A Houston Chronicle editorial contrasted the billions of dollars the Chinese government is spending to produce more scientists and engineers with the Kansas State Board of Education’s move to weaken our science standards. “At a time when the United States struggles to cultivate scientists who can compete with China’s, Kansas is disabling its students from competing with other Americans.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
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22 Comments
The evolution vs. intelligent design flap is a red herring. It’s a textbook-material issue. Science is not about textbook reading, it is about observation and experimentation. The Scientific Revolution, and its corollary the Industrial Revolution, made tremendous strides before Darwin came along. You can teach laboratory physics, chemistry and computer science without any reference to evolution or intelligent design. East High has a trigonometry-based IB physics class. How many schools in Wichita offer calculus-based AP physics C courses? Physics underpins chemistry. Chemistry underpins modern applied biology. How many Wichita schools offer courses in Java programming? Kansas has 2 National Academy of Sciences members. They are both KU evolutionary biologists, in a field that used to be called natural history. This should not be controversial. What should be under discussion is why KU doesn’t have 21 NAS members like the University of Colorado, in physics, chemistry, experimental biology, and other scientific fields. What should be discussed is why only 30% of Kansas public high schools offer AP courses, compared to the national level of nearly 70%. Two years ago some retired WSU faculty proposed the creation of a math-and-science academy for gifted students. The Superintendent’s office and BOE shot it dead. Why? This had nothing to do with the evolution controversy. If you don’t train tomorrow’s leaders in science and technology, your economy is going to be dead in 30 years. If the argument is, “They’ll just take their educations and run off to other states, so the investment will be a waste,” CHANGE THAT OUTCOME. Build a math and science academy, and you can attract companies whose execs and managers will say, “This community has an education system that looks great for our own children. Cost of living there is cheap. We’ll come.”
Gotta disagree with you on some points, Mark
It’s important for kids starting out in science to know what the scientific method is and to be able to distinguish science from non-science. Kansas is a case in point. It appears as if the scientific training of many adult Kansans missed the mark when they were kids since so many can’t seem to distinguish the difference between common descent and ID.
Yes, we need NAS members, but what we need just as much is an educated lay population who can understand relatively complicated scientific and ethical issues and make decisions about them that are not entirely based on emotion and propaganda. After all, it’s these people who will vote on issues like stem cell research, gene therapy and cloning.
Lastly, many of us find this whole debate not a scientific one but a constitutional one. If you’ve ever looked at the Wedge Document leaked from one of the creationist think tanks, you’d know that their real agenda is to ‘wedge’ fundamentalist Christian thought and morality back into the classroom. Once it has been ‘wedged’ in then it will be easier to continue modifying the curriculum. This is clearlynot something I want to see happen, nor should any American, regardless of religious persuasion.
Finish your homework children, there are kids in China and India who are hungry for your jobs.
Gotta love the entire debate over this one. Twelve+ years of education down the drain over one statement that local school boards may or may not implement.
But hey, panic anyway. If you were getting a good education would you be worried about one statement?
PM
Why don’t you read the Wedge Document? Here’s a link to it.
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hangar/2437/wedge.html
This will be China’s Century, because they are busy building and learning. We are busy watching reality tv and listening to Britney Spears and 50 Cent.
China just recently announced that they will put a man on the moon in 2017. A year before we propose to go back in 2018. I feel that we won’t go back, because of welfare politics. China will humilate us.
Let us not forget that the BOE recently hired a lobbyist for the position of superintentent of public education. A man with no educational management background, with so few abilities that he has to hire one of the qualified applicants to help him learn his job.
Clearly, the BoE is out of control, irresponsible and needs to be replaced.
I don’t intend to read the ‘Wedge’ document because I advocate to end the government control of education. Telling someone like me that people in education have an agenda is a big well duh!
Hey Phillip,
I’e been to Missouri. We can compete!
In today’s Eagle there is an article where Corkins discusses his interest in vouchers to “improve schools by introducing competition”. This is the one note song we’re going to be hearing from this joker as long as he is in his current position.
On KMUW yesterday in an interview, Winston Brooks was complaining about Corkins not being real speedy in understanding issues facing the public school system. For example he had no opinion on the topic of all day Kindergarten. Brooks further offered his opinion that Wichita public schools competed with a wide variety of private schools in the current state of affairs.
Using the Corkins analogy, I wonder how long I would have lasted on my job, had I shown up and said “Concerning this 25% of my job, I have no opinion on it, nor intent to do it. If you don’t like that, you can go f**k yourselves.” Somehow, I’m thinking that I would not have made it to month-two after that.
Steven, imagine if you went to work and told the people that pay you that you intend to help the competition so that your employers will clean their act up and deliver a better product!After all, we, the public are paying this good ol’ boy.
Tracy,
Imagine further, that you show up for your job interview, and say – “Look I have no idea how to do this job, you’ll need to hire someone else to show me how, and I may or may not take the job-coach’s advice – depending on how it fits into my political agenda.”
It might not be a shocker if you weren’t hired.
Just unbelievable!!!
Steve……….RIGHT ON!
Proudman,
The Wedge Document is put out by a “scientific” institute advocating ID. Yet in the document iteslf it says..and I quote…
“Design theory promises to reverse the stifling dominance of the materialist worldview, and to replace it with a science consonant with Christian and theistic convictions.”
“Alongside a focus on influential opinion-makers, we also seek to build up a popular base of support among our natural constituency, namely, Chnstians. We will do this primarily through apologetics seminars. We intend these to encourage and equip believers with new scientific evidence’s that support the faith, as well as to “popularize” our ideas in the broader culture.”
But thanks so much for being so willing to investigate the issue.
Brian,
Thanks for posting the link. I read it and found it interesting, but not surprising.
Some horses you can’t even lead to water, much less make them drink. But, since you’re a teacher, I think you know that already.
You’re welcome, Steve…
Yeah, maybe not surprising but another example of those claiming to be above the rest of us in terms of ethical behavior proving that we actually live throough the looking glass where what you say is opposite what you mean.
As Alice said..”curiouser and curiouser”.
Brian,
Thanks for deciding that I have to read your little link to discuss things. I fail to see how we are even disagreeing on the point that ID proponents are trying to get creationism implemented through a back door.
I simply don’t support government education and don’t care to discuss how groups out there are trying to screw with it. I’m happy their screwing with it. The more they screw around the more people realize that the problem is who is in charge.
PM,
I am having trouble with the “coherence” of your stated position(s) and strategy. Corkins is trying to introduce vouchers via his position as the head of the State BOE. Vouchers that could be used for private education. It would seem like to me that you would be supporting his efforts.
Or, are you saying that having government funded vouchers paying for private education is unacceptable to you, also.
If the latter is your position, I would have to guess that you are in a pretty small minority. Though I don’t know of poll numbers, I would anticipate that the “mainstream conservatives” (if that is not an oxymoron) wouldfavor vouchers.
PM,
I was responding to:
”
Gotta love the entire debate over this one. Twelve+ years of education down the drain over one statement that local school boards may or may not implement.
But hey, panic anyway. If you were getting a good education would you be worried about one statement?”
“At a time when the United States struggles to cultivate scientists who can compete with China’s, Kansas is disabling its students from competing with other Americans.” -Brownlee
Take a walk through the engineering and science buildings at WSU and come back and tell me how many AMERICANS are students in those fields TODAY….American kids are to busy getting degrees in arts rather than SCIENCES
Actually Brian, that was the point I was trying to make. Re-reading my initial statement I realize I was incomplete in my sarcasism.
Proudman,
My mistake! Very sorry!!