Evolution Teaching 'Improving' in Schools, Report Says
Science standards today tend to cover evolution more extensively than they did a decade ago, but "certain types of creationist language are also becoming more common in state standards," says a review of the standards of all 50 states and the District of Columbia, published online last week.
Conducted by the National Center for Science Education, the study graded the treatment of evolution in each state's standards on an A-to-F scale, and revealed 40 states received satisfactory marks. Published this month in the journal Evolution: Education and Outreach, the review was intended to update a similar evaluation of science standards conducted by the Washington, D.C., nonprofit Thomas B. Fordham Foundation in 2000, which gave satisfactory grades to only 31 states.
The NCSE researchers contend that while those who support creationism might realize they probably can't get evolution removed from state standards, they do try to ensure that language is inserted that casts doubt on the theory or gives teachers license to use materials that criticize evolution.
On its Web site, NCSE describes itself as an organization "providing information and resources for schools, parents and concerned citizens working to keep evolution in public school science education."
Some critics say that the nonprofit group is taking too narrow a view of science education in singling out evolution coverage.
"It would seem to me that K-12 science education is a broad area, and if they focus on one very narrow area of teaching, the grade [given in the study] doesn't mean very much," said Gail A. Lowe, chairwoman of the Texas Board of Education, in an interview with Education Week.
Texas received an F for its evolution instruction, because while its treatment was "generally comprehensive," the standards included "creationist jargon." Instances of language that the report deemed to be jargon included such instructions as, "In all fields of science, analyze, evaluate, and critique scientific explanations by using empirical evidence, logical reasoning, and experimental and observational testing."
But Lowe doesn't consider such language to be jargon. She feels that students should be required to do analysis, rather than "parrot back isolated facts that someone wants them to know about evolutionist theory."
Alabama, Louisiana, Oklahoma and West Virginia also received failing grades. Nine states and the District of Columbia received an A for their treatment of evolution.
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Tags: evolution | education | K-12 education
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Reader Comments
Eternal Life
For "People Don't Understand Evolution"; You refer that you would rather come from a monkey then the dirt. I would rather have hope as I do, of eternal life, then to go through life as if it all does not matter. You obviously have not felt the power of the Holy Spirit within you. Jesus is so awesome we mere humans cannot even fathom what he is capable of. I pray for you and that you realize that man is not all superior and that you turn to God instead of allowing men that feel they are so smart (college professors)to influence your heart.
People don't understand Evolution
Based on the above response, it is obvious that a lot of people don't even understand evolution or science. Fist, evolution is about how living organisms have changed over time, not with how the earth "popped into existance." That would be cosmology and no cosmologist would say that the earth just "popped into existance." Second, according to modern evolutionary theory, humans didn't descend from monkeys but an apelike ancestor. How is that worse than coming from dirt? Also, science only deals with what is observable (directly and indirectly)and testable. Therefore nothing supernatural falls within the scope of science. So why teach something inherently unscientific in a science class? Also, which type of creationism would you teach? All of them? It would be cultural and religious bigotry to include the Hebrew creation myth to the exclusion of all others. If we stopped all of our investigations into the workings of nature with "God did it", we would still be in the dark ages. There obviously isn't enough time in science classes now to get across the basic facts and principles of science now without taking more time going over non-science issues.
Creationism needs to be taught
Creationism should be taught more in schools along with evolution so the STUDENTS can decide which to believe. Let THEM have the choice. I agree with Steven. People just don't see behind all this evolutionist crap... It's sad. And Creationism is definitely NOT a child abuse, come on. I mean teaching people that humans actually came from MONKEYS and that the earth just popped into the atmosphere out of its own will... Now that is what I think sounds like mystical magical crap.
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