Dr. Martino suggests that the Kansas School Board's recent decisions
concerning the teaching of evolution is a "tempest in a teapot," arguing
that the decision doesn't limit a teacher's ability to teach evolution
(and, for the record, the "big bang") in his or her individual
classroom. Moreover, he suggests that the issue has been created by the
media.
While I always hope for the better, it has been my experience -- over
the past decade and a half -- that far more teachers, at least in this
region, are increasing teaching to the test. That is, they are teaching
students what they know the kids will be tested on. Part of this is
certainly the result of various educational improvement initiatives.
Right or wrong, teachers are spending less time teaching subjects and
materials that won't be tested on state-wide standardized tests.
With this in mind, I suggest that the Kansas Board of Education found a
convenient way to attack evolution while claiming that it isn't really
an attack at all. Rubbish. It is what it is. Moreover, if you listen to
the Board's reasoning it becomes even clearer. They argue that
large-scale evolution must be questionable since the process can't be
directly observed. This would be absurd, if the attack on basic science
wasn't so frightening. Using this standard, there is no need to teach
any deep-time science. Perhaps even astronomy, since little can be
directly observed, is the next to go on the chopping block.
While I am no large fan of the media, neither am I willing to categorize
this as a "made-up" situation. From my position, I see it as a direct
attack on science.
As Dr. Stephen Jay Gould of Harvard said in a recent Time article, "They
still call it Kansas, but I don't think we're in the real world
anymore."
Best,
Michael Trinkley, Ph.D.
Director
Chicora Foundation, Inc.
PO Box 8664
Columbia, SC 29202
803/787-6910
Email: [log in to unmask]
www.chicora.org
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