Louisiana science education: School boards, principals, and teachers endorse creationism in public school.

In another email exchange with Rowland, a parent had complained that a different teacher, Cindy Tolliver, actually taught that evolution was a “fact.” This parent complained that Tolliver was “pushing her twisted religious beliefs onto the class.” Principal Rowland responded, “I can assure you this will not happen again.”

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The Louisiana Science Education Act, passed by the state legislature in 2008, permits science teachers to use supplemental materials to “critique” evolution, opening a backdoor that these teachers are using, as intended, to teach creationism. Such lessons are allowed under this Louisiana law, but they are illegal under federal law.

“We know that one in eight high school biology teachers advocate for creationism, even though it's unconstitutional,” says Josh Rosenau of the National Center for Science Education. “These emails make clear that many teachers are interpreting the Louisiana Science Education Act as allowing such unconstitutional and scientifically-misleading lessons.”

On April 22 the Louisiana Senate Education Committee voted on a bill to repeal the Science Education Act, referred to by many on both sides as the “creationism act.” This was the fifth vote since 2010, and legislators voted 4–3 to keep creationism in Louisiana classrooms.

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Louisiana school districts are clearly breaking the law all the time, but the Louisiana Legislature still refuses to repeal the Science Education Act. These newly released emails, from districts across the state, show that this law is being used systematically to teach creationism in public schools. This puts Louisiana on a collision course with a First Amendment lawsuit.

I asked Andrew Seidel, a lawyer for the Freedom From Religion Foundation, which litigates separation of church and state cases, about the legal situation surrounding the law. “It was clear when the [Science Education Act] was passed that it was just another shameful attempt to circumvent the First Amendment,” Seidel told me. He went on to warn teachers against teaching creationism, and said, “No state law, including the Louisiana Science Education Act, can shield public schools and public school teachers from liability for violating the U.S. Constitution.” Several separation of church and state advocacy groups, including the FFRF and the ACLU, have their eye on Louisiana.

Louisiana science education: School boards, principals, and teachers endorse creationism in public school.

Controversial law that allows supplemental science education materials in Louisiana classrooms stands | NOLA.com

The Louisiana Senate Education Committee declined with a vote of 3-1 to strike down a controversial law Thursday that critics say allows teachers to bring creationism into public school science classrooms. Similar legislation has come before the committee for a few years in a row and has always failed to pass.

Supporters of the law, called Louisiana Science Education Act, have argued that its critics can't provide proof the statute has lead to religious-oriented material making its way into public science classes. The proponents, including Gov. Bobby Jindal and several Christian conservatives, say the law promotes critical thinking skills.

Passed in 2008, the law allows permits teachers to use "supplemental textbooks and other instructional materials" in science classrooms. The materials are meant "to help students understand, analyze, critique, and review scientific theories in an objective manner." Content that promotes religious doctrine is prohibited by the statute.

Controversial law that allows supplemental science education materials in Louisiana classrooms stands | NOLA.com

Charter school leader defends creationism in schools' curriculum | Arkansas Blog | Arkansas news, politics, opinion, restaurants, music, movies and art

The subject has come up on previous threads, but more prominent attention is due a response issued by Texas-based charter school operator Responsive Education Solutions to a powerful piece of investigative reporting in Slate on the organization.

It's important in Arkansas, because Responsive Education, with Walton Foundation help, has a growing footprint in Arkansas. It will open its fourth Arkansas charter school next year in Chenal Valley. The Quest middle school is designed as a haven for parents in the upscale neighborhood from the supposedly inferior Little Rock School District. Just last week, a state advisory panel approved conversions of three public schools, including the high school in West Memphis, into charters for which Responsive Ed will be paid to be a consultant and curriculum provider.

The Slate article reports that Responsive Education teaches creationism in its Texas high school classes. It reports multiple examples of factual problems with history instruction. It provides rich details of the web of relationships between Responsive Ed people with organizations aimed at increasing the role of religion in public life and providing "Christian education," as opposed to simply education.

Responsive Ed didn't respond directly to my request for response. But Chuck Cook, CEO of the Lewisville, Texas Responsive, posted the company's prepared statement distributed in response to the Slate article on my earlier item about the issue. I've put it on the jump in its entirety. It's interesting reading, to say the least. Readers have already commented on that item and here.

Charter school leader defends creationism in schools' curriculum | Arkansas Blog | Arkansas news, politics, opinion, restaurants, music, movies and art

Texas Charter School Operator Defends Misleading Its Students with Junk Science, Political Propaganda | TFN Insider

Hmm,,,can I copy and past a whole article?? Prolly not,,,

The CEO of Texas-based Responsive Education Solutions has responded to an in-depth article in Slate [the article I posted about here] detailing how the charter operator’s public schools teach junk science and political propaganda as factual. Frankly, the CEO’s response is just as troubling as the original allegations about the schools’ troubling curriculum.

