Brandon Haught, board member of Florida Citizens for Science has an opinion piece at the Orlando Sentinel on Florida’s science education. With the great need for people qualified in various fields of science, it’s distressing to know how poorly we’re doing as a state. Perhaps some of these measurement tools we’re using aren’t doing what is claimed for them.
Jonathan Smith, Vice President of Florida Citizens for Science (of which I am a board member) presents a column on science education in Florida today in the The Ledger (Lakeland, FL):
A key quote:
Parents are the ones who must endeavor to help shape their children’s future by guiding them down the paths of interests and provide support and encouragement. It is strikingly obvious current trends have shifted in this generation towards the pursuit of science and not for the positive. “Science is for nerds” and” real cool kids don’t study” have become serious social clichés and do have a strong influence on our children.
Just so!
So parents, do you care just how well your children do in their education in general? Do you care how they do in science? Jobs are going to get fewer and fewer for people without a good education.
I have been neglecting to post much on the Florida science standards issue lately. One interesting study looks at the FCAT scores for students in counties supporting and opposing the standards. You can find the article here. Be sure to keep up with the action via the Florida Citizens for Science Blog.
Speaking of Florida Citizens for Science, I received an e-mail today which I will answer in more detail later, but which quoted the FLCFS site (Word .doc file):
. . . The supernatural cannot be measured or tested and so is not included in any science course. Additionally, there are many people with sincere religious belief who accept the theory of evolution. It needs to be made clear here that no student is asked to believe evolution. Rather, evolution is to be understood in the same way that the heliocentric solar system is understood.
This e-mailer then says: “A person of no faith surely posed the remark that the supernatural cannot be measured.” That’s astonishing, and shows a complete lack of understanding of theology, not to mention simply the meaning of words. If my correspondent can measure the supernatural he’s a bigger man than I am!
The proposed new Florida standards give evolution its proper place in science education. The petition is posted here, and you can find further information on it on the Florida Citizens for Science blog.
Whether you are in the state of Florida or not, please go and sign. We will give separate counts for the in-state and out of state signers when the petition is presented.
I can’t seem to keep up with everything that’s happening in the debate about science standards here in Florida, but Brandon Haught, our Florida Citizens for Science communication director (I’m a board member) is doing an excellent job on the FCfS Blog.
In particular, I’d like to call attention to two blog posts there:
Those not in favor of good science education, raise your hand. These folks have identified themselves in opposition to the science standards. There are those who will say they are not opposed to good science standards, just the ones on evolution. It is impossible to have good science standards without learning to understand evolution. Make no mistake. Those who oppose the explicit and prominent presence of evolution in the biology standards are not favoring good science education, and their motives are not scientific.
Heres why you need to get involved. This looks at how the opposition is getting organized on this point. We’ll meet many of the same old anti-science forces gathering for the fight here.
I will continue to keep folks updated on the Florida debate, though mostly through linking to the excellent work Brandon is doing on the Florida Citizens for Science blog
