#37462: Kagehi — 08/25  at  12:17 PM
Didn't Texas secede from the US and declair itself 'The Independent Theocratic Republic of Bush' some time back, or was I just imagining that? ;)

#37464: — 08/25  at  12:29 PM
I just listened to a speech by Newt Gingrich where he said that the Hart-Rudman Commission identified the second greatest threat to this country was its lack of credible science and math education. Texas is leading the fleet. Their philosophy must be, If the truth hurts, ignore it! And it is so obvious that these efforts are being led by conservative Christians. They may want their children to be raised as the most ignorant creatures on this earth, but the rest of us don't. How do we return quality to our schools short of kicking these idiots into the ocean?

#37465: — 08/25  at  12:38 PM
Last I checked, my home state still didn't teach creationism alongside evolution in any form. I was in a Texas public school for the past 4 years, and aside from the occasional religious conservatve teacher, there were no major political problems I was aware of. This rejection of a textbook based on environmentalism, though, shows just how idiotic some people can be. I am deeply sorry that the Texans in power right now are trying to steer education in the wrong direction, and I do believe I'm going to write some congressmen. It won't do much good, as I'm not even in their constituency anymore, but I feel like I need to do something about this...

I suppose, in retrospect, I haven't ever been taught very much about global warming. It seems to be skimmed over in textbooks. If that's what they're trying to do to evolution, it looks like we're in for some problems in the future. Please, PZ, no matter how boring or trite this culture war may seem, fight against this crap being pushed in our schools. Science needs strong voices like yours to combat those who would take away our understanding of the world.

#37466: — 08/25  at  12:38 PM
You could start by asking your local school district why it wastes money on expensive, vacuous textbooks with more pictures than words (whether Texas-approved or not) at all.

#37468: — 08/25  at  12:45 PM
Firstly, the term Texas Board of Education is somewhat of an oxymoron. Second, the term also describes any large piece of lumber used to beat the shit out someone in a cotton field.

I hope that clears things up for ya'll yankees in the crowd.

#37469: Dan S. — 08/25  at  12:53 PM
Nothing new in terms of history textbooks:

"Most people have never heard of Harold Rugg, even though, for a time, he was a leading author of American textbooks and millions of Americans read his work in school. During the 1930s and 1940s, Rugg's histories inspired heated debates and denunciations because he stressed a social interpretation of history, arguing, for example, that the Founding Fathers were not detached from material interests, feared the economic consequences of "too much democracy," and questioned whether America was a "land of opportunity for all people." These and other statements were enough to incite interest groups and a host of editorial writers to action in a fight that mirrored the contemporary political disagreements about the New Deal and other Roosevelt policies. Their denunciations of and campaigns against Rugg drove him out of the textbook business altogether by the early 1940s. He's now largely forgotten."

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2001/0210.rotherham.html
From a brief review of Zimmerman's Whose America?: Culture Wars in the Public Schools.

A little more - sound familar?
"By the end of the decade Rugg's books and several others were condemned by the American Legion, the Advertising Federation of America, and the New York State Economic Council. In 1940, in a speech to the leaders of the oil industry, H.W. Prentis, the President of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), complained that public schools had been invaded by "creeping collectivism" through social science textbooks that undermined youths' beliefs in private enterprise. Immediately afterwards, NAM assumed an active role in the textbook issue by commissioning Ralph Robey, assistant professor of banking at Columbia University, to examine the social sciences textbooks used in public schools. Although NAM's leaders assured that the Robey's reviews were not going to involve appraisals of any kind, in a widely publicized interview with the New York Times Robey charged that many textbooks were too critical of private enterprise. "

http://fcis.oise.utoronto.ca/~daniel_schugurensky/assignment1/1938rugg.html

A few of the communities that banned his textbooks apparently decided to go a little further and burn them as well.

#37471: Mikko Sandt — 08/25  at  01:17 PM
I haven't ever been taught very much about global warming.

Well I have no idea how much about it should be taught. In Finland it's just one section among others (in high school, there's always at least one course dedicated to global disasters).

#37472: — 08/25  at  01:20 PM

How do we return quality to our schools short of kicking these idiots into the ocean?

Warthog, are you sure that's out of the question?

#37473: — 08/25  at  01:29 PM
I grew up in Texas and went to public schools through 8th grade. I changed to a private school when my sister's high school biology teacher turned out to be a creationist and a sexist one at that. I heard her description of his explanation of how the symbols for male and female proved male superiority, as ordained by god, and decided that I'd risk being in debt before I even got into college to avoid him. My biology teacher taught a trimester long session on evolution. And, yes, I did have a debt coming out of high school, but it was worth it.

#37474: SweettP2063 — 08/25  at  01:31 PM
Fatmop wrote: "Please, PZ, no matter how boring or trite this culture war may seem, fight against this crap being pushed in our schools."

Yes PZ, please fight!!!!!

To Dan S--You spoke of Harold Rugg's books being condemned in the early 1940's. Below is the second opening paragraph (the first paragraph talks about the communist threat) from my final paper in a graduate level history class on the Culture of the Cold War which got its roots before WWII ended. The paragraph relays one of many themes discussed the class and perhaps will give a little more insight to what Dan S wrote:

"The ideals of democracy and freedom along with technological advances were touted as the traditions held since the American Revolution. History textbooks reflected the notion of “Americanism” by only telling the country’s most admirable qualities, such as equality and claiming altruistic motivations in making foreign policy decisions. Americans turned a blind eye to the realities of economic, political, or racial inequality and self-interest in dealing with foreign nations. Washington could do no wrong and the people supported the government with a blind faith."


