Citizens' Alliances for Science
From Scienticity
| The draft of this article is incomplete. |
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.
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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.
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.
Kansas Citizens for Science
See the Kansas Citizens for Science website for more.
Michigan Citizens for Science
See the Michigan 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.
Ohio Citizens for Science
See the Ohio Citizens for Science website for more.
Texas Citizens for Science
See the Texas Citizens for Science website for more.
