NCSE Evolution and Climate Education Update for 2015/05/22
Submitted by Peter Burns on Fri, 2015-05-22 17:32.
National Center for Science Education
(by NCSE Deputy Director Glenn Branch)
Dear friends of NCSE, South Dakota adopts new science standards, while Missouri's antievolution bill is dead.
SOUTH DAKOTA ADOPTS NEW SCIENCE STANDARDS The South Dakota state board of education adopted a new set of science standards for the state on May 18, 2015. The new standards were developed in South Dakota, but include elements of the Next Generation Science Standards, which have so far been adopted in thirteen states -- California, Delaware, Kansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia -- plus the District of Columbia. During a series of public hearings on the proposed standards, "[t]he debate over choosing standards for science education in South Dakota's public schools [became] a divisive battleground with a clear split between science professionals who strongly support the new standards and opposing parents who disbelieve climate change and evolution," reported the Rapid City Journal (March 17, 2015). A recognition of the controversy appears in the introduction to the standards: "Through the public hearing process related to adoption of the South Dakota Science Standards, it is evident that there is particular sensitivity to two issues: climate change and evolution." Nevertheless, the South Dakota standards on climate change and evolution are not significantly different from the corresponding standards in the NGSS. The board "recognizes that parents are their children's first teachers, and that parents play a critical role in their children's formal education" and "that not all viewpoints can be covered in the science classroom," adding, "the board recommends that parents engage their children in discussions regarding these important issues, in order that South Dakota students are able to analyze all forms of evidence and argument and draw their own conclusions." For the new standards (PDF), visit: http://doe.sd.gov/contentstandards/documents/sdSciStnd.pdf For the story in the Rapid City Journal, visit: http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/science-ed-standards-become-a-battleground/article_541d142d-d60a-527b-a884-6d8af99ebc9a.html And for NCSE's previous coverage of events in South Dakota, visit: http://ncse.com/news/south-dakota ANTIEVOLUTION BILL DIES IN MISSOURI Missouri's House Bill 486 died in committee in the Missouri House of Representatives on May 15, 2015, when the legislature adjourned. HB 486 purported to confer "academic freedom to teach scientific evidence regarding evolution" to teachers. If enacted, the bill would in effect have encouraged science teachers with idiosyncratic opinions to teach anything they pleased, while preventing responsible educational authorities from intervening. The bill specifically cited "the theory of biological and hypotheses of chemical evolution" as controversial. HB 486 was referred to the House Committee on Elementary and Secondary Education, where it died without a hearing. For Missouri's House Bill 486 as introduced (PDF), visit: http://www.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills151/billpdf/intro/HB0486I.PDF 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: * Josh Rosenau displaying data on different denominational attitudes toward evolution and the environment: http://ncse.com/blog/2015/05/evolution-environment-religion-0016359 * Stephanie Keep discussing Yi qi with Corwin Sullivan: http://ncse.com/blog/2015/05/beijing-to-boston-chatting-yi-qi-part-1-0016347 http://ncse.com/blog/2015/05/beijing-to-boston-chatting-yi-qi-part-2-0016350 http://ncse.com/blog/2015/05/beijing-to-boston-chatting-yi-qi-part-3-0016351 * Steven Newton debunking the so-called Oregon Petition: http://ncse.com/blog/2015/05/misconception-monday-oregon-petition-edition-0016360 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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