Citizens' Alliances for Science

From Scienticity

Revision as of 20:23, 28 October 2005

Although universal education in the United States is a national goal, educational prerogatives have always been seen as local. Thus it is that local school boards have repeatedly found themselves to be the battlegrounds where skirmishes over the teaching of evolution in science classes have been fought ever since the days of the Scopes Trial.

In response to incursions against the freedom of science teachers to teach science, citizens in several states have formed alliances to support the integrity of science taught in the public-school classroom.

Alabama Citizens for Science

The ACSE is a nonprofit organization of "scientists, educators, parents and other Alabamians who are concerned about the myriad of impediments to quality science education in Alabama public schools." They list the following threats to quality science education that they work to counter:

• inadequate funding
• public misunderstanding
• sectarian coercion
• difficulty keeping up with technological advances
• parental apathy
• political manipulation

Their mission is: "To promote the best possible science education in Alabama public schools." In common with their cohorts they track local legislation and news stories related to their mission. Of note among their resource is the "Information about the Alabama 'Evolution Warning Label'" used on biology textbooks in Alabama from 1996--2005.

See the Alabama Citizens for Science website for more.

Colorado Citizens for Science

The Colorado Citizens for Science, formed in 2002, is a nonprofit organization made up of scientists and non-scientists, with membership open to the public. Their "Statement of Aims" says:

The aims of the Colorado Citizens for Science (CCFS) include promoting a better understanding of science among the public and defending the right of Colorado's science teachers to provide their students with the best science education possible. Science is a process of observation and measurement and the development of theoretical explanations for observed regularities. The validity of any given explanation is based on its ability to accurately account for the data. CCFS will act to oppose the teaching of pseudosciences that pose as science but fail to meet the widely accepted standards of the field.

Among their activities, they offer a short list of speakers and have hosted a symposium on "The Pseudoscience of Intelligent Design Creationism".

They describe themselves this way:

CCFS is not an anti-religious organization. In fact, many of our members are people of faith. All of its members do believe, however, that science is the only way that humanity can understand the natural world. It is the intention of CCFS to provide the citizens of Colorado with relevant information regarding science education and the threats posed by creationism.

See the Colorado Citizens for Science website for more.

Florida Citizens for Science

Florida Citizens for Science is an informal association of "concerned citizens, businesspeople, parents and educators who are committed to maintaining excellence in public school science classrooms in the state of Florida."

See the Florida Citizens for Science website for more information.

Georgia Citizens for Integrity in Science Education

The GCISE is a 501(c)3, non-profit organization "dedicated to promoting scientific literacy and excellence in science education", which they do through outreach to teachers, students, school administrators, and their community; providing information to media from science experts; and doing their part to keep non-science out of the science classroom. They provide some interesting resources and commentary on the concept and nature of evolution.

As with several citizen's alliances, they put a large fraction of their effort into documenting anti-scientific events in their state and tracking news stories related to their mission. At the time of writing, this means giving particular attention to the controversy over "stickers" on biology textbooks that promote the litany that "evolution is a theory, not a fact".

See the Georgia Citizens for Integrity in Science Education website for more.

Iowa Citizens for Science

At the time of this writing (October 2005), a call (dated 10 October 2005) has gone out for interested people to join together and organize such a group. For the announcement, see "Iowa Citizens for Science group in the works".

Kansas Citizens for Science

Formed in 1999, Kansas Citizens for Science is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization, incorporated "to promote quality public science education for all Kansas students"; membership is open to all who support the goals of the organization. Their activites include

• Advocating for science education
• Educating the public about the nature and value of science
• Serving as an information resource

A motivation for forming in 1999 was to challenge "the 1999 Kansas State Board of Education's decision to adopt state science standards that removed key aspects of the theory of evolution as well as other critical concepts in earth science and cosmology"; they have recently faced a similar situation:

Now in 2005 the science standards are being revised, and once again a conservative majority on the state school board has expressed a desire for Intelligent Design/creationist-influenced changes to be made to the standards. KCFS is dedicated to keeping the public informed about this issue, and to helping defend quality science and science education in our state.

In a press release, "KCFS Resolution concerning the 'Science Hearings'" dated 8 March 2005, they called upon the Kansas State Board of Education "to dissolve the unneeded and ill-conceived Science Hearing Committee" or, barring that, they called for scientists and science educators to boycott the hearings, which is what happened.

Their "Position Paper on the State Science Standards", 15 April 2005, began:

Science has been stunningly successful in increasing human understanding of the natural world and in improving our quality of life. Yet science education is under attack. We support quality science education in public schools, and we oppose politically motivated attempts to insert theological concepts into science in public education classrooms.

and urged the Board of Education to avoid diluting the proposed standards of the science standards writing committee.

At their website, they maintain an active discussion forum. See the Kansas Citizens for Science website for more.

Michigan Citizens for Science

The Michigan Citizens for Science, formed by Robert T. Pennock and Ed Brayton in 2001, is an informal association of "concerned citizens, business people, parents and educators who are committed to maintaining excellence in public school science classrooms in the state of Michigan." Their motto is "Protecting science education for our children". In part, their Mission Statement reads:

In accordance of the Michigan State Board of Education’s March 10, 1982 resolution regarding the “Teaching of Religion and Creationism in Michigan Public Schools”, the MCFS agrees with the position that the “...State Board of Education oppose the teaching, in public educational institutions, of any course in religion which is outside of the realm of a secular program of education and be it further resolved that the State Board of Education recommend that any school district currently teaching creationism or any course in religion in an attempt to indoctrinate toward any particular belief or disbelief cease and desist such teaching.”