I would also like to add that I have first hand knowledge of such notions since the same type of propaganda was taught well into the 1960's when yours truly attended elementry school.

#37487: — 08/25  at  02:43 PM
It's so interesting to me that the same people who loudly trumpet being grateful for our freedoms are often the ones who want to limit the freedoms of those whom with they disagree. Writers of textbooks with whom the Right disagrees are labeled anti-American and anti-Christian. Cindy Sheehan is unpatriotic, anti-American and is aiding and abetting the enemy by protesting the war in Iraq. In fact, anyone who questions anything Bush does or says is often pilloried for "hating America." Apparently we're supposed to be grateful for our freedoms, but not actually exercise them, at least not to criticize the Administration or our country...

#37491: Les Lane — 08/25  at  02:50 PM

there's always at least one course dedicated to global disasters

good way to learn about the US

#37494: — 08/25  at  02:54 PM
I suggest that the only appropriate level of debate with ID/creationists is a food fight on national TV. Think about the ratings...

#37533: — 08/25  at  05:59 PM
We need to communicate with the average American, the one that does not know his nucleus from a hole in the ground. True believers will tell themselves and anyone else they meet any number of lies in order not to see the truth.

We need to work with our children, starting very early, as in the case of my eight year old. I find fossils (mostly chrinoids) in driveways and parking lots and tell him that they are many millions of years old. Evolution will come later, after we have talked about variation and adaptation.

We need to work on our school board officials. Elect the nutballs out of office. Better yet, run for school boards ourselves and provide voices of reason. There is absolutely no reason not to get involved. We need to make a point of getting involved.

Conservative churches have in their Sunday school lessons the occasional anti-evolution video tape. It is extremely effective in using parody and caricature to make scientists look like intolerant fools (whereas it is they who are the intolerant, not the scientist). Some sort of mass communication that engages youth would be in order.

The next paragraph is for "believers", do if you do not, then don't get too worked up (Please).

We (theists, or in my case, deists) also need to communicate with those who run our churches, and demonstrate that science in general and evolution in particular do not threaten the existence of god(s).

#37546: coturnix — 08/25  at  06:57 PM
Long time ago I read a sf book called "Eye for Texas", which describes the secession of Texas from the USA after a war in which Texas beats up on the united military power of the USA, USSR and others. How did they manage? By throwing money at the "scientists" who, awed by the millions of dollars, within weeks invented invisible warships etc. I guess ignorance of how science works, warmongering aggression, and Texas nationalism go together well....

#37550: Doran — 08/25  at  08:22 PM
Conservatives often remark to me, "Not everything is so great in Europe, you know. Why don't you stop complaining about everything the United States does, because none of us are perfect." In retort, how is it that the Scandinavians and their diabolical "socialism" have some of the best first and secondary school students on the planet. Would national schools be any better then letting crazies in Texas dictate via publishers what students learn? Love to hear any thoughts about school reform.

#37565: Alon Levy — 08/25  at  10:32 PM
Would national schools be any better then letting crazies in Texas dictate via publishers what students learn? Love to hear any thoughts about school reform.

National schools would be better as long as the people who sit on the national Board of Education are chosen based solely on merit and expertise in didactics and in the appropriate subject. If the people who have the final say about the curriculum are elected, it'll be better to just abolish public schools altogether.

#37569: tony g — 08/26  at  02:03 AM
dang, it was so much nicer to watch Kansas trying to steal the official title of "America's Intellectual Backwater" from us.

but no, the swamp that gave y'all Phil Gramm, John Cornyn, Tom DeLay and the moron-in-chief, just couldn't stand around and let someone have all the glory, nooooo . . .

as someone else has pointed out, the real problem with our textbooks is that there's nothing in them. the best teachers hardly ever have their students crack them open. and i could go on all day about how our textbooks are designed to teach kids to cheat . . . i know, i co-wrote and rewrote and rewrote and rewrote one to dilute it to the proper state board consistency.

#37582: — 08/26  at  09:01 AM
Patrick Tinkham said:

We need to work with our children, starting very early, as in the case of my eight year old. I find fossils (mostly chrinoids) in driveways and parking lots and tell him that they are many millions of years old. Evolution will come later, after we have talked about variation and adaptation.

Good for you! My folks did similar things-taking us rockhounding and fossil-hunting in local quarries, having us research local history before family trips, gently questioning the creationist crap we picked up in Sunday School, then changing churches to one that didn't have its head in the sand (I think they were also tired of the anti-abortion politics the first church was becoming infested with at that time.) They encouraged our natural tendencies toward curiousity and questioning in every way, and both of us grew up to be reasonably smart, not easily fooled, and interested in the world.

#37706: ekzept — 08/27  at  08:26 AM

boards of education have long been carnivals, whether because of sheer neglect of duty as documented by the late Richard Feynmann or our own New York State BoE who regularly makes a mockery of itself by redefining the Regents maths score so more students will pass in a given year.

cross-posted from CoE where i first placed it.