The continuing debate about the treatment of evolution in science education has taken center stage this summer in several states.
In New Mexico, critics of Charles Darwin's theory of biological evolution plan to take their case to the New Mexico Board of Education in late August. Their decision came after the New Mexico Department of Education decided more than a year ago to organize teams of writers to revise the state’s science standards for public schools.
The draft authored by these teams endorses biological evolution "as a pillar of scientific knowledge." The critics, however, want the board to consider alternate language - written by local promoters of intelligent design - that treats evolution with considerable skepticism.
Board members are scheduled to discuss and vote on the revised standards at their Aug. 27-29 meeting.
Click here to read the letter NSTA sent to the New Mexico Board of Education on this issue.
The Kansas Board of Education voted Aug. 12 to make another effort to review the state's science standards. Board members, however, have agreed to wait until 2004 to organize a committee that will recommend possible revisions to the standards. The board decided to wait a year because state education officials are focusing their efforts this year on school reform measures. The committee will submit their recommendations to the board in 2005.
In 1999, the board created a controversy when it decided to eliminate most references to evolution from its science standards. A new board restored the references in 2001.
Texas school officials will discuss the evolution issue at a public hearing in September. The meeting will follow months of debate after the state’s board of education was asked not to tamper with eleven proposed biology textbooks under consideration.
According to a report in the San Antonio-Express News on Aug. 8, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, publisher of one of the biology textbooks, recently submitted changes to its textbook to the Texas board in response to suggestions by the Discovery Institute, a Seattle-based organization that critics - who support evolution - claim is leading a push to teach alternatives to evolution in public schools. They argue that Holt, Rinehart "has compromised the education of Texas students" instead of keeping "good science standards in textbooks." Holt says it made "minor changes and clarifications and certainly nothing that challenges the role of evolution."
Observers of the Texas textbook battles have commented that Holt and other publishers have "held the line" under considerable pressure from creationists and some board members, and that the changes so far do not compromise the integrity of the textbooks' content. Holt has assured NSTA that its position on evolution is the same as that expressed in NSTA's position statement.
In Minnesota, an 85-member panel convened in July to begin work on the state's new science standards.
Education Commissioner Cheri Pierson Yecke said that evolution would be part of Minnesota's science standards, but that other views on how life evolved should be discussed in Minnesota classrooms. Yecke noted, however, that alternative theories to biological evolution would not appear in state standards or be tested.
Meanwhile, California's Roseville Joint Union High School District approved a new science textbook in July that presents Darwin's theory on evolution, but does not address evidence to the contrary. But in recent weeks, district officials in Roseville have been considering adding supplements to the textbook that would dispute Darwin's theory. School board members will vote on whether to include the supplements as part of the science curriculum at their September meeting.
For more information on the evolution debate in these states or to view a copy of NSTA's position statement on the teaching of evolution, refer to the following resources.
Below is a copy of the letter sent to the New Mexico State Board of Education:
August 11, 2003
New Mexico State Board of Education
300 Don Gaspar
Santa Fe, NM 87501-2786
Dear Members of the Board:
The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) congratulates and commends the members of the New Mexico State Board of Education for supporting the process that has resulted in quality state science education standards for the students of New Mexico. In particular, we are pleased that the current draft standards emphasize evolution in a manner that is commensurate with its importance in understanding the natural world. In doing so, New Mexico provides a model for other states to emulate.
NSTA, along with other major organizations of scientists and science educators, has concluded that evolution must be emphasized in the science curriculum if students are to develop the level of scientific literacy needed to understand the natural world and to be able to make informed decisions in today's society. NSTA also joins other organizations and scientists in concluding that so-called theories of intelligent design and creationism have no scientific credibility and will lead to many misconceptions about scientific concepts and the nature of science. Thus NSTA urges the members of NM State Board of Education to resist efforts to revise the draft standards in a manner that would make legitimate the tenets of intelligent design and creationism as credible products of scientific evidence and research.
NSTA is the world’s largest organization of science teachers and represents more than 55,000 members worldwide. We have nearly 500 members in the state of New Mexico, including two active affiliate chapters: the New Mexico Science Teachers Association and the Albuquerque Science Teachers Association. We are encouraging these members and affiliates to voice their support for these draft standards in their current state.
We’ve enclosed a copy of the NSTA Position Statement on the Teaching of Evolution, as well as other NSTA materials related to this issue. We hope you will find these documents useful in your work to ensure quality science education for the students of New Mexico.
Sincerely,
Dr. John E. Penick
NSTA President
Dr. Gerald F. Wheeler
NSTA Executive Director