I have a soft spot for Ohio, having spent three wonderful years there as a postdoc at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). I am therefore delighted that, as reported, for example, in The New York Times
The Ohio Board of Education voted 11 to 4 Tuesday to toss out a mandate that 10th-grade biology classes include critical analysis of evolution and an accompanying model lesson plan, dealing the intelligent design movement its second serious defeat in two months.
(I can imagine that some people will jump to wonder how a scientist can be against critical analysis, and so I'd like to preempt that by pointing out that this mandate wasn't really about critical analysis; it was, of course, about intelligent design.) Beating back the IDiots takes a huge amount of work and I really think all scientists should be grateful to the people who devote some of their time to dealing with it. For example, when I was at CWRU, Lawrence Krauss and I frequently discussed the battle for reason against the forces of nonsense, and I'm delighted that Lawrence has become one of those people publicly fighting against creationism, both in Ohio and beyond. Beyond individual efforts, an organization which can be relied upon to help out in any battle against ID/creationism is
the National Center for Science Education
, headed by Eugenie C. Scott, who does a tremendous job.
... Eugenie C. Scott, director of the National Center for Science Education, called the Ohio vote "a significant victory" and said it should give pause to school districts and states considering changes in how evolution is taught. The Discovery Institute had offered Ohio as a national model for its "teach the controversy" approach on evolution. Kansas, Minnesota, New Mexico and Pennsylvania have adopted similar "critical analysis" standards, and the South Carolina Board of Education is scheduled to vote next month on whether to add a similar phrase to its curriculum guidelines. "This language from Ohio, the critically-analyze-evolution type language, is sprouting up all over, in both the local level, as well as with other state standards," Ms. Scott said. "The Ohio board has recognized its error, and other school districts should not make that same error."
I've been a member of the NCSE for a few years now and encourage as many of you as possible to join and help them out, at least financially, with their great work. You can join right here; it's not too expensive and you'll be doing a very good deed. NCSE keeps track of all the school board challenges to evolution in all states, and is prepared to send rapid response teams to help concerned parents and educators fight back against often well-organized creationists. On their website you can learn about these battles, and better equip yourself to help out, should nonsense spring up in your own community. If you become a member, you'll even receive a regular newsletter with all the relevant news, book reviews and more.
