Science Loses In Texas - Again

Last week, the State Board of Education met to set the science standards that will be used in Texas schools for the next decade. It will also determine what goes into textbooks which could affect many other states. The argument was over language that required the teaching of "strengths and weaknesses" of accepted science.

That language was struck by the Board, and Texas newspapers hailed this as a victory for science. It wasn't. It was just replaced by language that says students must "analyze and evaluate all sides of scientific evidence". In other words, one bit of creationist language has been replaced by another bit of creationist language. That is a victory for creationism -- not science.

Dr. Eugenie Scott, executive director of the National Center for Science Education said, "The final vote was a triumph of ideology and politics over science. The board majority chose to satisfy creationist constituents and ignore the expertise of highly qualified Texas scientists and scientists across the country."

Dr. Scott went on to say, "Let's be clear about this. This is a setback for science education in Texas, not a draw, not a victory. The revised wording opens the door to creationism in the classroom and in the textbooks. The decisions will not only affect Texas students for the next ten years, but could result in watered-down science textbooks across the U.S. There’s a reason creationists are claiming victory."

This may be the twenty-first century, but our state school board is determined to keep science in Texas schools firmly in the nineteenth century. Is it any wonder that our students are falling behind those in Europe and Asia?