academic indicators 

are doing better since you have done something with character education. I wonder if you could flesh that out a little bit in terms of 

dropout rates, grades, and so on; things that you could give us in 

terms of any statistics that you feel are important. 

Ms. ALDREDGE. Well, at the elementary level, fortunately, we do 

not have a lot of students dropping out. The attendance rates have 

improved greatly. Our students are at school 95 percent of the 

school year, on average. Our scores, we just recently took our writing SOL tests, and 95 percent of our children that took the test 

passed the SOLs this year. 

We have had an increase in grades as far as pretty much, I 

would say, in Fairfax County. We also have a citizenship section 

on our report card with more caveats and things. And, on average, 

most of our students receive either outstanding or good in those indicators as well. But as I said, 97 percent of our children have 

never had an office referral. And we have a school of about 550 

children. So we have been fortunate that we have been able to 

work with the children so that the majority of them actually never 

come into the office because of a behavior problem. If there are 

37

minor issues, they have been able to have been handled in the 

classroom. 

Mr. OSBORNE. Well, thank you. And I think there is no question 

that behavior is critical in terms of academic performance. So I 

think what we are doing is probably more important than anything 

we can do, maybe even through No Child Left Behind. Because if 

thelearning environment isn’t there, nobody is going to learn. 

I have used my time up, and so I would like to recognize Mr. Kildee at this time. He is the quickest on the Democrat side. He was 

able to get over there and vote and get back. So I recognize him 

at this time. 

Mr. KILDEE. I am a track star, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Ms. 

Hogshead-Makar, for all you have done. As the father of sons and 

daughters, and a grandfather of grandsons and granddaughters, I 

am very, very grateful for your role in making Title IX work. It was 

passed the year that my daughter was born and it has transformed 

her life a great deal. She attended school in Fairfax County, and 

we have very much appreciated the active role that Fairfax County 

schools play out there. 

If everyone who benefited in Title 1 really turned into as great 

an advocate as you, it would really be a lot better. It is a great program. Patsy Mink used to sit down from me, and we all loved 

Patsy Mink. She was such a great advocate for Title IX. 

As your testimony points out, equitable participation in athletics 

has had a profound effect upon the lives of women. But recently 

the administration’s policy clarification really undermines the intent and value of Title IX. 

Ms. HOGSHEAD-MAKAR. Yes. 

Mr. KILDEE. Opting in puts a burden on you. In effect, what the 

administration is doing is having you opt in; and, to my mind, 

there is a certain unfairness requiring an opting in. And 143 of us 

have written directly to the President of the United States, not one 

of his Cabinet officials, not one of his subalterns, we have written 

to the President of the United States. That was a year ago, and he 

has not yet responded. It must have got lost in the mail; 143 signed 

it. 

But can you talk about the negative aspect of requiring a female 

to have to opt in to a program, really, by this method for which the 

administration is working? 

Ms. HOGSHEAD-MAKAR. Sure. In addition to my testimony, men 

never have to prove that they are interested in sports; we just assume they are. We hire the coaches. We build the facilities, and we 

provide them with many opportunities to play sports. If you do the 

same thing for women, the same thing happens. If you build it, 

they will come. 

My own personal experience actually sort of mirrors this. As I 

said in the beginning, I am 44 years old and right when I went to 

college in 1980 was right when the effects of Title IX were just 

starting to be seen. It was passed in 1972. The regulations came 

out in 1975, saying here is what athletic departments have to do. 

So it was right around 1978, 1979; then, all of a sudden, bang, 

there were college scholarships available for women. So people who 

had my credentials, that were world champions or national 

recordholder, that were just 2 years older, did not have any scholVerDate 0ct 09 2002 09:48 Oct 26, 2006 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00041 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6602 H:\DOCS\FC\6-28-06\28433.TXT EDUWK PsN: DICK
38

arship activities, whereas I literally could have gone almost anyplace I wanted to. Just almost overnight, lots and lots of opportunities opened up. 

When I was in high school I said in a newspaper interview, I 

said, Don’t women usually quit right around the age in their senior 

year in high school? I just thought physically women could not do 

anymore. That that was really it. It was because of Title IX, having 

these scholarship opportunities, having teams that were available 

at all for women in athletics, that suddenly the whole world opened 

up. 