They maintain a dynamic listing of news items related to science teaching in Michigan. See the Michigan Citizens for Science website for more.

Ohio Citizens for Science

In their own words (with oiginal emphasis):

OCS represents Ohio's great diversity of religions, political views, philosophies, and scientific traditions. What we share in common is the goal of improving science education in our schools for the good of our communities, our state, our country, and our world. Ohio's children need contact with real working scientists. Science and technology is the future of Ohio's economy. Our students need to see how the jobs are done so they can see themselves doing those jobs when they grow up. And sci-tech jobs change constantly. Our students need to gain self-confidence in their intelligence and intellectual skills so that as adults they can enjoy continuing to learn. This can come only from contact with real scientific theories, and from understanding the unity of science and the methods of scientific inquiry.

In a press release accompanying the organizations letter to the Ohio Board of Education, both dated 10 September 2002, they state their position on keeping the science in Ohio's Science Standards:

We think it is essential to include evolution in the new Science Standards being developed under the direction of the Ohio Board of Education. It is also critical to exclude from these standards Intelligent Design creationism (the newest form of creationism), traditional creationism or the so-called "teach the controversy" approach. There is no scientific controversy ... only a political one.

Among their online resources, they provide an interesting analysis of their state's science-standards review called "Points to Ponder about Ohio's Science Standards". Their "Legal Issues" page is a handy summary of relevant court decisions. As with other organizations, the OCS tracks relevant events and news stories. Their speakers' bureau lists 15 names available to "help raise science literacy in Ohio".

See the Ohio Citizens for Science website for more.

Oklahomans for Excellence in Science Education

They say this about themselves:

OESE is a non-profit educational organization that promotes the education of the public about the methods and values of science and advocates excellence in the science curriculum.

The formation of OESE was prompted by the attempts in the Oklahoma State Textbook Committee in 1999 and in the Oklahoma Legislature each year since to diminish the teaching of evolution by the introduction of creationist textbook disclaimers to be inserted into any textbook used in public schools that discussed evolution.

Their speakers' bureau lists six presenters offering talks on over 20 topics. Their website links to a long list of national and local resources particularly aimed at teachers and interested parents, aimed at countering creationist's claims and explaining ideas in evolutionary biology.

See the Oklahomans for Excellence in Science Education website for more.

Pennsylvania Citizens for Science

The mission statement of the nonprofit organization is unique and highly individual; in its entirety:

To make sure that the Pennsylvania Citizens for Pseudoscience, Bad Science, and Fake Science (they go by different names, of course) have no influence on science instruction in Commonwealth public schools. Our efforts are currently focused on protecting the ability of teachers to teach exclusively non-supernatural explanations for the origin of the universe, the origin of life, and descent with modification ("evolution") in science classes. Currently, teachers are often too scared to teach these topics, and thus evolution is given a mere 50 minutes or avoided altogether. The group does not oppose the discussion of supernatural phenomena in mythology, religion, or philosophy courses, or in private schools, homes, or churches.

We also try especially hard to promote the teaching of evolution in elementary schools, when children are most curious about dinosaurs, our similarity to other primates, and the origin of species and life itself. The group mascot is Phacops rana, a really cute trilobite from the Devonian, and the state's official fossil.

Their invitation to membership is unusually broad, too:

Open to anyone who cares about improving the science preparedness of Pennsylvania public school students. All types of members are sought: religious, atheist, tea drinkers, coffee drinkers, etc. As long as you believe that science classes should be just about science, and you have some energy or skill to apply toward that goal, we want you.

For additional information, visit the Pennsylvania Citizens for Science website.

Texas Citizens for Science

Texas Citizens for Science, modelling themselves on other states' citizen alliances for science, organized "to oppose the organized forces of unreason in our state that wish to degrade the quality of science education in our schools and ignore the use of accurate science in state government agencies." They work to maintain science standards in textbooks used in Texas, helping to avoid pressure on textbook publishers to insert non-scientific content into science textbooks, and helping to preserve "the state law that prevents the State Board of Education from censoring science textbooks, among their stated activities, plus, with a broader stroke:

Ensuring that Texas government agencies, committees, and institutions always use accuract science and scientific reasoning in their deliberations and to reach conclusions that affect the lives and welfare of Texas citizens.

Their online resources are geared to serve these goals. Significantly, they provide copies of expert testimony from the State Board of Education textbook hearings of 10 September 10 2003.

For a letter dated 1 November 2003, "550+ Texas Scientists, Teachers Agree on Teaching Evolution", they attrcted the stated 550+ signatories with a short but strong statement that began:

Dear Board of Education member,
As scientists and teachers who live and work in Texas, we write to urge the Texas State Board of Education to choose only textbooks that present accepted, peer-reviewed science and pedagogical expertise. We believe that such a process leads to strong curricula of the highest quality, accuracy, and pedagogical appropriateness.

See the Texas Citizens for Science website for more.

Category:Organizations