Scientists for a Responsible Curriculum in
Texas Public Schools

A strong science curriculum is an essential part of a 21st-century education and should be based on established peer-reviewed empirical research. In 2008-09 the State Board of Education is revising the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) curriculum standards for the sciences.
Scientifically sound curriculum standards must:

• acknowledge that instruction on evolution is vital to understanding all the biological sciences;
  
• make clear that evolution is an easily observable phenomenon that has been documented beyond any reasonable doubt;
  
• be based on the latest, peer-reviewed scholarship;
  
• encourage valid critical thinking and scientific reasoning by leaving out all references to "strengths and weaknesses," which politicians have used to introduce supernatural explanations into science courses; and
  
• recognize that all students are best served when matters of faith are left to families and houses of worship.
  

We, therefore, call on the Texas State Board of Education to approve science curriculum standards that prepare Texas students to succeed in the 21st century.