Texas SBOE Still Waging War On Science

Back in 2009 the Texas State Board of Education approved requiring science teachers in Texas to teach the "weaknesses" of evolution. That's a fancy way of saying they want creationism (religion) taught as an alternative "theory" to evolution in classrooms. The only good thing is that the state is in such a serious financial bind (due to Republican mismanagement) that there was no money to have textbooks re-done to include the creationist nonsense.

So the State Board is now meeting to decide what to do about this. The religious right members of the Board want to purchase "teaching aids" to be used in science classes. The "teaching aids" are developed by a firm engaged in spreading creationism. The Board heard testimony yesterday, and they are scheduled to take a vote today on whether to purchase (and require the use of) the creationist propaganda.

At this point all we can do is hold our breath and hope the changes made to the Board in the last election were enough to keep religion out of science classes. But the Board is dominated by Republicans, and the vote could go either way.

The idea of teaching science (and not religion) in science classes did get some testimonial help yesterday. Josh Rosenau of the National Center for Science Education spoke to the Board. Here is what he had to say:

My name is Josh Rosenau; I am a Programs and Policy Director at the 
National Center for Science Education. NCSE is a nonprofit organization 
that works with local science advocates in every state and around the 
world to defend evolution in public schools. Our members are scientists, 
doctors, teachers, parents, students and clergy. They are united by an 
understanding that evolution is the foundation of modern biology, and 
that the revolutions in biotechnology, biomedicine agriculture, and 
engineering are transforming the global economy. 

 As a biologist, I know how critical evolution is to 21st century science 
and the 21st century economy, and how dangerous it would be for textbook 
supplements to skimp, obfuscate, or undermine evolution education. 
Texas's competitors--other states, other countries around the world--are 
investing in evolution and bioscience education. Texas must match this 
effort if it wants to remain a world leader. 

 As a Kansan, I saw first hand how badly a state can be hurt by watering 
down science education. When the Kansas state board cut back its 
coverage of evolution, the media had a field day. Friends sent their 
kids to Catholic schools to make sure they got a solid, accurate science 
education--and they weren’t even Catholic! The governor said the board's 
action made it harder to attract businesses to Kansas. Why would anyone 
want to hire employees who haven’t got a solid science education? 

 No state requires creationist claptrap in science classes, and Texas 
should not be the first to do so. That's why we're urging the Texas 
board of education to reject the supplement from International 
Databases. The supplement is riddled with scientific errors, repeats 
outdated and long-disproven creationist claims, and advances the 
sectarian religious dogma of intelligent design creationism. It even 
claims creationist pseudoscience is the “default position” in science! 

 Nor should the board compel other publishers to shoehorn such ideas into 
their supplements. These supplements were written by expert scientists 
and educators, based on the most modern research. Forcing them to 
rewrite their textbooks and supplements to satisfy a political or 
religious agenda would harm Texas for years to come. 

Josh Rosenau 

Programs and Policy Director 

National Center for Science Education, Inc.