Freethought & Rationalism Archive

RufusAtticus · 10-16-2002, 07:32 AM

<a href="http://www.ncseweb.org/resources/articles/2435_the_evolutionary_wars_10_7_2002.asp" target="_blank">The Evolutionary Wars</a>

Quote:

The Ohio Board of Education had a big problem. Two years ago, a Fordham Foundation study had slapped the state with an "F" for the way it taught evolution in the classroom. In fact, state standards lacked any mention of evolution in the science lessons for Ohio students, kindergarten through high school. Embarrassed, the state legislature mandated that the board revise the standards by the end of 2002.

In the course of adopting new standards, however, the board ran smack into the latest anti-evolution concept: intelligent design. The philosophy purports that life is too complex to have evolved by chance and therefore must have been the product of a divine (in the supernatural sense�perhaps a biblical God or an extraterrestrial force) designer.

Albion · 10-16-2002, 10:18 AM

Well, I must say I'm surprised to see that they're diluting the teaching of evolution in Japanese schools; I thought Japan paid mroe attention to education than that. The stuff about the British school teaching creationism is a bit of a blind alley - they were pushing the old style YEC stuff, not ID. And in Britian there's no church-state separation law, so things are a bit different there.

That bit about Scalia leaving a loophole in the Supreme Court decision was intresting. Looking at his opinion, I wonder what he's really after. Sounds like a person who knows he's the most intelligent human who ever lived so it doesn't matter if he doesn't know all that much science, he still knows more than the people who do it for a living.

I've been meaning to join NCSE for months. I'm going to get my check in the mail today.

Grumpy · 10-16-2002, 01:54 PM

FWIW, I remember that Fordham Foundation study. It raised my eyebrows when it gave my state a "D" rating. I looked into it, and it turns out that our state education standards are very vague across the board. There was no mention of evolution in the science part, but there was no mention of Shakespeare in the <a href="http://www.eed.state.ak.us/contentstandards/English.html" target="_blank">language arts</a> part either, for example.

Now that I look, I see evolution is now included in the <a href="http://www.eed.state.ak.us/contentstandards/Science.html" target="_blank">content standards</a>. I'm pretty sure it wasn't there 2 years ago, so I wonder if the change was prompted by the Fordham study.

cartman · 10-17-2002, 12:47 PM

Anti-evolution? That's nothing, check this out!

Quote:

Georgia School Board Bans 'Theory Of Math'
COGDELL, GA�The Cogdell School Board banned the teaching of the controversial "Theory Of Math" in its schools Monday. "We are simply not confident of this mysterious process by which numbers turn, as if by magic, into other numbers," board member Gus Reese said. "Those mathematicians are free to believe 3 times 4 equals 12, but that dun [sic] give them the right to force it on our children." Under the new ruling, all math textbooks will carry a disclaimer noting that math is only one of many valid theories of number-manipulation.

From <a href="http://www.theonion.com" target="_blank">the ONION</a>.

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10-16-2002, 10:18 AM	#2
Albion Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: US east coast. And www.theroyalforums.com Posts: 2,829	Well, I must say I'm surprised to see that they're diluting the teaching of evolution in Japanese schools; I thought Japan paid mroe attention to education than that. The stuff about the British school teaching creationism is a bit of a blind alley - they were pushing the old style YEC stuff, not ID. And in Britian there's no church-state separation law, so things are a bit different there. That bit about Scalia leaving a loophole in the Supreme Court decision was intresting. Looking at his opinion, I wonder what he's really after. Sounds like a person who knows he's the most intelligent human who ever lived so it doesn't matter if he doesn't know all that much science, he still knows more than the people who do it for a living. I've been meaning to join NCSE for months. I'm going to get my check in the mail today.

10-16-2002, 01:54 PM	#3
Grumpy Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Alaska, USA Posts: 1,535	FWIW, I remember that Fordham Foundation study. It raised my eyebrows when it gave my state a "D" rating. I looked into it, and it turns out that our state education standards are very vague across the board. There was no mention of evolution in the science part, but there was no mention of Shakespeare in the <a href="http://www.eed.state.ak.us/contentstandards/English.html" target="_blank">language arts</a> part either, for example. Now that I look, I see evolution is now included in the <a href="http://www.eed.state.ak.us/contentstandards/Science.html" target="_blank">content standards</a>. I'm pretty sure it wasn't there 2 years ago, so I wonder if the change was prompted by the Fordham study.

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