NCSE Evolution and Climate Education Update for 2014/01/17

(by NCSE Deputy Director Glenn Branch)

Dear friends of NCSE,

The second antiscience bill of the year surfaces in Oklahoma.
Francisco J. Ayala joins NCSE's board of directors. Darwin Day 2014 is
on its way. And signs of continued progress in South Carolina, as the
state board of education approves a revised set of state science
standards without accepting proposals to undermine the treatment of
evolution.

ANTISCIENCE BILL IN OKLAHOMA

Senate Bill 1765, styled the Oklahoma Science Education Act, is the
second antiscience bill of the year. As is increasingly common with
antiscience legislation, SB 1765 would, if enacted, in effect
encourage science teachers with idiosyncratic opinions to teach
anything they pleased --proponents of creationism and climate change
denial are the usual intended beneficiaries of such bills -- and
discourage responsible educational authorities from intervening. No
scientific topics are specifically identified as controversial, but
the fact that the sole sponsor of SB 1765 is Josh Brecheen (R-District
6), who introduced similar legislation that directly targeted
evolution in two previous legislative sessions, is suggestive.

SB 1765 would require state and local educational authorities to
"assist teachers to find effective ways to present the science
curriculum as it addresses scientific controversies" and permit
teachers to "help students understand, analyze, critique and review in
an objective manner the scientific strengths and scientific weaknesses
of existing scientific theories covered in the course being taught";
it would prevent such authorities from "prohibit[ing] any teacher in a
public school district in this state from helping students understand,
analyze, critique and review in an objective manner the scientific
strengths and weaknesses of existing scientific theories covered in
the course being taught."

In late 2010, Brecheen announced his intention to file antievolution
legislation in a column in the Durant Daily Democrat (December 19,
2010): "Renowned scientists now asserting that evolution is laden with
errors are being ignored. ... Using your tax dollars to teach the
unknown, without disclosing the entire scientific findings[,] is
incomplete and unacceptable." In a subsequent column in the newspaper
(December 24, 2010), he indicated that his intention was to have
creationism presented as scientifically credible, writing, "I have
introduced legislation requiring every publically funded Oklahoma
school to teach the debate of creation vs. evolution using the known
science, even that which conflicts with Darwin's religion."

What Brecheen in fact introduced in 2011, Senate Bill 554, combined a
version of the now familiar "academic freedom" language -- referring
to "the scientific strengths [and] scientific weaknesses of
controversial topics ... [which] include but are not limited to
biological origins of life and biological evolution" -- with a
directive for the state board of education to adopt "standards and
curricula" that echo the flawed portions of the state science
standards adopted in Texas in 2009 with respect to the nature of
science and evolution. SB 554 died in committee. In 2012, Brecheen
took a new tack with Senate Bill 1742, modeled in part on the
so-called Louisiana Science Education Act; SB 1742 likewise died in
committee.

In 2013, Brecheen modified his approach again. Senate Bill 758
followed the lead of Tennessee's "monkey law" (as it was nicknamed by
House Speaker Emeritus Jimmy Naifeh), enacted (as Tenn. Code Ann.
49-6-1030) over the protests of the state's scientific and educational
communities in 2012. The major difference is that SB 758 omitted the
monkey law's statement of legislative findings, which cites
"biological evolution, the chemical origins of life, global warming,
and human cloning" as among the topics that "can cause controversy"
when taught in the science classroom of the public schools. SB 758
died in committee. Brecheen's latest effort, SB 1765, is virtually
identical.

For the text of SB 1765 (document), visit:
http://www.oklegislature.gov/BillInfo.aspx?Bill=sb1765 

And for NCSE's previous coverage of events in Oklahoma, visit:
http://ncse.com/news/oklahoma 

AYALA JOINS NCSE'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS

NCSE is pleased to announce the addition of Francisco J. Ayala, a
distinguished evolutionary geneticist at the University of California,
Irvine, to its board of directors. "I have long been impressed with
NCSE's effective advocacy in the cause of the integrity of science
education," Ayala explained. "At a time when its efforts are as needed
as ever, I am pleased to become a member of NCSE's board of directors
and to help it with its diverse efforts to defend the teaching of
evolution and climate science."

NCSE's executive director Ann Reid commented, "Ayala's contributions
to NCSE and its goal of defending the teaching of evolution in the
public schools have always been substantial," citing in particular his
testimony for the plaintiffs in McLean v. Arkansas and his
coordination of support for evolution education at the National
Academy of Sciences, including his lead authorship ofScience,
Evolution, and Creationism (National Academies Press, 2008; previous
editions were published as Science and Creationism in 1984 and 1999).
"We are thrilled at the prospect of having the benefit of his presence
on the board."

