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Texas Board of Education Hears Testimony On Proposed Science Standards

By Howard M. Friedman

Yesterday, the Texas State Board of Education heard testimony on its proposed standards for teaching science. Links to the full text of the standards and panel reports on them are available from the Texas Education Agency's website. Today's Dallas Morning News reports on testimony of some of the nearly 90 people who had registered to speak at the hearings. The focus was primarily on how evolution should be taught. As summarized by the paper:

College professors, science teachers and pro-evolution groups urged the board to drop a rule that requires the strengths and weaknesses of Darwin's theory to be taught in science courses, while conservative groups aligned with a sizable bloc of board members said the rule has worked well and hasn't forced religion into those classes as critics charge....

Revisions recommended by a panel of experts this week call for changing the "strengths-and-weaknesses" standard to "strengths and limitations." Another recommendation calls for middle school students to "discuss possible alternative explanations" for scientific concepts.

Full post as published by Religion Clause on November 20, 2008 (boomark / email).