NCSE Evolution and Climate Education Update for 2014/04/25

(by NCSE Deputy Director Glenn Branch)

Dear friends of NCSE,

The effort to repeal the so-called Louisiana Science Education Act
failed again. New, and disturbing, poll results about public
confidence in science. Editorialists in Wyoming are irate about the
state government's derailing the adoption of the Next Generation
Science Standards over climate. The New York Times surveys the state
of climate change education around the globe. And a Darwin Day bill
dies in the Hawaiian legislature.

REPEAL EFFORT FAILS AGAIN IN LOUISIANA

Louisiana's Senate Bill 175 was tabled on a 3-1 vote in the Senate
Committee on Education on April 24, 2014, which effectively kills the
bill in committee, according to the Baton Rouge Advocate (April 24,
2014). The bill, introduced by Karen Carter Peterson (D-District 5),
would, if enacted, repeal Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:285.1, which
implemented the so-called Louisiana Science Education Act, passed and
enacted in 2008, and thus opened the door for scientifically
unwarranted criticisms of evolution and climate science to be taught
in the state's public schools. It was the fourth bill of its kind,
following SB 26 in 2013, SB 374 in 2012, SB 70 in 2011.

The law targeted for repeal calls on state and local education
administrators to help to promote "critical thinking skills, logical
analysis, and open and objective discussion of scientific theories
being studied including, but not limited to, evolution, the origins of
life, global warming, and human cloning"; these four topics were
described as controversial in the original draft of the legislation.
It also allows teachers to use "supplemental textbooks and other
instructional materials to help students understand, analyze,
critique, and review scientific theories in an objective manner" if so
permitted by their local school boards. Speaking to NBC News on April
12, 2013, Louisiana's governor Bobby Jindal (R), who signed the bill
into law over the protests of the state's scientific and educational
communities, acknowledged (at around 9:00) that the law allows
teachers to "teach our kids about creationism."

On the day preceding the committee hearing, Zack Kopplin, the young
activist spearheading the repeal effort, was quoted in the Baton Rouge
Advocate (April 23, 2014), as saying, "Whether we pass or fail
tomorrow, it does not really matter because this is sort of ground
zero for a much larger fight for science in this country." He
expressed optimism about the future of the repeal effort after the
November 2015 elections, which might bring new members to the Senate
Education Committee. Kopplin was speaking at Louisiana State
University, where he was receiving the Manship School of Mass
Communication's Courage and Justice award, in honor of his efforts to
defend the integrity of science education.

For the text of Louisiana's Senate Bill 175 as introduced (PDF), visit:
http://www.legis.la.gov/legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=875625&n=SB175%20Original 

For the stories in the Baton Rouge Advocate, visit:
http://theadvocate.com/home/8991705-125/science-act-repeal-effort-fails 
http://theadvocate.com/home/8983764-125/kopplin-to-continue-fight-against 

For Jindal's interview with NBC News, visit:
http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nbc-news/51522589#51522589 

And for NCSE's previous coverage of events in Louisiana, visit:
http://ncse.com/news/louisiana 

POLLING CONFIDENCE IN SCIENCE

A new poll from the Associated Press and GfK asked respondents not
whether they agree or disagree, but how confident they are, about
various claims about science. The Associated Press (April 21, 2014)
summarized, "Americans have more skepticism than confidence in global
warming, the age of the Earth and evolution and have the most trouble
believing a Big Bang created the universe 13.8 billion years ago."

Consistently with similar polls, political views and religious views
were connected to views on science: the story observed that "Democrats
[were] more apt than Republicans to express confidence in evolution,
the Big Bang, the age of the Earth and climate change" and that
"[c]onfidence in evolution, the Big Bang, the age of the Earth and
climate change decline sharply as faith in a supreme being rises."

Asked about "The universe is so complex, there must be a supreme being
guiding its creation," 54% of respondents indicated that they were
extremely or very confident in its correctness; 18% were somewhat
confident; 25% were not too or not at all confident.

Asked about "The average temperature of the world is rising, mostly
because of man-made heat-trapping greenhouse gases," 33% of
respondents indicated that they were extremely or very confident in
its correctness; 28% were somewhat confident; 37% were not too or not
at all confident.

Asked about "Life on Earth, including human beings, evolved through a
process of natural selection," 31% of respondents indicated that they
were extremely or very confident in its correctness; 24% were somewhat
confident; 42% were not too or not at all confident.

Asked about "The Earth is 4.5 billion years old," 27% of respondents
indicated that they were extremely or very confident in its
correctness; 33% were somewhat confident; 36% were not too or not at
all confident.

Asked about "The universe began 13.8 billion years ago with a big
bang," 21% of respondents indicated that they were extremely or very
confident in its correctness; 25% were somewhat confident; 51% were
not too or not at all confident.

