We Win!! Shocking Reversal: Censorship Fails, “Examining All Sides” of Science Carries the Day
Click here to see how the other side is describing their defeat. http://www.tfn.org/site/PageServer Also here for the extreme liberal group, NCSE, and its atheist leader http://ncseweb.org/news/2009/04/setback-science-education-texas-004710
11:20: VICTORY FOR ACADEMIC FREEDOM, REJECTION OF CENSORSHIP- “Call it ‘strengths and weaknesses’ or the new language ‘examining all sides’, this is a huge victory for school students and validation that the people of Texas and the State Board of Education reject censorship in the classroom and embrace open and critical discussion in the science classroom.”
Final approved language: “In all fields of Science; analyze, evaluate and critique scientific explanations of science by using empirical evidence, logical reasoning, and experimental and observational testing including examining all sides of scientific evidence of those scienfitic explanations so as to encourage critical thinking by the student.”
Final vote:
For- Allen, Agosto, Bradley, Cargill, Craig, Dunbar, Hardy, Knight, McLeroy, Mercer, Miller, Leo, Lowe. AGAINST-Nunez, Berlanga.
They were motivated by the goal to protect critical discussion and open debate in the classroom for all fields of Science, and the attention they were getting from so many people across the state. If you contacted your SBOE member in any way to protect freedom and prevent science censorship, THANK YOU, you helped make this possible.
Some of the science professors here that think they are smarter than everyone else, are mad and upset by this. They are partly to blame, as their arrogance and insulting of students just made the outcry for academic freedom to get louder.
2:22 p.m. Other Amendments that passed: “Analyze and evaluate common ancestry to explain the sudden appearance, stasis, and sequential nature of groups in the fossil record.”
“Analyze and evaluate natural selection to explain the complexity of the cell.”
“Analyze and evaluate the evidence regarding formation of simple organic molecules and their organization into long complex molecules having information such as the DNA molecule for self-replicating life.”
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11:09 -new language passes, 13-2; Berlanga, Nunez-NO
10:49 a.m. One small change:
“In all fields of Science; analyze, evaluate and critique scientific explanations in all fields of science by using empirical evidence, logical reasoning, and experimental and observational testing including examining all sides of scientific evidence of those scienfitic explanations both scientific evidence that is supportive and not supportive of so as to encourage critical thinking by the student.”
10:40 a.m. Berlanga will not support these amendments. Hardy wanted the word “critique” put back in. She will support Craig amendment. Tincy Miller, speaking, asking for support of Craig amendment. This issue is over. SBOE member Allen is speaking-will support Craig amendment.
10:20: Amendment (to Dunbar’s language) proposed by Bob Craig. No votes on anything taken yet.
10:10 a.m. Dunbar is explaining her amendment. Dunbar has seconded this amendment and asked for unanimous support.
“Analyze, evaluate and critique scientific explanations in all fields of science by using empirical evidence, logical reasoning, and experimental and observational testing including examining all sides of scientific evidence of those scienfitic explanations both scientific evidence that is supportive and not supportive of so as to encourage critical thinking by the student.”
9:55 a.m. SBOE member Dunbar proposes amendment:
“Analyze, evaluate and critique scientific explanations in all fields of science by using empirical evidence, logical reasoning, and experimental and observational testing by examining both scientific evidence that is supportive and not supportive of those so as to encourage critical thinking by the student.”
Incorporates Bob Craig amendment language that failed yesterday and language mentioned in January by SMU Professor Ron Wetherington, who later said he didn’t want his own language in the TEKS.
“Analyze, evaluate and critique scientific explanations in all fields of science by using empirical evidence, logical reasoning, and experimental and observational testing, including examining all sides of scientific evidence both scientific evidence that is supportive and not supportive of those so as to encourage critical thinking by the student.”
Reminder-Language we oppose that is being amended: “Analyze and evaluate scientific explanations using empirical evidence, logical reasoning, and experimental and observational testing;”
“Analyze, evaluate and critique scientific explanations in all fields of science by using empirical evidence, logical reasoning, and experimental and observational testing, including examining all sides of scientific evidence of those scientific explanations both scientific evidence that is supportive and not supportive of those so as to encourage critical thinking by the student.”