Local school district rejects KSBoE "science" standards

Wolverine · #1 (**permalink**) 27-February-2006, 01:13 PM

By a unanimous vote (6-0):

Quote:

The Manhattan-Ogden school district (USD 383) became the first local school district in Kansas to reject the state science standards adopted by the Kansas state board of education in November 2005.
...
The resolution was originally proposed to the board on February 1, 2006, by over 150 science, mathematics, and engineering faculty and staff at Kansas State University, who argued that adopting the redefinition of science contained in the adopted version of the state science standards would not only affect the quality of science education in USD 383 but also threaten the efforts of the university and of local business to recruit highly qualified professionals.

NCSE article

Good for them. Hopefully other districts will follow suit.

This could prove to be quite interesting in the post-Kitzmiller v. Dover environment.

Melusine · #2 (**permalink**) 27-February-2006, 02:09 PM

Thanks for that update, Wolverine.

Quote:

In addition, the proponents of the resolution argued, "The changes made to the science standards are based on the utterly false belief that evolutionary science, and the scientific method itself, is based on an atheistic philosophy. Promoting this false conflict between science and faith erects unnecessary barriers to student learning, discourages many students from pursuing careers in the sciences, and perpetuates public misunderstandings of the nature and conclusions of science."

I'm glad to see someone not speaking in tongues. That comment really hits at the heart of the problem, as far as the IDers' PR.

Glad to see some rational thinking going on.

gethen · #3 (**permalink**) 27-February-2006, 02:20 PM

I'm happy to see the Manhatten school board act rationally as well, but I'm wondering if they are at all typical of other Kansas school boards. Manhatten is a college town, and the college faculty members (many of whom may be voting parents) who presented the resolution are probably not typical of the average parent across the state. I hope though that their example will make others stop and think about what they are losing if they abide by the state guidelines.

Demigrog · #4 (**permalink**) 27-February-2006, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gethen

I'm happy to see the Manhatten school board act rationally as well, but I'm wondering if they are at all typical of other Kansas school boards. Manhatten is a college town, and the college faculty members (many of whom may be voting parents) who presented the resolution are probably not typical of the average parent across the state. I hope though that their example will make others stop and think about what they are losing if they abide by the state guidelines.

Having a University is no guarantee of rational policy. Montgomery County, VA, has Virginia Tech in the middle of it, yet a candidate for the school board made a last second campaign solely on supporting ID, and won.

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