Brian Alters, the president of NCSE's board of directors, was also
enthusiastic. "Ayala was a student of Theodosius Dobzhansky," he
remarked, "and there's no doubt that he learned his teacher's lesson
well: that nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of
evolution. I can't think of anyone who understands the importance of
NCSE's work better or anyone who is more committed to the cause of
defending science education than Francisco Ayala, and I am delighted
to welcome him aboard."

A supporter of NCSE since its founding, Ayala is University Professor,
the Donald Bren Professor of Biological Sciences, and Professor of
Philosophy at the University of California, Irvine. He received the
National Medal for Science, the nation's highest award for lifetime
achievement in scientific research, in 2001, and the Templeton Prize
in 2010, as well as honorary degrees from twenty-one universities
worldwide. A prolific author, his latest book is The Big Questions:
Evolution (Quercus, 2012).

On NCSE's board of directors Ayala joins president Brian Alters of
Chapman University, vice president and treasurer Lorne Trottier of
Matrox, secretary Robert M. West of Informal Learning Experiences,
Barbara Forrest of Southeastern Louisiana University, Richard B.
Katskee of Mayer Brown LLP, Andrew J. Petto of the University of
Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Benjamin D. Santer of Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory, and Bernard Winograd formerly of Prudential
Financial.

For Science, Evolution, and Creationism, visit:
http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11876 

And for a list of NCSE's board of directors, visit:
http://ncse.com/about/board 

DARWIN DAY APPROACHES

It's time to dust off your Darwin costume again: less than a month
remains before Darwin Day 2014!Colleges and universities, schools,
libraries, museums, churches, civic groups, and just plain folks
across the country -- and the world -- are preparing to celebrate
Darwin Day, on or around February 12, in honor of the life and work of
Charles Darwin. These events provide a marvelous opportunity not only
to celebrate Darwin's birthday but also to engage in public outreach
about science, evolution, and the importance of evolution education --
which is especially needed with assaults on evolution education
already under way in state legislatures. NCSE encourages its members
and friends to attend, participate in, and even organize Darwin Day
events in their own communities. To find a local event, check the
websites of local universities and museums and the registry of Darwin
Day events maintained by the Darwin Day Celebration website. (And
don't forget toregister your own event with the Darwin Day Celebration
website!)

And with Darwin Day comes the return of Evolution Weekend! Hundreds of
congregations all over the country and around the world are taking
part in Evolution Weekend, February 7-9, 2014, by presenting sermons
and discussion groups on the compatibility of faith and science.
Michael Zimmerman, the initiator of the project, writes, "Evolution
Weekend is an opportunity for serious discussion and reflection on the
relationship between religion and science. One important goal is to
elevate the quality of the discussion on this critical topic -- to
move beyond sound bites. A second critical goal is to demonstrate that
religious people from many faiths and locations understand that
evolution is sound science and poses no problems for their faith.
Finally, as with The Clergy Letter itself, Evolution Weekend makes it
clear that those claiming that people must choose between religion and
science are creating a false dichotomy." At last count, 425
congregations in forty-four states (and twelve foreign countries) were
scheduled to hold Evolution Weekend events.

For the Darwin Day registry, visit:
http://darwinday.org/events/ 
http://darwinday.org/wp-login.php?action=register 

For information about Evolution Weekend, visit:
http://www.evolutionweekend.org/ 

CONTINUED PROGRESS IN SOUTH CAROLINA?

At its January 8, 2014, meeting, the South Carolina state board of
education voted to adopt a new set of science standards, rejecting two
different proposals that would have compromised the treatment of
evolution in the process. As NCSE previously reported, the standards
under consideration are a revision of the standards adopted in 2005,
which the Fordham Institute graded as A- in its 2012 evaluation of
state science standards. According to the Fordham study, "at the high
school level, evolution is treated excellently and the support
documents are exemplary."

At the board's meeting in October 2013, there was resistance to
adopting the standards, including from members of the board itself:
Michael Brenan enquired whether the concept of "irreducible
complexity" was included in the standards, for example, and Danny
Varat suggested that a standard about climate change was "leading
toward a predetermined conclusion." Nevertheless, the board gave its
initial approval to the standards, which then went to the state's
Education Oversight Committee for its review.

