Texas

Austin, TX — Today, the Texas Board of Education chose science over dogma and adopted science standards improving on the old “strengths and weaknesses” language by requiring students to “critique” and examine “all sides of scientific evidence.” In addition, the Board—for the first time— specifically required high school students to “analyze and evaluate” the evidence for major evolutionary concepts such Read More ›

This morning the Texas State Board of Education unanimously approved the first reading of new science standards for the state. There seems to be a great deal of confusion in the media about what the Board actually accomplished, and so we are putting out this backgrounder summarizing the Board’s key actions relating to evolution. In a nutshell: The Board refused Read More ›

Austin, TX — The Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) has scheduled a hearing of scientific experts, including three scientists who are recommending that students should learn about scientific evidence that challenges Darwin’s theory of evolution. On Wednesday, January 21st, six experts selected by the SBOE to review a proposed update of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for science Read More ›

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 ›

What is the science standards issue currently before the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE)? During 2008-09, the Texas SBOE is reviewing the state’s science standards, the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for science, which were originally adopted in 1998. The controversial issue before the SBOE is whether the TEKS will retain existing language calling for students to learn Read More ›

Click here for more coverage of the Texas SBOE review of science standards and to read all of the expert reviews. Austin, TX – Three of six experts selected by the Texas State Board of Education to review a proposed update of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for science have recommended that the TEKS retain controversial language calling Read More ›

AUSTIN, TX — The Chicken Littles at the Texas Freedom Network (TFN) are ranting that the sky is falling because two of the six experts selected to review the state’s science standards co-authored Explore Evolution, a textbook that examines both the strengths and weaknesses of Darwinian evolution (www.exploreevolution.com). What the TFN doesn’t reveal is that another of the expert reviewers co-authored 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 ›

This article, published by the Woodinville Weekly, mentions Discovery Institute Senior Fellow Bruce Agnew: Bruce Agnew, director of the Discovery Institute’s Cascadia Center for Regional Development, said that he gave Ron Sims a lot of credit for recognizing the common-sense notion of using the corridor for a regional trail and for a transportation corridor. The rest of the article can Read More ›