Teach Both. Let The Kids Decide

Rick Perry once told kids that they teach both evolution and creationism in Texas “…. because I figure you’re smart enough to figure out which one is right.” Why stop there?

Texas Freedom Network Chides Rick Perry

The Texas Freedom Network hopped all over Rick Perry for his statement that, in Texas, they teach both creationism and evolution.  Jose writes:

In a galling display of irresponsibility, Gov. Perry today once again waded into the culture wars for political gain when he told a young boy while campaigning in New Hampshire that “in Texas we teach both creationism and evolution in our public schools.”

Gov. Perry:
A) We don’t
B) Your comments could place school districts in legal peril
C) Your comments are harmful to public education
It is outrageous that Gov. Perry would erode respect for and trust in public education in Texas, simply in order to promote his political aspirations. Texans and Texas schools are working to prepare our children for college and 21st-century jobs. Gov. Perry’s irresponsible comments wrongly suggest otherwise.

I am reminded of the comment made to one of my other posts in which the writer suggested that the whole creation/evolution debate had become “politically negotiable” rather than an aspect of scientific inquiry. That is sad.  Perry has already gone on record as stating that evolution has “got some gaps in it” although I doubt he would know what those were.  It might be a surprise for him to know that every scientific theory has unanswered questions.  The problem is that is not what he means by “gaps.”

Politics and science: bad mix.  

Rick Perry in the Thick of It

Not content to call the printing of more money “treasonous,” (which really would be a bad idea) Rick Perry has now voiced his opinion about creationism and evolution. Wes Barrett writes for FoxNews: The battle between supporters of creationism and evolution made its way onto the 2012 campaign trail Thursday as a young boy, prompted by his mother, asked Texas Gov. Rick Perry questions on the subject, leading Perry to suggest both are taught in Texas public schools.

"How old do I think the Earth is?" Perry said repeating the boy's question. "I have no idea - it's pretty old. It goes back a long way - I'm not sure anyone knows really completely know how old it is."

But Perry continued, saying the boy's mother was really trying to get a response about creationism and evolution. While Texas public schools don't officially teach creationism, some claim Perry has pushed a weakened evolution curriculum to open the door for creationism in schools.

"I know your mom is asking about evolution," he said. "It's a theory that's out there and it's got some gaps in it. In Texas, we teach creationism and evolution because I feel you're smart enough to figure out which one is right."

Excuse me, Mr. Perry, what exactly are those “gaps” that you are talking about? Would you please tell me because I surely would love to know what they are. I've been studying the subject for almost thirty years and I don't see any. Have you ever even taken a class in it? As for teaching creationism and evolution, the recent decision by the Texas State Board of Education would seem to rain on that parade, as well.

Politics, science education: bad mix.

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Gail Lowe: Damned With Faint Praise

The Dallas Morning News has an editorial on the selection of Gail Lowe to head the Texas State Board of Education. The author (whoever it is) writes:

Skirmishes over teaching creationism and defining reading standards have been among the latest meltdowns. Contentious fights have been such a problem that the Texas Senate refused this year to confirm Don McLeroy, a social conservative ringleader, as the elected body's chairman.

Enter Lowe. While we would have preferred someone from the moderate-Democrat side, we fully expected Perry to select a social conservative.

He apparently has picked one of the least objectionable members of that faction. Lowe voted against teaching creationism in science classes. And interestingly, Pat Hardy, a Republican member of the moderate-Democrat side, speaks favorably about Lowe, praising her intelligence and preparation.

She will not have a fun time of it, that's for sure. While Rick Perry didn't select Cynthia Dunbar, she is still on the board, along with several other creationists.


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Texas Curveball

Governor Rick Perry has decided to forgo the appointment of Cynthia Dunbar and, instead, appoint a newspaper publisher Gail Lowe to lead the board. The story by Shirley Jinkins in the Star-Telegram, states that Low has been described as a conservative Republican, but not in the outspoken way that McLeroy and Dunbar have been. The article notes:

"The announcement took me by surprise," Lowe said Friday from the offices of the Lampasas Dispatch-Record, a twice-weekly newspaper that she and her husband own and operate.

She learned of her appointment when a reporter from another newspaper called for comment.

"It’s not something I pursued," said Lowe, who said she had been asked to apply for the position last week by the governor’s appointment office.

The board is scheduled to meet next week, and an announcement from the governor was expected before Tuesday, the first day of the four-day meeting.

