Straight Platform Politics

Texas State Board of Education Controversy: Newly Adopted Science Curriculum Standards – Part 5

Texas science curriculum standards: the Zogby Poll

The proponents of evolution were not entirely happy with the language in the newly adopted Texas science curriculum standards and were not at all happy with the results of a Zogby Poll released right before Darwin Day. See Part 4. See Part 2.

The poll showed that 78% of the respondents supported teaching the scientific evidence for and against the theory of evolution and that 80% agreed that students and teachers should have the academic freedom to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of evolution.

What must be most disconcerting to the evolutionists is that in the 18-24 age group, 100% supported teaching the science for and against evolution and over 95% agreed with the question concerning academic freedom.

This does not bode well for the proponents of evolution even though they claim that the poll was misleading because it played on the respondents’ sense of fairness (teaching both sides) and on their general support for academic freedom.

The poll does show, however, that a very large number of people still think that there is scientific evidence against evolution and that there are weaknesses in the theory. Otherwise, the poll wording would not have misled them.

That alone shows that the controversy surrounding evolution is alive and well and will not go away anytime soon.

Charles Darwin, Creationism, Darwin, Darwin Day, Eugenie Scott, Humanism, Humanist Manifesto, Humanists, Intelligent Design, NCSE, National Center for Science Education, Origin of Species, SBOE, Scopes trial, Texas State Board of Education, Zogby, Zogby Poll, academic freedom, all sides, biology, classrooms, code words, controversy, evolution, evolution as fact, evolutionary science, evolutionists, examining all sides, humanist community, non-science, school children, school districts, science curriculum standards, science, reason, and humanity, strengths, strengths and weaknesses, students, textbook publishers, textbooks, theory of evolution, weaknesses

Texas State Board of Education Controversy: Newly Adopted Science Curriculum Standards – Part 4

Texas science curriculum standards: the controversy continued

The old Texas science curriculum standards contained anti-evolution code words. See Part 3. Texas State Board of Education voted to remove the offensive code words, but evolutionists were not entirely happy with the new language.

The new science standards required students, in all fields of science, to “analyze, evaluate, and critique scientific explanations by using empirical evidence, logical reasoning, and experimental and observational testing, including examining all sides of scientific evidence of those scientific explanations, so as to encourage critical thinking by the student.”

Did you find the new offensive code words? “Examining all sides of scientific evidence.” According to proponents of evolution, there is only one side to evolution and these new code words will now open the classroom to non-science.

Evolutionists claim that science has proven the theory; it is fact. And it needs to be taught as fact. Anything else is junk. Students must not be taught anything that may, in anyway, introduce doubt concerning the theory of evolution.

But a newly released Zogby Poll showed that a large majority of the public feel that students should have the opportunity to learn the evidence for and against the theory of evolution. This was not good news for the proponents of evolution.

Charles Darwin, Creationism, Darwin, Darwin Day, Eugenie Scott, February 12, Humanism, Humanist Manifesto, Humanists, Intelligent Design, NCSE, National Center for Science Education, Origin of Species, SBOE, Scopes trial, Texas, Texas State Board of Education, Zogby, Zogby Poll, academics, all sides, biology, classrooms, code words, controversy, evolution, evolution as fact, evolutionary science, evolutionists, examining all sides, fact or fiction, humanist community, non-science, school children, school districts, science curriculum standards, science, reason, and humanity, strengths, strengths and weaknesses, textbook publishers, textbooks, theory of evolution, weaknesses