Fast forward now to 1984. At the Olympics I tied for the Gold 

Medal with Carrie Steinseifer who was only 16 years old. And 

Carrie—we had a lot of endorsement opportunities. We turned 

them all down because Carrie assumed that, of course, her athletic 

career was going to be that long, that she was going to swim in 

college, and that she was getting a full ride. The thinking just 

changed overnight. 

When I was back in high school, if you had said that I had to 

fill out a survey and say whether or not I was interested in playing 

sports—first I was given the opportunity and then I developed the 

interest to be able to go and play in college. The cart did not come 

before the horse. I think it will be a very unusual woman who will 

go to college that does not offer that sport, wanting to play that 

sport, and then sort of do everything that it is going to take. My 

goodness, the legal hurdle these women are going to have to be 

able to actually create a team now is going to be almost insurmountable with this new additional clarification. 

Mr. KILDEE. I thank you personally and I want to thank you also 

on behalf of Patsy Mink, because this is so dear to her heart. 

Thank you for what you are doing. 

Mr. OSBORNE. Thank you Mr. Kildee. Mr. Kind. 

Mr. KIND. Thank you very much, Coach Osborne. I want to 

thank all the panelists for your testimony here today and on this 

very important topic. Mr. Nicklaus, I want to especially thank you 

for taking time out of your busy schedule for being with us this 

morning for the breakfast and for your support for youth programs 

generally, but also the First Tee program. It is an incredibly successful program, still very much in its infancy, and that was demonstrated this morning with the two students who were there to 

address a room full of Members of Congress and Senators, and it 

was very important. Mr. Payton was there and he addressed us 

this morning. He did an outstanding job. I see Miss Nesbith had 

to take off right now, but you both did an excellent job and I commend you because that is some heady stuff, walking into the 

United States Capitol, maybe for the first time, and having to address a full room of Members of the House of Representatives and 

some Senators in the audience, talking about the First Tee and the 

impact it made on your lives. It was very very important. 

Now, as the father of two little boys myself, I am trying to introduce them into a life of athletics as I was able to grow up under. 

There is no greater joy than to be able to share that experience 

with your own children and teach them the life lessons and the 

value system that they hopefully will develop. That is one of the 

things that is impressive about the First Tee program, the life 

39

skills education program that is receiving so much emphasis that 

you guys talked so eloquently about this morning at the breakfast. 

It is not just a game, but it is character formation and value formation and good mentoring and role models in young people’s lives, 

which I think is the key to later success but also academic achievement. 

One of the things that we have coming up in Congress in the 

next session will be reauthorization of No Child Left Behind. It was 

a bill that was passed in the first year of the Bush administration. 

I think we have a lot of work in order to address some of the deficiencies now that we have seen it play out. And I see the principal 

on the panel is kind of nodding her head in agreement. We are 

going to be looking for feedback on what changes we have to effectuate with reauthorization. 

On of the deficiencies that really jumped out at me, though, and 

I hope we get some support on the committee, is the fact that physical education is not considered a core academic subject under No 

Child Left Behind. I think it is important that we go back and address that again, especially looking at the statistics with childhood 

obesity and type II juvenile diabetes and the role that athletics 

help in shaping good bodies, but, more importantly, good minds for 

learning opportunities. I think we have to go back and address 

that. 

And, Dr. Weiss, perhaps it will be an opportunity for us to follow 

up with you and get some input and advice, given a lot of work 

that you have devoted on this very topic. We are looking for feedback and what we can do to hopefully shape a real good program 

for that through the reauthorization process. 

And I really do not have any questions, other than maybe if Jack 

has advice on a flying right elbow that I have been battling in my 

pretty pathetic golf career. 

Mr. NICKLAUS. That is my speciality, a flying right elbow. 

Mr. KIND. I have read your books. I hopefully have picked up 

some valuable points and tips. 

Thank you all for your testimony here today, for your support for 

these important programs and your testimony about youth development in general. 

I apologize for the erratic schedule that we have. There are some 

crazy things going on on the House floor today. Mr. Chairman, 

thank you for convening this hearing today. We will look forward 

to working with you as the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind 

approaches this committee. Thank you very much. 

Chairman MCKEON. Thank you. Ms. McCollum. 

Ms. MCCOLLUM. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It is nice not to 

watch you on TV, Mr. Nicklaus. And I want to thank you—I am 

from Minnesota—for all the times in the winter I do not have to 

look at snow outside and I look at beautiful, beautiful weather. And 

I think First Tee has a role to play, but I am concerned in the way 

that some of the funds are being appropriated; $2 million came out 

of the COPS program and things like that. 

