Nation’s Scientists Rally in Support of the Teaching of Evolution

A highlight of last week's meeting was a special event for K-12 science teachers "Evolution on the Front Line,” held in collaboration with more than 30 education and scientific organizations, including NSTA. The purpose of the event was give teachers a voice on the evolution issue and to advise the scientific community how best to support them.

NSTA President-Elect Linda Froschauer spoke at the event and gave a view from the classroom. She outlined the pressures put on science teachers to teach nonscientific views about biological evolution, including intelligent design and creationism, and she drew attention to the lack of support from colleagues, administrators, and community members to keep evolution in its rightful place in the science instruction. Other speakers included Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-MO); Jeff Corwin, host of Animal Planet's "Corwin's Quest;" Rev. George Coyne, director of The Vatican Observatory; and Dr. Peter Raven, director of the Missouri Botanical Garden; and an all-star scientific panel, moderated by Cornelia Dean of The New York Times. AAAS President Gil Omenn served as moderator. The event culminated with a panel session with Prof. Robert Hazen, George Mason University and Carnegie Institution of Washington; Prof. Kenneth Miller, Brown University; Prof. Scott Sampson, University of Utah and Utah Museum of Natural History; and Dr. Eugenie C. Scott, Executive Director, National Center for Science Education. Cornelia Dean of The New York Times moderated the panel.

Teachers voted on a list of top challenges to the teaching of evolution, which will serve to guide the scientists in their efforts. The top four challenges included:
  1. No one has explained how teachers can best answer parents, students, or others who ask, “why not teach the controversy?”
  2. It is difficult to frame evolution instruction in a way that leaves students’ minds open, yet also does not sound to them like equivocation.
  3. Students or their parents object to evolution-related instruction, and the controversy consumes valuable class time.
  4. Feeling confident about teaching evolution can be difficult because professional development opportunities, or even simple answers to basic questions about evolution and the nature of science, are not readily available to help teachers freshen their content knowledge.

The crowd gave a standing ovation to eight teachers from Dover, Pennsylvania, and Cobb County, Georgia, when they were introduced. The teachers were given travel awards from the Geological Society of America in recognition of their courage in supporting the teaching of evolution and resisting pressure to insert nonscientific concepts into their science classrooms.

The misguided view that students must choose between religion and science was an important theme at the meeting.

"It's time to recognize that science and religion should never be pitted against one another," said AAAS President Gilbert Omenn.

For more information about the event, visit
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-02/asfb-ada021706.php. To read the St. Louis Post Dispatch article, visit http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/education/story/6E244C4332D25DC28625711B0051AD92?OpenDocument&highlight=2%2C%22evolution%22. To download a video shown at the event and to view speaker presentations, go to http://www.aaas.org/programs/centers/pe/evoline/index.shtml.

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