The article then delves into specifics of Cook's response which is best read in it's entirety. The author also links to and article out of Arkansas [see next post], that also deals with their current battle with Responsive Ed.  Cook's statement can be read there. Be forewarned it's scarey reading to say the least

Texas Charter School Operator Defends Misleading Its Students with Junk Science, Political Propaganda | TFN Insider

More Creationism in Publicly-Funded Science Classrooms - YouTube

I haven't had a chance to listen to this yet but Zack is the author of the previous article I posted concerning Texas Public Charter Schools teaching creationism. He is speaking with The David Pakman Show which is a nationally syndicated talk radio & television program covering news, politics, and entertainment; David comes from a progressive slant. (I'll post more later after work.)

UPDATE::  Just finished listening.  David and Zack discuss his article, highlighting some points.  Best way to sum the conversation, "Texas science standards do not trump the Constitution" something they are going to learn the hard way!!

-Zack Kopplin, a science education activist working on a campaign for evidence-based science to be taught in science class and a reinvestment in science funding, joins David to discuss teaching creationism in science class.




More Creationism in Publicly-Funded Science Classrooms - YouTube

Creationism in Texas public schools: Undermining the charter movement.

This was a tough article to "read."  Yes it is long, but it is loaded with information.  The sub-title IMHO say it all, "An investigation into charter schools’ dishonest and unconstitutional science, history, and “values” lessons."  For those that follow the Reich and dominionist movement, there are a few familiar names.

Some of Responsive Ed’s lessons appear harmless at first, but their origin is troubling. Students also learn about “discernment,” which is defined as “understanding the deeper reasons why things happen.” In other sections, students learn other moral lessons such as “values” and “deference.”

These lessons were lifted directly from a company called Character First Education, which was founded by an Oklahoma businessman named Tom Hill. He is a follower of Bill Gothard, a minister who runs the Institute in Basic Life Principles, a Christian organization that teaches its members to incorporate biblical principles into daily life. IBLP is considered a cult by some of its former followers. Gothard developed character qualities associated with a list of “49 General Commands of Christ” that Hill adopted for his character curriculum. Hill then removed Gothard’s references to God and Bible verses and started marketing the curriculum to public schools and other public institutions.

The values taught by Responsive Ed can often be found word for word on Gothard’s website. The Responsive Ed unit on genetics includes “Thoroughness: Knowing what factors will diminish the effectiveness of my work or words if neglected.” The only difference is that Gothard’s website also adds “Proverbs 18:15” after the quote.

Many of Gothard’s teachings revolve around obedience to men, especially that of the wife and the children. Gothard has upset even other conservative Christians. In an interview for an article published by Religion Dispatches, Don Veinot, a conservative Christian and founder of the Midwest Christian Outreach, accused Gothard of “creating a culture of fear.” Gothard has been accused of emotional and sexual abuse by some of his former followers, “happening as far back as the mid- to late-1970’s and as recently as this year.”

Responsive Ed and Character First may have removed the references to God and Bible verses from the curriculum that is being used in public schools, but it is clear that the line between church and state is still being blurred. And nothing that Gothard has created should be allowed near children.

Responsive Ed has plenty of connections to other fundamentalist right-wing organizations as well. Its website’s “Helpful Information” section directs parents to Focus on the Family under the heading of “Family Support.” Under “Values” it steers students to the Traditional Values Coalition, whose website includes a header that says, “Say NO to Obama. Stop Sharia in America.”

Creationism in Texas public schools: Undermining the charter movement.

Biggest Texas Charter School Network Reportedly Teaching Creationism

There is way more to this than I initially realized. I foresee picking at this story a bit at a time as it is hitting some other topics, individuals and organizations I'm still learning about (to be read, I have to once again dig for deleted articles,,,sigh). One such organization is ACE (Accelerated Christian Education), the board president of Responsive Education Solutions has ties to this organization which has popped up in other articles concerning homeschooling and the like,,,

According to science advocate Zack Kopplin, Texas students in more than 65 schools are not learning real science. Instead, he alleges, students enrolled in schools operated by the state’s largest charter school program are learning a curriculum that is riddled with factual errors, pushes creationism and undermines evolution.

Kopplin, 20, railed against the crooked standards at Responsive Education Solutions charter schools in an article published on Slate.com Thursday. He says he used an open records request to attain copies of the workbooks used to educate Responsive Ed students and found science lessons that call evolution a “dogma” and an “unproven theory.” He also said he saw history lessons with a misogynistic and religious agenda.

“What I found is that, really unquestionably, the Responsive Education Solutions program is teaching creationism,” Kopplin told The Huffington Post over the phone about the publicly funded, secular charter school network. “It highlights supernatural creationism as a legitimate alternative to evolution. It says that evolution is unproved dogma with no experimental basis.”

Biggest Texas Charter School Network Reportedly Teaching Creationism