Eric Lane’s comment, “Science classes are for science only” (Your Turn, Monday) makes bold — and bogus — assertions about the current debate over how to teach evolution, and what he imagines might be the reasons for this. Not surprisingly, Lane apparently didn’t bother to do a shred of research. Instead, he was quite satisfied to let his imagination come Read More ›
SEATTLE — Texas Darwinists are concerned that students might learn too much about evolution. Facing the possibility that students might actually be given a complete picture of both the strengths and weaknesses of Darwin’s theory, a group of Darwinists has joined together to oppose teaching more evolution in Texas, where the State Board of Education is considering new science curriculum Read More ›
To the chagrin of the science thought police, Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal has signed into law an act to protect teachers who want to encourage critical thinking about hot-button science issues such as global warming, human cloning, and yes, evolution and the origin of life. Opponents allege that the Louisiana Science Education Act is “anti-science.” In reality, the opposition’s efforts Read More ›
Baton Rouge — By a vote of 94-3, Louisiana’s House of Representatives today passed an academic freedom bill that would protect teachers and school districts who wish to promote critical thinking and objective discussion about evolution and other scientific topics. There was no vocal opposition, and the floor speech by Rep. Frank Hoffman made clear that the bill was about science, Read More ›
It’s the question that won’t go away. Twice during the Republican presidential debates and once at a forum for Democratic candidates, candidates were asked about evolution. For example, in the California debate all the candidates were asked to respond to the question of whether they believed in evolution. In the New Hampshire debate, follow-up questions were asked of former Arkansas Read More ›
Designed for public schools but also used in many private schools, Explore Evolution is a supplementary biology textbook that teaches critical thinking by giving students a thorough understanding of both the strengths and weaknesses of Darwinian evolution. The textbook comes with lesson plans, PowerPoint slides, handouts, and a test bank available for those who adopt the text in their course. It is Read More ›
A legal battle is currently raging over whether it is constitutional to teach the theory of intelligent design (ID) in public school science classrooms. The controversy started when the school board in Dover, Pennsylvania, required science teachers to read a 4-paragraph disclaimer that mentions intelligent design as an alternative to Darwinian evolutionary theory as an explanation for biological origins. Within Read More ›
Original Article When I heard that advocates of Intelligent Design were urging schools to teach the controversy between their view and Darwinian evolution, I was dismayed. About 20 years ago, I coined the phrase teach the controversy when I argued that schools and colleges should respond to the then-emerging culture wars over education by bringing their disputes into academic courses Read More ›
In February a Shelby County school board member suggested placing a sticker on high school biology textbooks urging students to consider “all theories” of origins “with an open mind.” This proposal is a symptom of a growing national controversy about how best to teach Darwinian evolution in public school science classrooms. For example, a suburban Atlanta school district in Cobb Read More ›