"Those results depress and upset some of America's top scientists,"
the Associated Press observed. Among those consulted for comment were
Francisco J. Ayala, a member of NCSE's board of directors, and Nobel
laureate and NCSE member Randy Schekman, who commented, "Science
ignorance is pervasive in our society, and these attitudes are
reinforced when some of our leaders are openly antagonistic to
established facts."

The story noted, "The AP-GfK Poll was conducted March 20-24, 2014,
using KnowledgePanel, GfK's probability-based online panel designed to
be representative of the U.S. population. It involved online
interviews with 1,012 adults and has a margin of sampling error of
plus or minus 3.4 percentage points for all respondents. Respondents
were first selected randomly using phone or mail survey methods and
were later interviewed online."

For the poll report (PDF), visit:
http://ap-gfkpoll.com/main/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/AP-GfK-March-2014-Poll-Topline-Final_SCIENCE.pdf 

For the Associated Press's story, visit:
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/poll-big-bang-big-question-most-americans 

And for NCSE's collections of polls and surveys, visit:
http://ncse.com/creationism/polls-surveys 
http://ncse.com/polls/polls-climate-change 

EDITORIAL REACTION TO THE LATEST IN WYOMING

Editorialists and columnists in Wyoming are irate with the state
government after the state board of education decided not to implement
the Next Generation Science Standards. As NCSE previously reported, a
footnote in Wyoming's budget for 2014-2016 precluded the use of state
funds "for any review or adoption" of the Next Generation Science
Standards, and one of its authors acknowledged that the NGSS's
treatment of climate change was a reason for the prohibition. It was
hoped that the board might have adopted the NGSS with the funds
available to it before the new budget period begins. Instead, at its
April 11, 2014, meeting, the board referred the standards back to a
state department of education committee -- which previously
unanimously recommended the adoption of the NGSS.

The Wyoming Tribune Eagle (April 18, 2014) was livid, editorially
writing, "We might not know the exact extent to which man has affected
climate change, but we do know that Wyoming is filled with political
cowards. Some of them have stepped into the spotlight in the debate
over implementing new science standards." The editorial complained
specifically about Matt Teeters (R-District 5), to whom the footnote
is generally attributed; Governor Matt Mead, who could have used his
line-item veto to delete the footnote; and Ron Micheli, the chair of
the board, who, according to the Tribune Eagle, cited climate change
denial propaganda during the board's meeting. The editorial concluded,
"It's sad that these cowards decide policy in this state. ... cowards
refusing to stand up for what's right."

Citing the position of the energy industry itself, the Casper
Star-Tribune (April 20, 2014) editorially argued, "These companies ...
realize the Earth is changing and are basing multi-decade projections
and business decisions on the expectation of climate change. If the
companies themselves are acting on this, it's safe to say they won't
mind if our children learn about it, too," adding, "Anyone who stands
in the way is denying our children the chance to be part of the
vanguard of well-informed Wyomingites with the potential to figure out
how to harness the state's energy resources in an environmentally
responsible way. It's disappointing that the state isn't interested in
joining the energy companies and being part of the solution, but it's
reprehensible for it to deny that chance to our children."

The Laramie Boomerang (April 21, 2014) editorially commented, "the
board would have been saving the lawmakers and particularly the
governor from continuing embarrassment and controversy. It's not as if
the science standards haven't been carefully reviewed and studied
already. A committee of Wyoming teachers charged with examining the
standards has unanimously endorsed them for adoption," adding,
sarcastically, "But, of course, politicians know better." The
Boomerang concluded, "These proposed standards aren't perfect, but the
overall impact of the standards is a substantial step forward from
where we are now. ... One way or another, the Wyoming Board of
Education must find a way to adopt the Next Generation Science
Standards. They owe that to every school child in this state."

And writing in the Casper Star-Tribune (April 21, 2014), Pete Gosar, a
member of the state board of education, expressed his dismay with the
legislature's decision to block the NGSS. Observing that "there exists
little doubt that the Next Generation Science Standards would have
helped to prepare Wyoming students for an increasingly competitive
world, and that they are far superior to our existing Wyoming science
standards" and "that they were unanimously recommended by a diverse
and accomplished Wyoming science content committee after more than 18
months of careful deliberations," he noted that the legislature's
decision was taken without consulting the committee members and
without any open and public legislative debate about the legislature's
concerns about the NGSS.

