NCSE Evolution and Climate Education Update for 2016/09/30
Submitted by Peter Burns on Fri, 2016-09-30 19:39.
National Center for Science Education
(by NCSE Deputy Director Glenn Branch)
Dear friends of NCSE, Two members of Congress make the case for the Climate Change Education Act. And there are new state science standards in Wyoming.
HONDA AND MARKEY ON THE CLIMATE CHANGE EDUCATION ACT Writing in the Guardian (September 28, 2016), two members of Congress -- Mike Honda (D-California, District 17) and Edward J. Markey (D-Massachusetts) -- incisively presented the case for their Climate Change Education Act, currently under consideration in both houses of Congress. "The legislation would require the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ... to create a Climate Change Education Program geared towards teaching students and others about climate change," Honda and Markey explain. "In much the same way we teach our children the ABCs as a foundation for a lifetime of learning, we must encourage a national discussion, especially with our youth, about how we can reduce our carbon footprint and serve as stewards of our environment." Alluding to the recent NCSE/Penn State survey about the teaching of climate change, NCSE's executive director Ann Reid previously commented, "We know for a fact that too many teachers are unprepared to present climate change, especially when they encounter ideological resistance. The proposed bills [Markey's Senate Bill 3074 and Honda's House Bill 1961] will allow the federal government to help teachers to present climate change accurately, honestly, and confidently." Honda and Markey concluded, "There is a trove of science behind climate change but there is still much more to learn, especially about the consequences of climate change. It is time we began to learn together, as families, as communities and as a country. If only because we are truly in this together." For Honda and Markey's column in the Guardian, visit: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/28/climate-change-education-act-noaa-school-classrooms For NCSE's report on the NCSE/Penn State survey (PDF), visit: http://ncse.com/files/MixedMessages.pdf And for information about Senate Bill 3074 and House Bill 1961, visit: https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/3074 https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/1961 NEW SCIENCE STANDARDS FOR WYOMING The Wyoming state board of education unanimously voted to approve a new set of state science standards on September 23, 2016, according to the Sheridan Press (September 24, 2016). It was a long journey for Wyoming. In 2014, the state was poised to adopt the Next Generation Science Standards, when the legislature passed a budget that blocked the use of state funds "for any review or adoption" of the NGSS. A coauthor of the provision was clear that he was alarmed by the NGSS's treating "global warming as settled science." After outcry from the state's scientific and educational communities, the budget provision was repealed, but the state board of education subsequently decided not to adopt the NGSS but to ask a committee to develop a new set of science standards for the state. The standards were based on, but not entirely identical to, the NGSS. "The new standards were altered to be less definitive about man-made climate change," according to the Sheridan Press, but John Friedrich of Climate Parents downplayed the importance of the change, telling the newspaper: "They made a couple of tweaks but nothing that was too significant." The standards must be further approved by Governor Matt Mead. They are expected to be fully implemented in the 2020-2021 school year, but about half of Wyoming's school districts are already aligned with the standards. For the story from the Sheridan Press, visit: http://thesheridanpress.com/?p=59971 And for NCSE's previous coverage of events in Wyoming, visit: https://ncse.com/news/wyoming 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: * Guest blogger Crystal Davis describing her trip down the Grand Canyon with NCSE: https://ncse.com/blog/2016/09/grand-canyon-fear-water-0018380 * Emily Schoerning demonstrating the Science Booster Clubs' impact on science literacy: https://ncse.com/blog/2016/09/science-booster-clubs-outreach-with-impact-0018381 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 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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