Texas school board searching for “another side” to theory of evolution
by John Timmer - Feb 8 2013, 11:37am EST
We recently reviewed the documentary The Revisionaries, which chronicles the actions of the Texas state school board as it attempted to rewrite the science and history standards that had been prepared by experts in education and the relevant subjects. For biology, the board's revisions meant that textbook publishers were instructed to help teachers and students "analyze all sides of scientific information" about evolution. Given that ideas only reach the status of theory if they have overwhelming evidence supporting them, it isn't at all clear what "all sides" would involve.
The movie ended on a somewhat positive note; although the standards had been modified, Don McLeroy, the most vocal opponent of evolution education, lost his bid for reelection to the board. However, it now looks like his successor intends to carry on his legacy.
This week, the Texas Freedom Network (also featured in the film) posted a video to YouTube, filmed when the current head of the board, Barbara Cargill, was testifying before the state Senate. In the clip, Cargill says she has been examining the biology material that has been set up to help teachers meet the state standards (called CSCOPE) and zoomed straight to the material on evolution. And she did not like what she saw.
Cargill's complaint is that the material overwhelmingly supports the theory of evolution, which was clearly not what she intended when she voted for the "all sides" language in the standards. Of course, evolution would have never reached the status of theory if it weren't overwhelmingly supported, so it's not clear what Cargill was expecting.
more
http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/02/texas-school-board-searching-for-another-side-to-theory-of-evolution/
= new reply since forum marked as read
if there was another side to the theory of evolution, scientists would have found it long ago. It takes an incredible (in BOTH senses of the word) effort to distort the facts enough to manufacture the "other side" that the stoopid ones think is there. When are they ever going to figure that out??
and these idiots are fighting tooth and nail to prevent just that.
"It was an honor to meet Rick Santorum, a true patriot!"
-- Barbara Cargill, February 2012
Texas Governor Rick Perry and his appointee for SBOE Chair, Barbara Cargill
And look - here is her fake science/bible camp:
Responsibilities of Assistant Teachers:
1. Agree to work diligently and responsibly with the lead teacher.
2. Support WOW!’s philosophy of teaching science from a Christian perspective.
3. Attend the camp set-up day for the session she/he is working.
4. Meet her/his lead teacher and assist in getting ready for camp the next week.
5. Arrive 30 minutes before camp starts and stay 30 minutes after camp is over to assist lead teacher in preparing for the next class.
6. You may assist in the same class that your child is in (if your child can share Mom/Dad with other children).
...
http://www.wowsciencecamp.com/assistant_teachers.html
Barbara Cargill
Camp Director
Barbara Cargill earned her undergraduate degree in Education from Baylor University and a Masters of Science in Science Education degree from Texas Woman’s University. Having taught high school science for almost ten years, she was the recipient of many teaching awards including a National Excellence Award for science teaching. Barbara’s interest in creative, hands-on learning for children combined with a love for science motivated her to found the WOW! program in 1995. The Woodlands is a wonderful place for the WOW! program and the community's response has prompted the creation of many other WOW! science programs.
...
http://www.wowsciencecamp.com/meet_our_team.html
