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This is from the National Center for Science Education, an excellent
source of information about science education, especially evolution
(http://www.ncseweb.org).
THE E-WORD RETURNS TO ALASKA
On June 10, 2005, the Alaska State Board of Education and Early Development
strengthened the treatment of evolution in the state science standards, at
what was literally the last minute. While the standards were under
revision during the last two years, the question of whether to include the
"e-word" -- evolution -- repeatedly arose, with officials at the state's
Department of Education and Early Development apparently resistant to
including it, despite the objections of the educators who helped to draft
the standards. Omission of the e-word is not uncommon: Lawrence S.
Lerner's study of evolution in state science standards, Good Science, Bad
Science: Teaching Evolution in the States (2000), identified ten states
that omitted "evolution" from their science standards; currently five --
Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Oklahoma -- do so. In 2004,
a proposal to omit the word from the Georgia science standards, then under
revision, was withdrawn amid criticism and ridicule.
In Alaska, wrangling over the place of evolution in the state science
standards occurred mainly behind the scenes until June 9, when the topic
dominated a public comment period in Anchorage. The comments were
generally in favor of improving the treatment of evolution: Bruce
Shellenbaum, a former vice president of the Anchorage Council of
Parent-Teacher Associations, urged the board to "[p]ut evolution in bold
type at the top of the page in natural sciences where it belongs ... Don't
water it down to please political masters or allies. It's too important for
that." On the same day, a powerful editorial in the Anchorage Daily News
argued, "Evolution is the state of the art, the unifying principle in the
life sciences as well as a profound influence on other fields. ... There
should be no pussyfooting or compromise." The newspaper also published a
report on the public comment period, extensively quoting the comments in
favor of strengthening the treatment of evolution and explaining the
relevance of the standards to standardized testing.
At the June 10 meeting, board meeting Shirley Holloway praised the people
who offered comments at the June 9 meeting as "respectful, professional and
very helpful," and her fellow board member Esther Cox proposed the adoption
of the Anchorage School District's suggested revision of the standard on
evolution, which would require students to understand "how science explains
changes in life forms over time, including genetics, heredity, the process
of natural selection and biological evolution." Her proposal was adopted
by a vote of 9-0, and the revised standards were then adopted by a vote of
9-0 as well. Describing the decision as a "good call," the Anchorage Daily
News remarked in a June 11 editorial, "The board deserves Alaskans' thanks;
this was a step forward for education." Taking note of controversies in
the lower 48 states, the editorial also observed that "to teach the
'evolution vs. intelligent design' controversy in science classes would
give too much weight to ideas that haven't earned their scientific keep."
For the Anchorage Daily News's editorial preceding the decision, visit:
http://www.adn.com/opinion/story/6585949p-6469605c.html
For the Anchorage Daily News's story about the decision, visit:
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/6594942p-6478760c.html
For the Anchorage Daily News's editorial following the decision, visit:
http://www.adn.com/opinion/story/6599056p-6483090c.html
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Thanks for reading! And as always, be sure to consult NCSE's web site:
http://www.ncseweb.org
where you can always find the latest news on evolution education and
threats to it.
--
Martin Weiss, Ph.D
Vice President, Science
New York Hall of Science
47-01 111 th Street
Corona, New York 11368
718 699 0005 x 356
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