----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, November 07, 2003 7:26 PM Subject: Woo-hoo!
1. EVOLUTION: IT'S A NATURAL LAW, AND IT'S IN TEXAS SCHOOLBOOKS. By a vote of 11 - 4, the Texas State Board of Education yesterday rejected efforts of religious groups, the Discovery Institute in particular, to get science textbooks adopted that conform to the religious tenets of "intelligent design." A letter bearing the names of 550 scientists and teachers who live and work in Texas was sent to members of the Board a few days before the vote urging them to support "high standards of science." The American Physical Society assisted Texas physicists wishing to be part of this overwhelming display of support for science. Before the vote, a Dallas Morning News editorial was troubled by "scientists in thrall to their own dogmas," but a science reporter exulted in the outcome, quoting a biology professor who said it, "sent a strong message that Texas does have high standards in science." About the Dallas Morning News, however... ****************************************************************** The news is not all rosy. The textbooks that were excepted spend quite a bit of space discussing the "problems" with the theory of evolution. http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2206895 The State Board of Education gave final approval today to 11 biology books, among others, despite a major campaign to poke holes in Darwin's theory of evolution as presented in the textbooks. Both scientists and religious leaders applauded the board for retaining a solid discussion of evolution in the biology books, which were given preliminary approval Thursday. The 11-4 vote came after months of controversy about what Texas students should be taught about the origin of life. During past debates over evolution, critics have pushed to include a discussion of creationism or "intelligent design" in textbooks. But this time, opponents stuck to their message that they only wanted a factual discussion of the weaknesses in evolutionary theory. Supporters of the books, however, said the changes sought by the critics would have weakened scientific education. "We've sent a strong message that Texas does have high science standards," said David Hillis, a biology professor at the University of Texas. And Steve Lucas, pastor at Highland Park Baptist Church in Austin, said he represented 100 religious leaders who believe "the pursuit of scientific understanding does not threaten religious faith in any way." "Too often in the past, we believe, a few loud strident voices of extremism have been allowed to dominate the discussion around biology textbooks," said Lucas. A final vote is expected today. The state is spending $193 million to buy new high school biology books and some textbooks for students in English as a Second Language classes. Other ESL books as well as career and technology books were deferred for one year because of legislative budget cuts. By an 11-4 vote, the board defeated a motion by David Bradley, a Republican from Beaumont, to discuss the texts individually. Bradley and the three other members wanted to indicate a preference for two books they believed did the best job in presenting the scientific weaknesses of evolution. Board members can only reject books based on factual errors or failure to follow state curriculum as mandated by the Legislature. Some board members said they received thousands of e-mails and dozens of phone calls from people concerned that the books did not sufficiently portray deficiencies in evolutionary theories. Board member Terri Leo, a Republican from Spring, was among the four members who opposed the resolution putting 11 books and one multimedia product on the list of books that conformed to curriculum standards. "Clearly there were some that attempted to cover the scientific weaknesses of the theory of evolution more than others," said Leo. Board member Don McLeroy, a Republican from Bryan, said he preferred Biology: The Dynamics of Life by Glencoe/McGraw-Hill because it contained the most "qualifiers" that evolutionary teachings are not proven facts. For example, the Glencoe book states, "Almost all of today's biologists accept the theory of evolution by natural selection." McLeroy said he was opposed to some statements in the advanced placement book Biology by Sylvia Mader, also published by Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, including: "On the contrary, it is known that modern humans and apes evolved from a common ape-like ancestor." "Some of the books are just too dogmatic," said McLeroy. "I wish the books were just as honest as Charles Darwin was. He expressed all the difficulties with his theory." Among the groups calling for an expanded discussion of the weaknesses in evolution was the Seattle-based Discovery Institute. At a September public hearing, the institute set up a reception room near the room where the board met. "Textbook defenders have tried to turn this into a debate about religion, but it's not. The issue here is accurate science," said John West, associate director of the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture. West said although two textbook publishers recently agreed to remove embryo drawings from the 19th century that overstate the similarities between animal embryos, the illustration still can be found in one book. The other board member who voted against the resolution was Gail Lowe, a Republican from Lampasas. Samantha Smoot, executive director of the Texas Freedom Network, which monitors religious activists, said publishers did make some changes to the books in response to the criticism. "There was a disturbing pattern of changes," Smoot said. "In a few of the books there were semantic changes here and there that created a pattern of questioning the theory of evolution. I think the publishers, however, have been under a tremendous amount of political pressure." As one of the largest consumers of textbooks, Texas frequently is a battleground for ideological differences. The State Board of Education was sued last week over its 2001 rejection of an environmental science book after critics complained it was extreme and anti-American. Last year, publishers responded to criticism of history books by changing references to the Ice Age and other events occurring "millions of years ago" to read "in the distant past." Joe Bill Watkins, a lobbyist for a publishing trade group, said the process is long and expensive. "There's always a lot of anxiety," he said. "I think everybody's pleased to have the chance to go out and try to sell their products to the school districts." xponent Pleased But Not Proud Maru rob _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