On December 9, 2013, the EOC decided to return the standards to the
state board of education with a list of recommended changes. Of
particular interest in the EOC's list: the standard (H.B.5A.2) calling
for students to "[c]onstruct explanations of ways scientists use data
from a variety of sources to investigate and critically analyze
aspects of the theory of biological evolution" would be revised -- "to
improve clarity" -- to call for students to "[u]se data from a variety
of sources to investigate and critically analyze aspects of the theory
of biological evolution."

The South Carolina Department of Education responded by proposing that
the standard instead be revised to call for students to "[e]xplain how
scientists use data from a variety of sources to investigate and
critically analyze aspects of the theory of biological evolution."
Presumably reacting to the absence from the EOC's proposed revision of
any reference to scientific practice, the department commented, "As
evolution is a scientific theory, it is critical that students learn a
scientific approach to data analysis."

The board sided with the department over the EOC, voting to adopt the
standards with the department's version of H.B.5A.2. The board also
considered a proposal by its member Neil Willis, seconded by Rhonda
Edwards, to include language about "creation by design" in the
standards. Explaining that he was concerned about schools teaching
material that contradicted what parents taught at home, Willis said
that he wanted to allow teachers to tell students that there were
other theories. His proposal was rejected.

There was also a suggestion from South Carolinians for Science
Education's Robert T. Dillon, a professor of biology at the College of
Charleston, who took exception to the adverb "critically" in H.B.5A.2
and elsewhere. Dillon told a blogger for the Charleston Post and
Courier (January 8, 2014) that the adverb is used only with reference
to evolution and climate change: "They're trying to make evolution
appear controversial, they're trying to make it somehow different."
Dillon thus proposed, unsuccessfully, that "critically" be added to
the other 129 clauses containing "analyze."

Dillon was nevertheless pleased by the board's vote; the Post and
Courier reported that he "said the standards are -- adverbs aside --
rather exemplary." Following the board's vote, the standards again
return to the EOC. The EOC was supposed to vote yes or no on the
standards, with today's vote by the board final, but it is apparently
claiming that it never took a vote. Accordingly, its Academic
Standards and Assessment Subcommittee is expected to consider them
again at its January 27, 2014, meeting, before the full EOC takes a
vote in February 2014.

For the Fordham Institute's assessment of South Carolina's 2005
standards (PDF), visit:
http://www.edexcellencemedia.net/publications/2012/2012-State-of-State-Science-Standards/2012-State-Science-Standards-South-Carolina.pdf 

For the South Carolina Department of Education's response to the EOC's
suggestions (PDF), visit:
http://ed.sc.gov/agency/stateboard/documents/SB-02-Attachment3EOCrequestedchangesSCDErecommendations.pdf 

For the Charleston Post and Courier's blog post about the vote, visit:
http://blog.postandcourier.com/palmetto-politics/2014/01/08/adverb-professors-fight-alternative-theories-evolution/ 

And for NCSE's previous coverage of events in South Carolina, visit:
http://ncse.com/news/south-carolina 

WHAT'S NEW FROM THE SCIENCE LEAGUE OF AMERICA

Have you been visiting NCSE's blog, The Science League of America,
recently? If not, then you've missed:

* Eric Meikle presenting the AAPA's Gabriel W. Lasker Service Award to
Eugenie C. Scott:
http://ncse.com/blog/2014/01/genie-scott-anthropologist-0015294 

* Glenn Branch complaining about references to "Bishop" Paley:
http://ncse.com/blog/2014/01/not-bishop-paley-0015287 

And much more besides!

For The Science League of America, visit:
http://ncse.com/blog 

Thanks for reading. And don't forget to visit NCSE's website --
http://ncse.com -- where you can always find the latest news on 
evolution and climate education and threats to them.

--
Sincerely,

Glenn Branch
Deputy Director
National Center for Science Education, Inc.
420 40th Street, Suite 2
Oakland, CA 94609-2509
510-601-7203 x305
fax: 510-601-7204
800-290-6006
branch@ncse.com 
http://ncse.com 

Check out NCSE's new blog, Science League of America:
http://ncse.com/blog 

Read Reports of the NCSE on-line:
http://reports.ncse.com 

Subscribe to NCSE's free weekly e-newsletter:
http://groups.google.com/group/ncse-news 

NCSE is on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter:
http://www.facebook.com/evolution.ncse 
http://www.youtube.com/NatCen4ScienceEd 
http://twitter.com/ncse 

NCSE's work is supported by its members. Join today!
http://ncse.com/join