NCSE Evolution and Climate Education Update for 2017/06/16
Submitted by Peter Burns on Fri, 2017-06-16 14:13.
National Center for Science Education
(by NCSE Deputy Director Glenn Branch)
Dear friends of NCSE, CNN addresses climate change education. And there are concerns in Wisconsin about the possibility that a "Campus Free Speech Act" would protect science denial.
CNN ON TEACHING CLIMATE CHANGE AMID CONTROVERSY A story from CNN (June 14, 2017) discusses "the confusion that the climate change issue has presented to many schools across the country. Although 97% of climate scientists agree that global warming is linked to the burning of fossil fuels, a majority of middle and high school teachers are not aware of this consensus." The story relied both on interviews with teachers on the front lines, such as Eric Madrid in Texas and Ann Akey in California, and spokespeople for the California State Education and Environment Roundtable, the National Science Teachers, and NCSE, particularly the NCSE/Penn State national survey on climate change education. Improvements to state science standards make a difference, the story observed. But the last word came from NCSE's Glenn Branch: "at the end of the day, when the classroom door closes, it's really going to be the individual teacher who determines whether or not climate change is going to be properly presented or not." For the CNN story, visit: http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/14/health/climate-change-schools-partner/index.html And for Mixed Messages, the report of the NCSE/Penn State survey, (PDF), visit: http://ncse.com/files/MixedMessages.pdf WOULD A WISCONSIN BILL PROTECT SCIENCE DENIAL ON CAMPUS? A "Campus Free Speech Act" proposed in Wisconsin might protect college students who feel intimidated from expressing their opinions about the age of the earth in geology classes, according to the bill's lead sponsor. The bill in question, Assembly Bill 299, would require the board of regents of the University of Wisconsin system to adopt a policy on free expression with various provisions affecting students, faculty, speakers, the public, and the institutions that are part of the system themselves, and to appoint a council on free expression to report on free expression issues to the board, the legislature, and the governor. The Capital Times (June 7, 2017) reported that during a May 11, 2017, committee hearing, Jesse Kremer (R-District 59) was asked, if a student was advancing the view that the earth is 6000 years old in class, "Is it okay for the professor to tell them they're wrong?" Kremer replied, "The earth is 6000 years old," adding, "That's a fact." The fact-checking service Politifact (June 8, 2017) duly investigated, rating his statement false. Kremer also said that "this bill stays out of the classroom." "Yet Kremer immediately speculated that students who felt intimidated from expressing their opinions in class could bring their complaints to the Council on Free Expression, an oversight board created in the bill," the Capital Times reported. "So the law could potentially cover things that happen in the classroom, he suggested." During the hearing, a fellow sponsor of AB 299, Robin Vos (R-District 63), cited a different scientific topic that might be affected by the bill's passage. "Probably the biggest debate is global warming," Vos was quoted as saying. "A lot of people think it's settled science and an awful lot of people think it isn't. I think both sides should be brought to campus and let students decide." A provision of the bill would require the state's public universities to be neutral on "public policy controversies," prompting Matt Rothschild of Wisconsin Democracy Campaign to ask, "So ... [UW researchers] would not be allowed to argue that climate change is real, and caused primarily by the burning of fossil fuels? ... You are saying that UW institutions should remain neutral on the question of Darwin and natural selection versus creationism." AB 299 was introduced on May 5, 2017, and referred to the House Committee on Colleges and Universities, where it passed with amendments on June 2, 2017, and was then referred to the House Committee on Rules. A counterpart bill, Senate Bill 250, was introduced on May 17, 2017, and was referred to the Senate Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges, where it remains. Asked recently about his view of the age of the earth by the Associated Press (June 7, 2017), Kremer replied by avowing "my biblical belief. Other people believe the same thing. That's all I'm going to say." For information about Wisconsin's Assembly Bill 299 and Senate Bill 250, visit: http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2017/proposals/ab299 http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2017/proposals/sb250 For the Capital Times story, visit: http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/education/university/gagging-the-uw-critics-worry-campus-speech-bill-is-another/article_cc7e994b-e6f2-5d16-8ff2-11513bc03033.html For the Politifact story, visti: http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2017/jun/08/jesse-kremer/republican-wisconsin-lawmaker-wrongly-states-its-f/ For Matt Rothschild's comments, visit: http://www.wisdc.org/wdcstatement2017-05-11.php For the Associated Press's story (via the Wisconsin State Journal), visit: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/wisconsin-republican-thinks-earth-is-years-old/article_71e17337-fa8d-52b6-b09d-8e80ae693cbf.html And for NCSE's previous coverage of events in Wisconsin, visit: http://ncse.com/news/wisconsin WHAT'S NEW AT NCSE'S BLOG? Have you been visiting NCSE's blog recently? If not, then you've missed: * Emily Schoerning discussing NCSE's outreach to teachers in the San Francisco Bay Area: https://ncse.com/blog/2017/06/tossing-bone-to-locals-0018555 For NCSE's blog, 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: 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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