Interestingly, at no point in the article is the word "evolution" or the concept mentioned. A hopeful sign?
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Perry Leaning Toward Appointing Cynthia Dunbar

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to Texas, Garry Scharrer, of the Houston Chronicle, reports that Texas governor Rick Perry is leaning toward selecting Cynthia Dunbar to replace the ousted Don McLeroy. This is not a step in the right direction. The story notes:

Dunbar, whose district runs from outside Houston to Austin, said she expresses her views so constituents know exactly where she stands.

“I believe constituents deserve to know our thoughts, which is why I have always been boldly transparent,” she said.

But if she is chosen to chair the board, Dunbar said, she would “play a different role” by focusing on leadership. She is confident she could bring the various board factions together.

“I would strive to be just, merciful and humble in my service,” Dunbar said of a potential promotion to board chair.

Merciful? Just who would you need to be merciful to? The story largely focuses on Dunbar's religious attitudes, which are not portrayed in the most positive light. The problem that I and many other people who are TEs have is that there is much in her religious stance that I agree with. But, as with so many people who are in these positions, she doesn't know a bit about the biological sciences and doesn't seem to want to learn.

It is somewhat puzzling, though, that Governor Perry would appoint as head of the SBOE someone who believes that the public schools are "tyrannical" and who homeschooled her children. I don't care much for public schools largely because the quality is usually poor (it is where we live) and we were convinced that we could give them a better education. On the other hand, I don't have the slightest inclination to run for the local school board, let alone the state one.

My concern stems from her public stance against evolutionary theory. I have posted on the views of Ms. Dunbar, here, where she accepted the writings of creationist Jerry Bergman, who misrepresented the work of Nobel Prize winner Werner Arber so badly that Arber issued a public denunciation.


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The Dilemma of Rick Perry

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram has an article on the current dilemma of Rick Perry, who's renomination of Don McLeroy as head of the Texas State Board of Education just went down in flames. They are not hopeful for a quick resolution:

The board’s most recent factionalism came during discussions of science curriculum standards, and McLeroy led the faction that pushed for teaching students about adding creationism and intelligent design. That debate exploded into what was taken as inserting religion into public school classrooms.

Some would argue that it wasn’t that at all, that it was an attempt to teach all theories of mankind’s origins. If that’s the case, McLeroy was not effective in getting the message across.

Indeed, he struggled during the debate. His point seemed to be that "experts" are wrong when they say evolution is the foundation of modern biology. He said genetics, the study of heredity and variation in similar or related animals, provides that foundation.

He called evolution "philosophical speculation" that reflects a certain religious viewpoint. Other views should be presented in classrooms as well, he said.

Eventually, the state board said schools should be encouraged to scrutinize all sides of scientific theories. That didn’t really settle anything, because many people who back the teaching of evolution say creationism and intelligent design are religion, not science.

McLeroy’s hometown senator, Steve Ogden of Bryan, said during the confirmation debate last week that rejecting McLeroy’s nomination would send a message that would be interpreted by some Texans as "if you are a conservative, if you believe in the infallibility and the literacy of the Bible, there’s no need to apply to be on the State Board of Education."

It was certainly McLeroy's comment that evolution is "philosophical speculation," (which is like calling Newtonian physics "philosophical speculation"), that got the ball rolling. His comment about "someone has got to stand up to the experts" didn't help matters. McLeroy neither attempted to learn about evolution, nor tried to understand why scientists felt so strongly about teaching it. Such a position was simply untenable for the job he held.

The statement of senator Ogden is disturbing on several levels. One one level, it shows that he has completely bought into the notion that evolution = atheism, a position that is unfounded. On the second level, though, it furthers the politicization and "religiousization" of the problem. Science should never be politicized, which is exactly what McLeroy did, by representing and promoting a particular constituency. Having said that, the YEC constituency exists regardless of what people like McLeroy do or don't do. Promoting shoddy science on their behalf, though, does nobody any favors.

In a sense, the writer of the piece is correct in that this problem will never go away. As long as the constituency exists that believes in a literal 6k year-old creation, they will vote in the people that will support teaching that. This is why the school boards must be removed from the political process, as the Texas legislature is trying to do. That won't stop Rick Perry from appointing another creationist to head the board, though. The key is to insulate the curriculum writers from the actions of the board. I do not have high hopes that that will happen anytime soon.