WILL SENTELL of the [Baton Rouge] Advocate Capitol News Bureau reports that “Procedure [have now been] crafted for handling evolution-materials complaints“:
Category Archives: textbooks
Louisiana procedures for disputes over anti-science materials in biology classes
September 25, 2009 – 10:44 am
TCS report on new Texas science standards
August 26, 2009 – 9:55 am
A report by Texas Citizens for Science on the Science Standards adopted by TSBOE in March is now posted on the TCS website. Dr. Steven Schafersman, President of TCS, tweets:
New TCS report on Texas science standards just posted on the website. The new standards can be used to improve evolution education if the science textbook [...]
NCSE: Science coverage better, but creationism creeping in
August 13, 2009 – 1:41 pm
A new study by NCSE staff (available in html and pdf) finds improvement in state science standards, marred by the creeping influence of creationist language. Here is the abstract:
In 2000, Lawrence Lerner and the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation reviewed state science standards in 49 states and the District of Columbia, specifically with respect to the [...]
NY Times: “Flexbooks” displacing textbooks
August 9, 2009 – 11:07 am
Lewin reports that “Textbooks have not gone the way of the scroll yet, but many educators say that it will not be long before they are replaced by digital versions — or supplanted altogether by lessons assembled from the wealth of free courseware, educational games, videos and projects on the Web.”
This is interesting in many ways. For one thing, it underscores the necessity of having teachers who understand their subjects well. “Flexbooks” could greatly increase the importance of the teachers relative to state boards and legislatures.
Luskin on FoxTV: 100% of textbooks wrong on evolution
May 9, 2009 – 10:45 am
From Newshounds (“We watch Fox so you don’t have to”):
http://www.newshounds.us/2009/05/07/foxfriends_interview_intelligent_design_spokesman_to_critique_textbook_treatment_of_evolution_fair_and_balanced_or_bizarro_world.php
Update: appeal v. U Cal win on admissions policy
April 27, 2009 – 10:47 pm
The National Center for Science Education (NCSE) has posted an update on developments in the case of Association of Christian Schools International [ACSI] et al. v. Roman Stearns et al. [The University of California].
The suit was brought against U.Cal. by Christian schools complaining that UC’s refusal to count certain courses in their schools for purposes [...]
Audio & Video: Eugenie Scott (NCSE) at TX SBOE hearings 2009-03-25
March 26, 2009 – 1:54 am
Audio of Eugenie Scott’s testimony is now posted at
https://tw-curricuwiki.wikispaces.com/EugenieScottTexasMarch252009
March 27: YouTube video is now added on the page linked above.
You won’t want to miss her interchange with creationist Board member Cynthia Dunbar.
Other audio from this week are now posted at https://tw-curricuwiki.wikispaces.com/TXSBOE_March2009_Audio.
Texas State School Board supports science education
January 23, 2009 – 8:16 am
Update: After voting down Dunbar’s amendments to restore the “Strengths and Weakness” language, other troubling amendments did get passed.
Audio of the Board’s votes and discussions January 22 are now posted at http://curricublog.wordpress.com/2009/01/26/sboe-jan22-meeting/ . There are also links on that page to three live blogs with text accounts of what was done.
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In preliminary voting Thursday January [...]
Schafersman v Cargill mini-debate on Science TEKS
January 20, 2009 – 4:45 pm
See the information in Steven Schafersman’s comment, below the body of this post.
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Steven Schafersman, president of Texas Citizens for Science, will be in a mini-debate with Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) member Barbara Cargill at 8:20 a.m. tomorrow [Texas time; that's 9:20 in New York and 6:20 in California] (Jan 21, 2009) on KTRU [...]
Textbook disclaimer bill in Mississippi
January 8, 2009 – 9:32 am
Here’s a bill introduced in Mississippi, which would mandate a disclaimer in “every textbook that includes the teaching of evolution”:
Intelligent Design and the Dewey Decimal system
December 19, 2008 – 3:28 pm
I felt a vague recollection of something involving ID and Dewey Decimal some time ago. Thanks to Google Desktop, I was able to come up with better than vague memories. Here are the links:
Great Summary of Texas Evolution developments
December 2, 2008 – 2:48 pm
Americans United for Separation of Church and State has a great online article on recent developments in the Texas conflict over teaching evolutionary biology.
The article provides a good summary and context for the 10-year review of TEKS science standard by the Texas State Board of Education. (Click here for a page with links for playing or [...]
Texas SBOE Science hearings Nov. 19, 2008 (with audio)
November 26, 2008 – 2:19 pm
This post is a gateway to audio recordings of the Nov. 19 hearings on Science Standards revisions by the Texas State Board of Education. These were not formal “hearings,” technically, but an informational session of the Board meeting as a Committee of the Whole.
Streaming audio is available at the SBOE website (They are Committee of [...]
Momentous TX education hearing
July 16, 2008 – 3:59 pm
A truly momentous and impressive public hearing by the Texas House Public Education Committee has just wrapped up in Austin (July 16, 2008).
I did not hear all of it. I heard State Board chairman McLeroy’s presentation and some of the questioning. Hours later I heard the witness before Steven Schafersman (Texas Citizens for Science) through [...]
TX House Committe testimony by Texas Citizens for Science
July 15, 2008 – 11:19 am
Testimony by Steven D. Schafersman, president of Texas Citizens for Science, is now posted at the TCS website. Here’s an overview of their recoomendations:
I urge you to take even more powers away from the SBOE. Specifically, I urge you to revise the law so that textbooks in Texas are adopted by each [...]
like teaching Klingon in French class
June 22, 2008 – 7:57 pm
It would be more like the situation where a teacher hired to teach French in French class decides instead to mix in grammar and vocabulary from Italian (or Klingon, maybe, to make the analogy more precise — since Italian is another real language, after all), without letting students know that what they’re learning is not really French, and with state law protecting the teacher against any kind of repercussions.
TX GOP 2008 platform on Education
June 22, 2008 – 11:51 am
The Republican Party of Texas has now posted its State Party Platform for 2008.
I have also excerpted and posted here the four pages of that platform with the Preamble, Principles, and positions on Education.
As usual the Texas GOP takes interesting positions on many things, but in this post I’ll just quote their statement on “theories [...]
