NCSE Evolution and Climate Education Update for 2014/06/20
Submitted by Peter Burns on Fri, 2014-06-20 15:48.
National Center for Science Education
(by NCSE Deputy Director Glenn Branch)
Dear friends of NCSE, Welcome news on evolution education in academies in the United Kingdom. Plus a group of Wyoming churches have endorsed the NGSS, NCSE's Eugenie C. Scott has received a Presidential Citation for Science and Society from the American Geophysical Union, and Bloomberg has conducted a new survey on public opinions about climate change.
GOOD NEWS FOR EVOLUTION IN BRITAIN The British government recently clarified and extended its ban on teaching creationism in academies, according to a June 18, 2014, press release from the British Humanist Association, which congratulated the government "on its robust stand on this issue." Academies, including free schools, in Britain are similar to charter schools in the United States, and as with charter schools, there are concerns about whether creationism is taught in such institutions that are sponsored or operated by religious groups with creationist views. As NCSE previously reported, in 2012, owing to pressure from the scientific establishment, the British government adopted a policy requiring free schools to "make provision for the teaching of evolution as a comprehensive, coherent and extensively evidenced theory." The policy applied only to free schools, however, not to all academies, and only to future free schools: according to the Guardian (November 29, 2012), three free schools run by groups with openly creationist views were approved before the policy was adopted. "Now the Government has extended such an explicit rule to all new Academies and Free Schools and made it clear that it believes that existing rules mean that no Academy or Free School can teach pseudoscience," BHA's Head of Public Affairs Pavan Dhaliwal explained. Additionally, new model funding agreements for church academies require the parties to acknowledge the requirement to teach evolution and not to teach creationism, describing the latter as not according with the scientific consensus or established scientific evidence. For the press release from the British Humanist Association, visit: https://humanism.org.uk/2014/06/18/victory-government-bans-existing-future-academies-free-schools-teaching-creationism-science/ For NCSE's previous report on the policy adopted in 2012, visit: http://ncse.com/news/2012/11/closing-creationist-loophole-britain-0014651 For the story in the Guardian, visit: http://www.theguardian.com/education/2012/nov/30/free-schools-teach-evolution-ministers And for NCSE's previous coverage of international events, visit: http://ncse.com/news/international WYOMING CHURCHES ENDORSE NGSS The Wyoming Association of Churches endorsed the adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards, according to the Casper Star-Tribune (June 16, 2014). In a June 4, 2014, press release, the organization wrote that it "strongly supports the advancement of an education system founded upon 21st[-]century evidence-based science standards, like NGSS." Mary Walker, a Jackson representative of the Wyoming Association of Churches, told the newspaper that it is a right of parents and students to agree or disagree with what's being taught in classrooms, but it is not the state's or any one parent's right to restrict from children the opportunity to learn about evolution or other topics, like climate change. As NCSE previously reported, a footnote in Wyoming's budget for 2014-2016 precludes the use of state funds "for any review or adoption" of the Next Generation Science Standards, in part owing to their treatment of climate change. A committee convened by the state board of education will consider how to develop a new set of state science standards. For the story in the Casper Star-Tribune, visit: http://trib.com/news/local/wyoming-churches-endorse-science-standards/article_efdf9735-dd31-5e1f-8af2-d300a556b504.html For the press release from the Wyoming Association of Churches, visit: http://trib.com/wyoming-association-of-churches-press-release/pdf_13549a67-6914-5c7c-82a3-cfc918789b2c.html And for NCSE's previous coverage of events in Wyoming, visit: http://ncse.com/news/wyoming AGU AWARD FOR NCSE'S SCOTT Eugenie C. Scott, the former executive director of NCSE and the current chair of its Advisory Council, received a Presidential Citation for Science and Society from the American Geophysical Union at a reception in Washington DC on June 17, 2014. The award honors "leaders whose work has advanced understanding and appreciation of the value of Earth and space science to society." Receiving the award along with Scott were Senator Barbara Mikulski, the longest-serving woman in the history of Congress, and Naomi Oreskes of Harvard University, the coauthor with Erik M. Conway of Merchants of Doubt (Bloosmbury 2010). AGU's president Carol Finn was quoted in the May 27, 2014, issue of AGU's newsletter Eos as saying, "while history has shown us that scientific and societal achievements go hand in hand, but neither can be accomplished without the dedication of those who are willing to embrace the power of science and its role in informing our personal and policy decisions. Through their leadership, committment, and enthusiasm, Senator Mikulski, Dr. Oreskes, and Dr. Scott have demonstrated the crucial role science can play in protecting public health and safety, connecting humans to their environment, and promoting economic growth." For information about the award, visit: http://spc.agu.org/2014/presidential-citation-science-society/ A NEW BLOOMBERG POLL ON CLIMATE CHANGE A new Bloomberg News National Poll included questions about whether climate change is a threat, whether it is worth increasing energy costs to prevent, and whether scientists are to be trusted about climate change. Asked, "Do you believe climate change is a major threat, a minor threat, or no real threat," 46% of respondents said that it is a major threat, 27% said that it is a minor threat, 24% said that it is no real threat, and 3% were not sure. Asked, "Are you willing or unwilling to pay more for energy if air pollution from carbon emissions could be reduced," 62% of respondents said that they were willing, 33% said that they are unwilling, and 5% were not sure. Asked "Which of the following better reflects your view on climate change," 48% of respondents preferred "I trust what scientists say when they warn about climate change," 43% preferred "I think scientists manipulate their findings for political reasons," and 9% were not sure. The survey was conducted June 6-9, 2014, with 1005 U.S. adults ages 18 or older, contacted via randomly selectd landline and cell phone telephone numbers; responses were weighted by sex, age, and race to reflect the general population. The margin of error for the whole sample was +/- 3.1%. For the report on the poll (PDF), visit: http://media.bloomberg.com/bb/avfile/rg._mQ264POU And for NCSE's collection of polls and surveys on climate, visit: http://ncse.com/polls/polls-climate-change 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: * Stephanie Keep discussing climate change education in the US and in the UK: http://ncse.com/blog/2014/06/it-may-be-tale-two-countries-theres-still-just-one-climate-0015681 * Glenn Branch pondering the (in)significance of Amazon.com reviews of a creationist book: http://ncse.com/blog/2014/06/what-price-milestone-0015690 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 x303 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
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