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US education’s battles: first evolution, now climate change

“Climate change education is kind of where evolution education was 30 years ago,”

US education advocates tackle climate change sceptics New Scientist, 19 January 2012 Read more: “Education campaigner wants to expel climate denial“A NEW front has opened in the battle over US school science curricula. After decades of fighting to keep creationism out of the classroom, US science education advocates are steeling themselves to face a new foe: climate change sceptics.

Over the past few years, several US states and local school boards have introduced measures that would mean teachers must include the views of those who are sceptical of a human influence on climate change in science lessons.

Three years ago, for example, Texas revised its science teaching standards to require that students “analyse and evaluate different views on the existence of global warming”. The next time Texas purchases science textbooks, this standard could be used to reject books that do not include a degree of climate change scepticism, says Steven Newton, programmes and policy director for the National Center for Science Education (NCSE), a non-profit organisation based in Oakland, California. Similar measures have been passed in Louisiana and South Dakota.

In 2011, the US National Earth Science Teachers Association informally surveyed 555 US teachers who discuss climate change issues in the classroom. Over one-third of them reported facing influence to teach “both sides” of a climate change debate.

So far, there are no reports that teachers have actually been forced to teach climate change scepticism in their classrooms. To make sure that doesn’t change, the NCSE announced this week that it is adding climate change to its portfolio. Until now, the organisation has focused on supporting the teaching of evolution in schools.

“Climate change education is kind of where evolution education was 30 years ago,” says Newton. http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21328483.300-us-education-advocates-tackle-climate-change-sceptics.html

January 20, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | climate change, USA