NCSE Evolution and Climate Education Update for 2017/08/18
(by NCSE Deputy Director Glenn Branch)
Dear friends of NCSE, There's progress with Idaho's state science standards.
SCIENCE STANDARDS ADVANCE IN IDAHO At its August 10, 2017, meeting, the Idaho state board of education gave preliminary approval to a new set of state science standards, reports Idaho Education News (August 10, 2017). Earlier versions of standards discussing climate change and human impact on the environment were, as NCSE previously reported, deleted from the state science standards by the state legislature, where legislators -- particularly in the House Education Committee -- complained that they failed to present "both sides of the debate." The revised versions of the standards continue to acknowledge human responsibility for recent climate change, but appear to soften or qualify the acknowledgment somewhat. The drafting committee was evidently "trying to navigate [between] a rock and a hard place," as NCSE's Glenn Branch told the Spokane, Washington, Inlander (June 8, 2017). The proposed standards are now expected to return to the legislature, to undergo its review in 2018. For the stories from Idaho Education News and the Inlander, visit: https://www.idahoednews.org/news/state-board-education-approves-essa-plan/ https://www.inlander.com/spokane/political-science/Content?oid=4337671 And for NCSE's previous coverage of events in Idaho, visit: https://ncse.com/news/idaho WHAT'S NEW AT NCSE'S BLOG? Have you been visiting NCSE's blog recently? If not, then you've missed: * Emily Schoerning describing NCSE's new round of microgrants for teachers: https://ncse.com/blog/2017/08/back-to-school-microgrants-0018588 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