So if this is important enough to fund, we need to find a way in 

which it is funded up front, having hearings on its funding, and 

then fund it that way, rather than going to conference committee 

40

and it is coming out of the character education budget for the regular schools and things like that. 

I want to just take this opportunity to kind of combine Title IX 

and golf together. In 1971 and 1972—for those of you have who 

might try to do the math, that makes me about 52, 53. In 1971 

Muriell Foss, who was my phy ed teacher, came up and tapped me 

on the shoulder and she said, Would you like to learn how to play 

golf? I looked at her and I said, Get out of here, there is no way, 

my parents do not play, I do not play, we literally do not have the 

money for green fees, whatever. She said, We are putting together 

a group of girls who participate in GAA, which is what we had before we had Title IX, and we thought it might be an opportunity 

for some young girls in south St. Paul to learn how to play golf. 

Muriell had a passion for it. We heard her talk about it all the 

time in phy ed. 

In 1972, my senior year, I got to play again in the fall, but my 

access was through Title IX. And so I think that there is room and 

opportunities for both programs. But one of the reasons that I am 

so passionate about Title IX, sitting here today—and I barely golf 

at all—but the opportunity it gave me to experience a sport, an opportunity. And I think there is a lot of character to playing golf, 

a lot of manners, a lot of respect that goes into it. And so it does 

help develop character. 

But when I had a town hall meeting on and I sent a letter to 

the President, who forwarded my letter to the Secretary of Education, on the clarification on the way that they were going to be 

assessing the interest in high school and college sports for women, 

I got back a letter that was very unsatisfying. My town hall meeting—and we had tennis coaches there, we had golf coaches from 

women’s athletics, both in high school and college, and they all 

said, including the young women athletes, this was like the worst 

way to interact with people to get any response back. 

And so it was because of opportunities that First Tee and Title 

IX present that I, Mr. McKeon, I really would like to see us have 

a discussion that did not become polarized on party lines but really 

on how do we continue to move our sons and our daughters together forward. 

So I would like us to look at the way in which First Tee is funded. If it is important enough to fund alone—and from the testimony 

here it should be—it should not be coming out of the expense of the 

COPS programs which help provide safe neighborhoods for students and at the expense of character development in our schools. 

We would look forward to having a hearing in which we can 

move forward with Title IX and learn more about programs like 

First Tee. Thank you. 

Chairman MCKEON. I would love to have discussions that do not 

become polarized by party. And I think that would be a good step 

forward for this committee and all committees here on the floor. I 

think we have made lots of progress. Those of you who have been 

here, Mr. Kildee has been here a hundred years, he has seen lots 

of change, lots of progress. And I think we have gotten rid of a lot 

of personal rancor that used to permeate this committee, and we 

will continue hopefully to make progress in that regard. 

41

The COPS program. One of the problems with being here for a 

while is you start remembering things that happened back awhile. 

And I remember when we first passed the COPS program, that was 

just going to be a jump-start program, and I remember the Los Angeles mayor, Mayor Riordan at the time, calling me and saying, 

Look, we just need a little money to get this started and if you can 

just help us get it started for a couple of years, then we will carry 

it on ourselves. I think that was about 10 or 12 years ago. 

And it is just impossible to get rid of programs here once they 

start. They develop a constituency and there is further demand for 

the money. And that was when it was originally passed, was to be 

a temporary jump-start program that is continuing to this day. 

Mr. Ehlers. 

Mr. EHLERS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you very much 

for your testimony. I appreciate it. I think any program that helps 

improve the character of kids is worthwhile, but I do think you 

made a good choice in golf. And I used to be golfer. I cannot claim 

to anymore, because I am down to one game a year now with this 

job. There is just no time. And it is irritating when I go back to 

Michigan, people say, Well, have you played Burning Tree yet? And 

I say, I have not played one game of golf in Washington. Our 

schedules are too hectic. 

But it is a game that builds character and I first realized that 

when I got into it. And what struck me, we had a recent President 

who shall remain unnamed, and when I read in the paper that he 

cheated on his golf score, I knew there was something fatally 

flawed about that President. And unfortunately I was right. A fine 

fellow in every other way, very capable, but he cheated on his golf 

scores and it showed in other things. I have learned that I will 

never play twice with someone who cheats on his golf score, and 

I think most golfers feel that way, so it is a very good place to start 

and it does build a lot of character in a lot of different ways. 