For the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's editorial, visit:
http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2014/04/18/opinion/staff_editorials/column152.txt#.U1VSs_ldUl8 

For the Casper Star-Tribune's editorial, visit:
http://trib.com/opinion/editorial/editorial-board-join-energy-industries-and-admit-climate-change-exists/article_ca4a1bd6-e7d4-5dde-acad-140c21c8067e.html 

For the Laramie Boomerang's editorial, visit:
http://www.laramieboomerang.com/articles/2014/04/21/opinion/doc53532def08b89968017925.txt 

For Pete Gosar's column in the Casper Star-Tribune, visit:
http://trib.com/opinion/columns/gosar-blocking-science-education-standards-is-censorship/article_ca3e268b-1101-5a61-8a89-2fc56011506b.html 

And for NCSE's previous coverage of events in Wyoming, visit:
http://ncse.com/news/wyoming 

CLIMATE CHANGE EDUCATION AROUND THE WORLD

"From Mauritius to Manitoba, climate change is slowly moving from the
headlines to the classroom," reported The New York Times (April 20,
2014). "Schools around the world are beginning to tackle the difficult
issue of global warming, teaching students how the planet is changing
and encouraging them to think about what they can do to help slow that
process."

The article acknowledges that the process is often politically
contentious. In the United States, opposition to the Next Generation
Science Standards often centers on their treatment of climate change;
as NCSE previously reported, the Wyoming legislature voted to block
funding for any review or adoption of the standards in March 2014 for
that reason. One legislator complained that the standards "handle
global warming as settled science."

Charles Anderson, a professor of teacher education at Michigan State
University, explained that without standards that include climate
change, science teachers might be inclined to avoid the topic, saying,
"This doesn't feel like a very safe topic to teach. The science is
conceptually difficult, and it's controversial. I might get complaints
from parents and it's not part of my current curriculum, and so I'm
not going to take it on. "

But the barriers to climate change education are not merely
legislative, they are systematic as well. Anderson explained, "The
number of students who will not get education on climate change
because of the financial and lack of adequate curriculum and teacher
training issues is much larger than the number who will not get
education on climate change because somebody in the legislature
opposes it."

Various countries were cited as making progress in climate change
education in different ways: "Some nations teach climate in science
classes and others in geography, while others again integrate the idea
of sustainability across a range of subjects. China has included
sustainability education in its outline for school reform, and Japan
has written it into curriculum guidelines, according to Unesco."

But climate change denial is present outside the United States too.
The Times noted, "In Britain, the Global Warming Policy Foundation, an
organization of climate change skeptics, has accused schools of
brainwashing students with political indoctrination similar to that in
Mao Zedong's China," accusing politicians of "effectively handing much
of the curriculum to green activists."

For the article in The New York Times, visit:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/21/business/energy-environment/setbacks-aside-climate-change-is-finding-its-way-into-the-worlds-classrooms.html 

And for NCSE's resources on climate science and climate education, visit:
http://ncse.com/climate 

DARWIN DAY BILL DIES IN HAWAII

Hawaii's House Resolution 145, which would have designated February 12
of each year as Darwin Day "to celebrate all of Charles Darwin's
achievements in the field of science," died in committee on April 10,
2014, when a legislative deadline passed. The resolution was unusual
in establishing Darwin Day on a perennial basis: previous Darwin Day
resolutions, such as Virginia's House Resolution 884 in 2009,
typically designate February 12 of the current year as Darwin Day. The
sole sponsor of HR 145 was Kaniela Ing (D-District 11).

For Hawaii's House Resolution 145 as introduced, visit:
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2014/bills/HR145_.htm 

And for NCSE's previous coverage of events in Hawaii, visit:
http://ncse.com/news/hawaii 

WHAT'S NEW FROM THE SCIENCE LEAGUE OF AMERICA

Have you been visiting NCSE's blog, The Science League of America,
recently? If not, then you've missed:

* David Almandsmith discussing the second episode of Your Inner Fish:
http://ncse.com/blog/2014/04/your-reptilian-innards-0015536 

* Mark McCaffrey explaining the value of climate education:
http://ncse.com/blog/2014/04/climate-education-what-its-worth-0015545 

* Ann Reid contemplating the human microbiome:
http://ncse.com/blog/2014/04/trust-your-gut-0015537 

* George E. Webb's guest post on World War I and the
creationism-evolution controversy:
http://ncse.com/blog/2014/04/what-if-world-war-i-creationism-evolution-controversy-part-5-0015504 

* Ulrich Kutschera's guest post on World War I and the
creationism-evolution controversy:
http://ncse.com/blog/2014/04/what-if-world-war-i-creationism-evolution-controversy-part-6-0015505 

And much more besides!

For The Science League of America, visit:
http://ncse.com/blog 

Thanks for reading. And don't forget to visit NCSE's website --
http://ncse.com -- where you can always find the latest news on 
evolution and climate education and threats to them.

--
Sincerely,

Glenn Branch
Deputy Director
National Center for Science Education, Inc.
420 40th Street, Suite 2
Oakland, CA 94609-2509
510-601-7203 x305
fax: 510-601-7204
800-290-6006
branch@ncse.com 
http://ncse.com 

Check out NCSE's new blog, Science League of America:
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