Wednesday, June 11, 2008

New Louisiana Bill Will Create Problems, AAAS Says

Alan Leshner, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science has written an open letter to the Times-Picayune protesting the new "academic freedom" legislation. He writes:


The 21s t-century economy will require a new generation of scientist and engineers, and signs point to trouble ahead for New Orleans and Louisiana. Employers already are struggling to fill science and tech jobs, and recent test scores show that 53 percent of the state's eighth -graders-the workforce of tomorrow-lack basic competence in science. It is therefore alarming that the Louisiana Senate has passed a bill that directly threatens science education. Proponents offer deceptive arguments about encouraging students to think critically But Louisiana's education standards already do that.

He argues that such a fight would expend needless money that could be used to further science education. He is right. Sadly, they don't see it that way.

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