This just came in today from the AWIS Washington Wire:
The National Academy of Sciences and the National Science Teachers Association have denied the Kansas board of education permission to use their copyrighted materials in the state's proposed new science standards because of the standards' critical approach to evolution. The two science organizations said that the much-disputed new standards "will put the students of Kansas at a competitive disadvantage as they take their place in the world." The stinging rebuke came less than two weeks before the state school board is expected to put the science standards into effect. While the copyright denial could cause delay in their adoption, as the standards are rewritten, it is unlikely to derail the board's conservative majority in its mission to require that challenges to Darwin's theories be taught in the state's classrooms. For more on this, visit this site. [You have to login to the NYTimes to read the article.]
Note also this quote from the NYTimes article:
A third organization, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, echoed [the concerns of NAS and NSTA] in a news release supporting the copyright denial, saying: "Students are ill-served by any effort in science classrooms to blur the distinction between science and other ways of knowing, including those concerned with the supernatural."
It's not just a challenge to evolution that is going on. It is a challenge to the very definition of science itself. You see, the Kansas Board of Education is worried that the poor children of Kansas, when they enter a science classroom, are only getting information about naturalistic causes of the things that scientists study. You might say, well duh, that's what science is. But no, says the Board. We are limiting the information available to them. There may be other explanations for things. It is "Viewpoint Discrimination" not to allow these other types of explanations into science classrooms.
So clever. Disguise your intent to completely redefine what science is by accusing the defenders of science of being discriminatory and wanting to withhold information from the Poor Children of Kansas Who Will Not Be Informed, But Only Able To Reason, if they learn actual science. Change the definition of science from "seeking natural explanations" to "seeking logical explanations". Let's not indoctrinate our children into the Philosophy of Naturalism!
And call me an idiot, but here's something I just learned today. This whole mess is actually encouraged by the No Child Left Behind Act. In Draft 2 of the science standards for Kansas, you can read the quote they cite:
"The Conferees recognize that a quality science education should prepare students to distinguish the data and testable theories of science from religious or philosophical claims that are made in the name of science."
So far, so good. You might think they were being advised to look out for Intelligent Design. But then we go on:
"Where topics are taught that may generate controversy (such as biological evolution), the curriculum should help students to understand the full range of scientific views that exist, why such topics may generate controversy, and how scientific discoveries can profoundly affect society."
Topics that may generate controversy - they could only think of one, and it just happened to be biological evolution. If there is not a nation-wide project to take over science classrooms and reorganize them along evangelical Christian moral precepts, and if this project does not include the efforts of politicians to aid the insertion of religion into classrooms, and if this is not all approved of by our President, then I am the Flying Spaghetti Monster myself.
6:27:44 PM 
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