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Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Jack Hassard: Creationism Creeps Into Louisiana and Tennessee Science Classrooms - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Jack Hassard: Creationism Creeps Into Louisiana and Tennessee Science Classrooms - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

Living in Dialogue

Anthony Cody spent 24 years working in Oakland schools, 18 of them as a science teacher at a high needs middle school. He is National Board certified, and now leads workshops with teachers focused on Project Based Learning. With education at a crossroads, he invites you to join him in a dialogue on education reform and teaching for change and deep learning. For additional information on Cody's work, visit his Web site, Teachers Lead. Or follow him on Twitter.














Jack Hassard: Creationism Creeps Into Louisiana and Tennessee Science Classrooms

Guest post by Jack Hassard. This post originally appeared here.
Over the past four years, two states have passed laws that protect teachers if they present "scientific information pertaining to the full range of scientific views regarding biological and chemical evolution in applicable curricula or in a course of learning." Protecting teachers? Have these legislators heard of VAM? No protection of teachers here.

What is really going on?

Behind these two laws is the Discovery Institute, a non-science propaganda organization whose chief purpose is to attack Darwinian evolution, and wedge intelligent design into the science curriculum. They were foiled by the courts when they tried to pull a fast one and claim that I.D. is science, the Discovery Institute now hides behind its new campaign of preserving the "academic freedom" of teachers.
The academic freedom bills that have been passed in Louisiana (2008), and Tennessee (2012) disguise their