stand up for REAL science

Although the theory of evolution is the cornerstone of modern biology, it is not uniformly taught in high schools across the country. Indeed, evolution is sometimes ignored or de-emphasized in favor of teaching so-called "alternative theories" like creationism and intelligent design. This glaring discrepancy is one of the primary reasons for the existence of this website and blog.

State-wide curriculum standards indicate the scientific concepts that show up on science assessments in a particular state, but there is little information available about the actual instructional activities that take place at the local level.

Fortunately, some researchers are attempting to provide a clearer picture of what is actually going on behind the closed doors of the Biology classroom. Professor Kristi Bowman of the Michigan State University College of Lawhas recently published a paper in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, a publication of the Ecological Society of America.

Here is a summary of the results of the study:

How frequently and in what manner are evolution, creationism, and intelligent design taught in public high schools? Here, I analyze the answer to this question, as given by nearly 600 students from major public universities nationwide in a survey conducted during the spring of 2006. Although almost all recent public high school graduate respondents reported receiving evolution instruction, only about three-quarters perceived that evolution was taught as a "credible scientific theory." Creationism and intelligent design were reportedly presented almost one-third and one-fifth of the time, respectively, though respondents recalled that both concepts were presented as lacking scientific credibility much more often than not. The survey results are presented in composite form and also disaggregated with respect to the strength of evolution-related state standards, red state-blue state divisions, and the regional location of states within the country.

All in all, the results are good news. A solid majority of students are learning about evolution, at least to some degree. When creationism or intelligent design is mentioned, it is not usually taught as a credible scientific theory.

For me, the finding that "creationism" is reportedly discussed more frequently in science classrooms than "intelligent design" was somewhat unexpected. Despite all of the effort on the part of the promoters of intelligent design over the last two decades, the majority of teachers who take the time to mention an "alternative" to evolution still refer to creationism. What does this say about the success of the intelligent design movement?

If you're interested in learning more about the study, you can hear Bowman discuss the results by listening to this podcast.

Or, you can download the actual paper (pdf) and read it for yourself.