New study gives Alabama "F" in science, cites evolution stance

[Thom Little]

Alabama's disclaimer on evolution in its science guidelines helped earn the state an "F" in a national study released Wednesday comparing school science standards for primary and secondary school students.

The state was one of 15 that received the failing grade and one of 13 others whose standards on evolution flunked the review, called "The State of the State Science Standards 2005." The institute reviewed standards in all states except Iowa, which doesn't have published statewide guidelines.

Nine states and the District of Columbia received a "C" and 19 states earned "A" or "B" grades. California ranked highest in the nation. Alabama ranked 42nd.

Kansas had the nation's worst science standards for public schools, according to the study, which condemned the state for rewriting its definition of science and treating evolution as a flawed theory.


http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AL_SCIENCE_STUDY_ALOL-?SITE=ALMON&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[drhilarius]

1. Don't feel too bad bama...

according to the NYT Kansas got an F minus.

[Karla Marx]

2. Well, the Lord gives 'em an A plus!

[newswolf56]

3. More data on the methodical dumbing-down of America:

This isn't a problem just in Alabama, and for the media to present it as if it were limited to one state (or one region) does all of us a disservice. Just as we were discussing earlier this week, our public schools are becoming ever more wretched. Our public-school science programs have been the laughingstock of the industrial world for several years, but now -- because of the radically worsening influence of Christian Fundamentalism over U.S. public education -- the rest of the world is no longer jeering but beginning to cower in genuine terror: a population deliberately made ignorant is the ultimate breeding ground for fascism, and the Europeans have very distinct first-hand knowledge of the unspeakable savagery that results.

Note that the study says bad teaching methods are as much to blame as JesuNazi brainwashing: "Science may be the subject that U.S. teachers are least able to teach well—and the subject where traditional personnel practices for teachers (e.g., ed-school preparation, state certification, uniform salary schedules) are least apt to yield the teachers we need in 2005."

As to the impact of this combination of pedagogic ineptitude and theocratic propaganda, note the fact that 63 percent of all Americans now believe the Bible is literally true (and are therefore by definition fundamentalists, thus also by definition implicit supporters of fundamentalist conspiracies to destroy American liberty and replace it with theocracy), and that three fourths of all Americans reject evolution in favor of the Biblical myth that "god created the world in seven days":

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2005/Bible.htm

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1651333,00.html

No wonder it looks -- to so much of the rest of the world -- that the United States is in a headlong dive toward becoming the Fourth Reich.


Edit: revisions for clarity.

[ninkasi]

5. It's not just to the rest of the world...

You say "No wonder it looks -- to so much of the rest of the world -- that the United States is in a headlong dive toward becoming the Fourth Reich." This is also a fear for so many of us. I was born in 1943, and remember that when I was growing up, my parents stressed the importance of education. We were fairly poor, so for me, the only girl, to be able to go to college was just not considered possible. I married in my teens, and had children, but always remembered that there was nothing keeping me from educating myself. My mother, especially, always told me that I had an obligation to do for myself what the family could not do for me.

I read, and devoured books, newspapers, magazines, anything I could to become knowledgeable about what was going on in the world. Even back then, many Christians realized that the Bible was not to be taken literally, but rather as a collection of fragments of history, metaphors, and lessons in love and charity. We have been going backwards ever since. People are much more conservative now, it seems to me, because once, we were proud of our scientific knowledge, of our scientists, of our innovators, and we all wanted to lead the world in progress.

Now, we seem to want to dominate the world, to take oil, for example, by force, because we lack the will or discipline to seek alternative solutions. Alternative solutions would require that we nurture, and educate, our population in the various scientific fields, and too often that is brushed aside because of the fundamentalist Christian interference in education. Since our politicians are too beholden to corporate interests to pass legislation geared toward helping the common citizen, we end up with a nation of people who are struggling so hard just to make ends meet, that higher education is more and more out of the reach of ordinary citizens.

What is happening in this country is indeed tragic, and I am often glad that I will not live to see the worst, which will surely come unless Democrats and somehow take control of Congress back, and move much more to the left in order to put a little bit of balance back in American life. What I will live to see will be bad enough, unless enough people realize how much danger the country is in, and come to their senses.

[newswolf56]

7. Well said. Alas, the problem is not just the fundamentalists:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=5517286

The media contributes to the problem too, not the least by its general refusal to undertake stories like the one to which the above link connects.

(I was born in 1940 and as with you -- albeit for very different reasons -- there was no familial financial help or even emotional support for my attendance at college. Went into journalism wholly on my own: first such job in 1956, half copyboy/half sports stringer, finally a sports stringer only, in the summers effectively a full-time reporter; made the transition out of sports and into news after I came back from Korea. Journalism in those days was about ability and experience, not credentials. Eventually did get a BA degree -- history, sociology etc. -- a couple of decades later.)

I absolutely understand your viewpoint: "I am often glad I will not live to see the worst..."; it is frequently my viewpoint too -- and my Fourth Reich observation contains not one scintilla of hyperbole. The threat against the world has not been this grave since the 1930s, and the threat against American liberty -- just as Al Gore says -- has never in our history been so dire.

[eppur_se_muova]

4. *SIGH* My home state...make yourselves look good, guys...

I grew up in Huntsville during the Apollo era. With Wehrner von Braun turning the Redstone Arsenal and Marshall Space Flight Center into a world center for rocketry development and space research, and with the post-Sputnik panic to "catch up" in space, there was a strong pro-science/education lobby driving local development. Of course, we still had south Alabama to contend with (*snark*).

IIRC, out school district was ranked the best in the state, at least according to standardized testing (I know, I know...).

Looks like the 'Dixiest' part has won out. Huntsville can go back to being "The Watercress Capital of the World" (its former claim to fame) again.

Oh, yeah...Alabama is a good location for *fossil-hunting* hobbyists. Trying to hide the facts of evolution is a losing battle. AL has an official state fossil! (/Basilosaurus/, f.k.a. /Zeuglodon/). Does YOUR state have a state fossil? Hmmm?

Maybe we need to import more German POW's to reboot civilization in Alabama...

[pinniped]

6. California, always on the cutting edge.

.

[HockeyMom]

8. New York probably not far behind

Daughter's boyfriend teaches science in NYC public school. Creationism/ID is not even in the hallway, let alone in the Science Classroom.

Damn, even 40 years ago when I was in Catholic School in the City, EVOLUTION was taught in Science Class. "God created Evolution" was left for RELIGION CLASS.

[Roy]

9. do we NOW know..... What's the matter with KANSAS?

and Alabama for that matter.

[superconnected]

10. the ranking

[CatholicEdHead]

11. I see Minnesota has now dropped to the middle of the pack

Thanks to our Gov Pawlenty's "New New Taxes" pledge (from the MN Taxpayers League aka state Club for Growth). We have not funded public schools good at all this decade. He thinks we can just be "OK".