NAS Publ. on Teaching Evolution

[Peter Rauch]

Excerpts from a new publication of the National Academy of Sciences,
of probably interest to many Taxacomers. Go to the URL's indicated
for more details. And then, of course, post your comments to Taxacom
on whether you think NAS did a good job, etc.!

(Will NAS ship copies in plain brown wrappers to teachers in select
school board districts across the U.S.?  :>)

Peter

   Linkname: Teaching About Evolution and the Nature of Science
        URL: http://www2.nas.edu/whatsnew/2882.html
       size: 259 lines

   Date: April 9, 1998
      ...cut, cut...
   Learning About Evolution Critical for Understanding Science

   WASHINGTON -- Many public school students receive little or no
   exposure to the theory of evolution, the most important concept in
   understanding biology, says a new guidebook from the National Academy
   of Sciences (NAS). Teachers are reluctant to teach evolution because
   of pressures from special-interest groups to downplay or eliminate it
   as part of the science curriculum. Moreover, some are advocating that
   creationism be taught in public schools -- even though the Supreme
   Court ruled in 1987 that creationism is a religious idea that cannot
   be mandated in public education.
     ...cut, cut...
   Science teachers can use the new publication in conjunction with the
   National Science Education Standards -- voluntary guidelines
   introduced three years ago by the National Research Council to ensure
   that all students achieve scientific literacy through improving what
   is taught, how it is taught, and how students are assessed. The
   science standards stress the importance of evolution because
   understanding the theory is essential to mastering basic biology and
   learning how science works. Teaching About Evolution and the Nature of
   Science also provides criteria for evaluating school science programs
   and the content and design of instructional materials.
      ...cut, cut...
   ______________________________________________________________________
   *Copies of Teaching About Evolution and the Nature of Science are
      ...cut, cut... The complete
   guidebook is also available on the World Wide Web at
   <www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/evolution98>.
      ...cut, cut...
   Copyright S 1997 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights
   reserved.