Biology Teachers Decry Kansas Decision on Evolution
The National Association of Biology Teachers is deeply
concerned by the August 11th decision of the Kansas State
Board of Education to adopt new curriculum standards that
virtually remove evolution and related topics from the Kansas
science curriculum. By eliminating the fundamental unifying
theme of biology, Kansas has done a serious disservice to its
young people and the educational system that serves them.
According to Wayne W. Carley, Ph.D., Executive Director of
the National Association of Biology Teachers, we fear that by
learning only partial truths, Kansas students will be
unprepared for college admission tests and college science
courses. Ultimately, a whole generation of Kansas citizens will
be ill-prepared to deal with the scientific and technological
world around them.
Teaching evolution is important for two reasons. First,
evolution is real. As clearly documented evidence shows, life
existed on Earth for more than one billion years. During that
time life has changed and evolved through a succession of
natural forces acting within accepted physical laws. As a
theory, like other established scientific theories, such as the
theory of the atom and of gravity, evolution provides a powerful
framework for asking - and answering - questions about our
natural, physical world.
Second, teaching about evolution develops in students
powerful skills of analysis and evaluation. The rigorous
scientific thinking and testing that have gone into our current
understanding of evolution represent the triumph of the best in
human knowledge. It is essential that we teach today's youth
these same processes of critical scientific analysis and
testing so they can solve tomorrow's problems.
The political forces that try to eliminate evolution from science
classrooms impose a narrow, sectarian doctrine on our
educational systems. This imposition represents an affront not
only to the constitutional separation of church and state but
also to the moral and intellectual integrity embedded in that
constitution. It also clouds and weakens both the intellectual
strength of science and the moral strength of the religion. The
National Association of Biology Teachers urges all biology
educators to teach modern scientific evolution; it is imperative
that all local, state and national politicians and educational
leaders support that effort. If we are to compete academically
on an international level, we must insist on only the best,
intellectually rigorous education for our youth.
The National Association of Biology Teachers, established in
1938, is the only national organization dedicated to serving the
needs of all biology educators. It is comprised of some 8,000
science educators, science supervisors, administrators,
scientists, business and industry representatives, and others
involved in science education.