Ms. Aldredge, I was very impressed with your testimony and 

your statements about what you have done in the school. I have 

no questions on that. But I was just very impressed with your recital of what you have accomplished, and that is what we need in 

every school in America. And I wanted to pay tribute to you for the 

work that you have done and the professional attitude that you display and the way you handled it. So thank you. 

I do not have a question, Mr. Chairman. I could certainly get into 

Title IX. I happen to think Title IX was a good thing. But as scientist I have a theorum about the laws we pass; that every law we 

pass creates a need for two additional laws. What we have done in 

Title IX was good but not perfect. And I think it is perfectly legitimate for this committee to look at ways we can improve Title IX 

and its effect on the schools and especially the effect on children. 

But I think it is marvelous. 

There are two occasions in my life where I was convinced that 

I was not what I professed to be. I always professed that I was very 

open and tolerant about the other sex, and Title IX proved me 

wrong on that because I never thought women could play basketball very well. And every time I watch a woman’s basketball game 

on TV I say, Shame on you, Ehlers, why didn’t you see this ahead 

42

of time? They are really outstanding, and that is true of every 

sport. 

So Title IX helped change my personality in that regard. But as 

I say, the principle is fine. The implementation has not always 

worked well. I think that is something we can work on. I think the 

Chairman feels the same way. 

Thank you very much for being here. I have no specific questions. I am just very pleased with your testimony and what you are 

doing for the kids of this country. Please keep it up. Thank you, 

especially, Mr. Nicklaus, for lending your name and your time to 

such a worthy cause. We have got to get our kids on the right track 

in this country and that is the only way. 

Chairman MCKEON. Burning Tree. Great, by the way. 

Mr. EHLERS. You either have more time or more money than I 

do. 

Chairman MCKEON. You make the time, you smell the roses. 

Thank you all for being here today. Thank you for what you are 

doing. I hope this has been as enjoyable for you as it has been for 

me. I am sorry we have had these interruptions. That is kind of 

the way things happen around here, but it drew more members 

away. And they did not get to all ask their questions, but most of 

them got to hear your testimony and that was really good. Thank 

you very much. This hearing is adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 12:11 p.m., the committee was adjourned.] 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Norwood follows:]

Prepared Statement of Hon. Charlie Norwood, a Representative in 

Congress From the State of Georgia 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I think we can all agree that character education is 

an important part of the growth and development of our young people. I realize that 

this development can come through a number of mediums and organizations. When 

I was a young man, I was fortunate enough to be a boy scout and attend various 

camps, including the Athens Y. The same values I learned through those activities 

are largely available through the World Golf Foundation’s The First Tee. 

I am proud that the 9th District of Georgia has welcomed the First Tee into our 

community. The program is made possible because of the sponsorship of the Augusta National Golf Club which continues to sponsor The First Tee both nationally 

and locally. In Augusta, The First Tee facility on Damascus Road is making a significant contribution to the CSRA, and I am sure that will continue. For starters, 

the program reaches 4,500 students annually in public schools in the area and 

teaches the basic etiquette of golf. 

However the bread and butter of the program began with the 694 initial members 

that paid $25 to attend. Now, if a student said they had a desire to participate and 

did not have the funds, as long as there was space that student would not be turned 

down. That shows those students that as long as they have a desire to learn and 

improve—in golf and more importantly in life—then nothing should stand in their 

way. 

There are also camps every summer where The First Tee showcases the publicprivate partnership model that the Education and Workforce Committee has embraced. The program partners with twenty other committee organizations, and the 

children enrolled in camp can play as many times during the summer as they want. 

Now, you might ask, ‘‘How does golf help our young people?’’ Though I am not 

a golfer myself, I respect the values The First Tee instructors impart on our youth. 

Participants are taught responsibility, courtesy, decision making, goal setting, the 

importance of a positive attitude, and respect. Those are all values and assets that 

we cannot stress enough to our young people. 

If a young person in Augusta grows up to be the next Larry Mize, Charles Howell, 

III, or Vaughn Taylor, then the First Tee will have created a great golfer. But more 

importantly Mr. Chairman, the program seeks to create better citizens. I know that 

is a goal we all embrace. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I yield back.

43

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