Cobb County anti-evolution textbook stickers in news again

[Dardedar]

We rip stickers on and off our textbooks, while the world laughs at us:

From Bob Parks newsletter:

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EVOLUTION IN GEORGIA: FEDERAL APPEALS COURT SENDS CASE BACK.
Since 1995, the Cobb County School Board had ordered pages on
evolution torn out of science textbooks. But a new textbook in
2002 had too many pages to tear out, so they just added a sticker
saying evolution is only a theory anyway. A federal District
Court judge said the stickers violated the establishment clause
of the First Amendment and told the school district to rip all
35,000 stickers off:

http://bobpark.physics.umd.edu/WN05/wn011405.html

Thursday, citing insufficient evidence, a Federal Appeals Court
said put'em back on until the District Court determines if the
school board acted "religiously neutral," or the case is retried.

[Barbara Fitzpatrick]

Makes you wonder who's on the Appeals Court. It isn't possible to be "religiously neutral" when ordering scientific information removed or denied in a science textbook.

[Savonarola]

It isn't possible to be "religiously neutral" when ordering scientific information removed or denied in a science textbook.

Sure it is. I could insist that removing mention of string theory from physics texts would be good because (1) there are so many of them, (2) no empirical work toward any has been done, and (3) very few low-level physics students would benefit from learning about string theory (before QM and GR, anyway), and I could do so with no religious motivation.
It would, however, be accurate to say that one can't be "religiously neutral" while violating a prong of the Lemon test.

[Barbara Fitzpatrick]

Savonarola - Point taken. However, your point illustrates what totally infuriates me about elementary, and to a certain extent secondary, education in this country. Children are supposed to be so immature or stupid or something that information is not just "dumbed down" for them, it's turned into lies or totally erased from the texts in under the pretext of "simplifying" for them. It's no wonder America has fallen so far behind the rest of the industrialized world in education - and the government and economy that depends on an educated populace.

[Savonarola]

Savonarola - Point taken. However, your point illustrates what totally infuriates me about elementary, and to a certain extent secondary, education in this country. Children are supposed to be so immature or stupid or something that information is not just "dumbed down" for them, it's turned into lies or totally erased from the texts in under the pretext of "simplifying" for them.

Remember you're talking to a teacher. If you think I haven't already been shocked and appalled at gross "oversimplifications" in high school textbooks in my relatively short experience, think again. One reason the honors biology class I used to sub for looked forward to having me was so they could see me rant about finding yet another incorrect statement in their book. It seemed to happen every time.
I personally would not oppose mentioning string theory in a high school physics text (I was just making the argument that I could on those grounds), but I think time would be better spent on more understood theories that are more likely to be applicable to students. Let's face it: anti-common sensical concepts like relativity and quantum mechanics can be hard to grasp for even advanced students, so expecting the below average ones to comprehend string theory is probably a bit much.

[Barbara Fitzpatrick]

As a former teacher, I applaud your efforts to connect students to reality, against all attempts of the system to keep them disconnected. I also agree that more focus should be put on concepts that are applicable to students, while letting them know there is more out there, if they wish to pursue it. But then, I'm the nutcase that deducted points if the student wrote a lab report saying what was supposed to have happened (based on the text book) rather than what actually happened with the lab work.

[Savonarola]

But then, I'm the nutcase that deducted points if the student wrote a lab report saying what was supposed to have happened (based on the text book) rather than what actually happened with the lab work.

Nothing wrong with penalizing the student for that, unless the student explained that this is what happened, even though we (and the book) predicted that to happen. Such a result could be the result of a poorly executed experiement, or it could be the unveiling of a new concept. (This is why the "discussion" and "conclusion" sections are so important.)
If that type of behavior were allowable, there'd be very little progress in science. ("I was supposed to detect the luminiferous aether, so I did!")

[Barbara Fitzpatrick]

My students were always trying for the "right" answer. The idea of a project where the "right" answer was whatever happened just floored them. (If their result was different from what was expected, they were supposed to discuss what might have caused the difference - "I didn't do it right" was not the acceptable answer.)