Texas school board anti-evolutionists lose

A 20-year-old requirement that high school science classes discuss the so-called weaknesses in the theory of evolution, was dropped in a preliminary vote Thursday by the Texas State Board of Education.

The formal vote is scheduled today.

The Board was swayed, according to both the Dallas Morning News and Houston Chronicle, by the advice of a panel of science educators.

“We’re not talking about faith. We’re not talking about religion,” said board member Mary Helen Berlanga, D-Corpus Christi. “We’re talking about science. We need to stay with our experts and respect what they have requested us to do.”

Kathy Miller, president of the watchdog group Texas Freedom Network (which live-blogs the debate here), has argued that the word weaknesses “has become a code word in the culture wars to attack evolution and promote creationism.”

Or as Howard M. Friedman at Religion Clause explains:

The new language calls on students to “analyze and evaluate scientific explanations using empirical evidence.” Proponents of the new language say that the “strengths and weaknesses” formulation is used to justify exposing students to religious theories masquerading as science.

The key issues are explored at Teach them Science, a Web site devoted to the issue. It is maintained by the Center for Inquiry and the Clergy Letter Project. Or, alternatively, the New York Times offers a balanced but ultimately less detailed overview. And if you wish more, current detail, Tony’s curricublog has audio files of the hearings.

Other curriculum votes are scheduled for March, so the heated, two-decade debate is by no means over.

The final decision is of overarching importance because the size of the Texas textbook market gives it sweeping, national impact on the way school science textbooks in general are written.

Update

Terrence Stutz of the Dallas Morning News reported at 11:09 AM CST on Friday, January 23, 2009:

AUSTIN – Without debate, the State Board of Education today tentatively approved new science curriculum standards that scrap a longstanding requirement that students be taught the “weaknesses” in the theory of evolution.

The rest of the story here.