Texas Schools Face the Evolution Debate
Texas's State Board of Education voted Friday to alter the state's science curriculum and drop a standard that critics say undermined proper teaching of evolution in the classroom for the past 20 years, the Associated Press reports.
The standard, which mandated instruction about the "strengths and weaknesses" of scientific theories, indirectly allowed instructors to teach evolutionary theory alongside intelligent design, a belief that an intelligent being created life on Earth. The new standard approved by state educators encourages students to scrutinize "all sides" of scientific theories, a compromise that still disappoints some pro-evolution scholars. The board also adopted a series of slight curricular changes that critics say unnecessarily encourage debate about key pieces of evolutionary theory, like natural selection and common ancestry.
These new standards will be in place for the next decade and will influence Texas's classroom instruction, its standardized test material, and the topics covered in the state's science textbooks. Because Texas is one of the largest textbook buyers in the nation, its approved curriculum can influence the content of textbooks that are sold to other states and school districts across the country.
"We appreciate that the politicians on the board seek compromise, but [we] don't agree that compromises can be made on established mainstream science or on honest education policy," says Kathy Miller, president of the Texas Freedom Network watchdog group. "The [curriculum] document still has plenty of potential footholds for creationist attacks on evolution to make their way into Texas classrooms."
In spite of the fact that federal courts have repeatedly ruled against teaching intelligent design and creationism in public schools, the debate about whether and how students should learn evolutionary theory remains heated. The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life compiled information about the debate in several states in "Fighting Over Darwin, State by State," a report published in February.
Tags: Texas | public schools | evolution | education | science
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We need Garbagemen & Toilet attendants too !!!!
Religious types often do not realize that bu filling the limited space in their childs head with worthless drivel about "Inteligent Design" they are not only wasting space in their kids brain, but are giving him the sort of background that will keep their child OUT of medical school, the sciences, & higher learning in general. As a result, their child will end up getting a start down the road that leads to making cheese & farming with the Amish, or as a men's room attendant in the big city.
The Amish make GREAT products in spite of their outmoded lifestyle,& lack of electricity, or indoor plumbing, and I will always need someone to clean the Toilets at the mall, so as long as these LOONS teach their worthless drivel to their kids at HOME where it wont waste MY kids time , I am ok with it, secure in the knowledge that my kid (The Doctor or Physicist) will be able to by good organic produce from their kids, and that the toilets will be clean.
We need Garbagemen & Toilet attendants too !!!!
Religious types often do not realize that bu filling the limited space in their childs head with worthless drivel about "Inteligent Design" they are not only wasting space in their kids brain, but are giving him the sort of background that will keep their child OUT of medical school, the sciences, & higher learning in general. As a result, their child will end up getting a start down the road that leads to making cheese & farming with the Amish, or as a men's room attendant in the big city.
The Amish make GREAT products in spite of their outmoded lifestyle,& lack of electricity, or indoor plumbing, and I will always need someone to clean the Toilets at the mall, so as long as these LOONS teach their worthless drivel to their kids at HOME where it wont waste MY kids time , I am ok with it, secure in the knowledge that my kid (The Doctor or Physicist) will be able to by good organic produce from their kids, and that the toilets will be clean.
God bless America
It is with much amusement, that I, living in the UK have followed this debate.
I now understand how my son has found such well paid employment in your country. I could never perceive how such an opulent and vast country could not provide someone qualified to do his job but maybe debates such as this in your education system provide a clue!
It seems you are wasting the precious, and limited time you have, teaching your children needless alternatives to a proven science. I almost wrote alternative theory, but as I'm sure you know, a scientific theory is a well proven idea that has been scrutinised by qualified persons and is not just an idea. Therefore, at this time, there is no alternative THEORY to teach. Perhaps you can look forward to future debates such as "Is the Earth really flat?" or maybe "Childbirth - can we really dismiss the stork story?" how about "Santa Claus, fact or fiction"
So, thank you school boards, keep penalising your students as I really enjoy my annual holidays to your country visiting my son.
For many years my family have holidayed in America (probably why my son wanted to work there) and I hope you realise the above is not meant to be insulting to your nation as I love to visit your country. I just hoped the above will give some insight as to how these debates are viewed around the world. Of course I don't claim that I speak for everyone outside your country but in conversations I've had with various friends and colleagues they are incredulous that in this day and age such a debate can take place in such an educated and influential nation of the world.
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