October 12, 1999
Kansas board appears stuck with a monkey on its back
By David Miles Associated Press writer
DeSOTO, Kan. -- Two months after voting to
downplay the theory of evolution
in its public schools, the Kansas Board of Education
is still trying to figure
out what its new science curriculum should say.
It's no simple task: Three national science
groups are refusing to let the
board use their copyrighted materials, which are part
of the state's current
testing standards, because of the board's stance.
As board members took up the matter Tuesday,
it does so on the heels of a
public comment period. At a public hearing Monday, support
and criticism of its
controversial August vote was voiced anew.
Ridicule came in the form the Ig Nobel Prize
-- a parody of the Nobel Prize
-- awarded to the board by several Harvard University
student groups and the
school's humor magazine. It represented a scientific
achievement that shouldn't
be repeated.
The "prize" -- a green ceramic iguana --
was presented by Doug Ruden, an
assistant professor of developmental biology and genetics
at the University of
Kansas.
Support came from a Hindu creationist, whose
letter of praise was read by
Danavir Swami, president of the Rupa Nuga Vedic College
in Kansas City, Mo.
"This is not science," said Swami, a member
of the International Society for
Krishna Consciousness, or Hare Krishnas. "How they can
teach that in science
classrooms is beyond me."
Board Chairwoman Linda Holloway said the
board is not likely to reverse its
decision.
Kansas' new standards omit much of evolution
as a subject for statewide
testing, including the theory that man and apes evolved
from a common ancestor.
Although teachers are not required to omit evolution
teaching in their
classrooms, critics fear that many schools will adjust
their lesson plans to
avoid subjects that won't be part of the new tests, to
be given first in spring
2001.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled more than a
decade ago that states cannot teach
creationism, the belief that a divine power created the
universe. Since then,
some creationists have turned to attacking evolution's
validity.
Last month, the National Research Council,
the National Science Teachers
Association and the American Association for the Advancement
of Science said the
board couldn't use their materials because Kansas' new
standards don't reflect
their goal of advancing science education.
The teachers' group has more than 53,000
members, while more than 148,000
scientists belong to the AAAS. The council is an arm
of the National Academy of
Sciences.
Other states have dealt with the contentious
issue of evolution since the
Kansas board's vote two months ago.
Last week, Kentucky's Education Department
substituted "change over time" for
evolution in new guidelines of what public school students
should know.
Also last week, the New Mexico Board of Education
voted against requiring
classroom instruction on creationism or other alternative
theories about how
life forms came to be.