Apparently unoted is that this essentially give carte blanc to
individual teachers and local school boards to decree "no Godless
evolution"!  And, unfortunately, there are loads of teachers and
school boards out there who are as ignorant (or duplicitous) as the
creation scientists.  Since evolution obviously is of no importance
(else it would be in the state standards), there is no reason to
teach it.  As others have pointed out, teaching to the test is
widespread (here in Texas as well as in Kansas)--if not in the test,
forget it!  This is another case where St. Augustine's admonition to
not support ridiculous assertions about the material universe lest
the real message also be met with derision is ignored.

Incidently, let's not forget that there were members of the Kansas
School Board who did their duty.

Bob Martino wrote:
>
> While I hope to not generate too much off-topic discussion, I would like to
> point out that this whole flap is (as often seems to be the case) the
> result of the media slanting their coverage of an issue.
>
> The only thing that Kansas has said is that knowledge of evolution is not
> required for its standardized tests.  Any school system or individual
> teacher is free to teach as much evolution as it/he/she wants.  The only
> thing Kansas is saying is that the students will not be tested on evolution
> OUTSIDE their individual classes.
>
> Another tempest in a teapot, if you ask me (and nobody did).  :)

Art Harris
--
Laboratory for Environmental Biology
Centennial Museum (Natural and Cultural History)
University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX  79968-0915
phone (915)747-6985; fax (915)747-5808; [log in to unmask]
http://www.utep.edu/leb     http://www.utep.edu/museum

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