NCSE Evolution and Climate Education Update for 2016/06/24
Submitted by Peter Burns on Fri, 2016-06-24 14:04.
National Center for Science Education
(by NCSE Deputy Director Glenn Branch)
Dear friends of NCSE, A pair of climate change education bills is before Congress.
CLIMATE CHANGE EDUCATION BILLS IN CONGRESS Senate Bill 3074, introduced in the U. S. Senate on June 16, 2016, would, if enacted, authorize the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to establish a climate change education program. Observing that "the evidence for human-induced climate change is overwhelming and undeniable," the bill assigns NOAA the task of "broaden[ing] the understanding of human-induced climate change, possible long-term and short-term consequences, and potential solutions" through providing formal and informal learning opportunities to people of all ages. Included is a grant program aimed at improving climate change education at the K-12 level. The sponsor of the bill is Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts), who unsuccessfully broached a similar piece of legislation (amending what would become the Every Child Achieves Act) in 2015, as NCSE previously reported. Additionally, a similar measure, House Bill 1961, was introduced in the U. S. House of Representatives in 2015 by Michael Honda (D-California, District 17), although it is currently stalled in committee. NCSE's executive director Ann Reid was enthusiastic about the bills. Alluding to the recent NCSE/Penn State survey about the teaching of climate change, she commented, "We know for a fact that too many teachers are unprepared to present climate change, especially when they encounter ideological resistance. The proposed bill will allow the federal government to help teachers to present climate change accurately, honestly, and confidently." "Everyone concerned about equipping students with the knowledge and knowhow required for them to flourish in a warming world should urge their congressional representative to support these bills," Reid added. For information about Senate Bill 3074, visit: https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/3074 For information about House Bill 1961, visit: https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/1961/ And for NCSE's report on the NCSE/Penn State survey (PDF), visit: http://ncse.com/files/MixedMessages.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: * Emily Schoerning discussing the effects of climate change on food crops in her own back yard: http://ncse.com/blog/2016/06/hungry-hungry-heat-wave-0018277 * Steven Newton discussing the importance of science education in the millennial workplace: http://ncse.com/blog/2016/06/science-education-millennial-workers-mad-skillz-gap-0018278 * Glenn Branch discussing why a Scopes-era creationist misrepresented the timing of mass extinctions: http://ncse.com/blog/2016/06/failing-to-make-hay-mass-extinctions-0017061 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. 1904 Franklin Street, Suite 600 Oakland CA 94612-2922 510-601-7203 fax 510-788-7971 branch@ncse.com http://ncse.com Check out NCSE's blog, Science League of America: http://ncse.com/blog Read Reports of the NCSE on-line: http://reports.ncse.com
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