Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of 
At least for now, the battle over the science textbooks in Texas has been won by the good guys. The Texas Freedom Network reports that there was one bit of unfinished business that had to be cleared up:
As we told you late last month, the State Board of Education approved instructional materials in science that could be used in Texas public schools for the better part of the next decade. In all, the board approved materials from nine publishers. But in the case of one of those publishers, Holt McDougal, it did so on the condition that it make changes of so-called "errors" that were based on the objections of a well-known creationist who reviewed the materials.Holt, of course, tried to hold the line in support of sound science and argued against tainting its product with creationist arguments attacking evolutionary science, and so did TFN, the National Center for Science Education and other mainstream scientists. As a compromise, the board agreed to let Holt work with Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott on any needed changes.
And here's the result:
Well, those changes are now in (click here to download a PDF) and so are the reviews. TFN, NCSE and other scientists have reviewed the changes and have found them to be in line with established, fact-based science.Here's the head-exploding part for the creationists. Not only does the final version of Holt not include creationist arguments against evolution, but they also include language explicitly affirming Darwin's theories.
With Holt's materials finalized, we can now say with certainty that all of the materials approved from the nine publishers are in line with fact-based science and free of creationist attacks seeking to undermine science.
This is very good news. Of course, it's also temporary. The creationists will never, ever give up. They'll be back the next time the curriculum and the textbooks are up for revision and they'll have some new way of phrasing creationism, which they'll claim is totally different and not at all creationism even though the substance is all the same.
And there's still the problem of individual teachers using supplemental creationist materials, the way John Freshwater did. This is quite routine. That's why I think everyone with kids in school should put in a Freedom of Information Act request with their local schools to get all the supplemental materials used in biology classrooms. I bet we'd find out about a whole lot of places where it's being taught and continues because no one has ever complained about it.
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I just re-watched "Inherit the Wind" last night (the 1960 movie about the Scopes monkey trial which happened in 1926). It amazes me how little our society has progressed in the last 85 years - we still hear the same pompous, blow hard dogma from our politicians, still have the same crowds of townspeople marching against science and truth. Pretty discouraging.
Posted by: Qwerty | August 21, 2011 10:14 AM
85 years ago there were lots of places where someone with one black great-grandparent couldn't vote. Today we have one in the White House.
Likewise, 85 years ago teaching science in public schools was enough to get you jailed. Today they're fighting a rearguard action to get their fairy tale even a nod in the curriculum.
Three generations? The blink of an eye, bearing in mind that society makes progress one funeral at a time.
Posted by: D. C. Sessions | August 21, 2011 10:29 AM
In the old Days Texas had a real say in the books all the kids in the US were taught from. Back when we had the pocketbook to back up the wishes of the State board of education.
Now we can't scrape up enough pennies to the books much less make demands about what is in them.them .
Thank You Rick Perry
Posted by: Oak Cliff Townie | August 21, 2011 11:00 AM
OCT@3:
Not quite true, and don't get me wrong, I'm not defending Perry, TX still has a major influence on textbook publishing. Those nine publishers basically represent all of the significant books available in most content areas. If TX or CA want a set of books, those are pretty much the books we can use in the other 48 states.
Posted by: dogmeat | August 21, 2011 11:25 AM
Texas is in year 5 of Reduction of Tax collected to fund schools.
Our deficits are based on its not there anymore to spend .
And it is not there in a big way.
And there will be less in collected funds to spend next year.
If you understand Texas you will see how deep the cuts are.
Some BANDS and all that involves are not making road trips to AWAY Football games.
Oh the Horror ..I could go on but this is about books.
So In the next few years who ever is third on the list will replace Texas because there is no Cash around to fund major book buying.
Posted by: Oak Cliff Townie | August 21, 2011 12:05 PM
Yeah, good news for now, but they'll be back.
Posted by: johnm55 | August 21, 2011 12:42 PM
As a high school biology teacher, I'm concerned about the change made concerning cell complexity. They eliminated the term "eukaryotic" from the heading in the textbook because the red blood cell example doesn't have a nucleus so it can't be a eukaryotic cell. Who are they kidding! Red blood cells are eukaryotic cells! They start out as nucleated cells which undergo differentiation until the functional form (which no longer has a nucleus) is obtained. This should be part of the lesson of the differences between eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. In fact I use it to teach my students that in biology not all concepts are easily defined. This is the higher level of thinking that we as educators should be requiring our students to do.
The creationism/ID movement in this country consistently wants to make these types of arguments illustrating that they only think in simple terms of specific definitions that can't have any variations. This is precisely why science education in the US must include examples of these higher level thinking skills. As educators, we many times don't give students enough credit in their ability to understand the complexity of scientific concepts in their applications such as defining red blood cells as eukaryotic cells even though they do not contain a nucleus.
Posted by: Mike | August 21, 2011 1:34 PM
I understand the mess that is Texas revenue, Arizona is following a similar screwed up philosophy with similar results.
The population of Texas, in concert with its state level approval of textbooks effectively ensures that it will continue to play a major role in text book development for the foreseeable future, even if they don't actually buy the textbooks, their format is of critical importance.
Posted by: dogmeat | August 21, 2011 1:44 PM
I love the movie 'Inherit the wind' but the fact is that in the real monkey trial Scopes was not jailed and actualy volunteered to take part in an effort to challenge the law banning the teaching of evolution.Furthermore there were no mobs threatening to hang Scopes or his lawyer from a sour apple tree.
Posted by: Paen | August 21, 2011 2:57 PM
"The creationists will never, ever give up."
Culture wars are not meant to be won, they are meant to be continuous. A hierarchical society is only possible on the basis of poverty and ignorance. Culture warriors come for the party, but they stay for the jihad.
Posted by: Matt Osborne | August 21, 2011 3:09 PM
Folks Texas is filled with folks who one day if so led will all agree that the sky purple .
It might be blue to you and me but to them it is purple.
I am sorry there are so many of them that they are able to control the Education of students around the country.
Those of you who aren't in our state have no real clue just how UNDER EDUCATED Texas students really are.
Natural curiosity has for the most part been stifled.
Beside the teachers are made to TEACH TO THE TEST. What ever the name TEST may have
So unless how we got to be where we are is one of the questions Don't worry it will be glossed over in most classrooms.
Posted by: Oak Cliff Townie | August 21, 2011 4:14 PM
Those of you who aren't in our state have no real clue just how UNDER EDUCATED Texas students really are.
Actually, we do. That's why we're staying the hell out of Texas.
Posted by: James Hanley | August 21, 2011 4:57 PM
Qwerty said: "I just re-watched "Inherit the Wind" last night (the 1960 movie about the Scopes monkey trial which happened in 1926)."
Compare the facts of the Scopes trial with the 1960 movie "Inherit the Wind":
http://www.themonkeytrial.com
Also:
"Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate over Science and Religion" by Edward J. Larson (Harvard University, 1997)
*
Edward Larson tells the true story of the Scopes trial brilliantly, and the truth is a lot more interesting than the myth that was presented to the public in Inherit the Wind.
- Phillip Johnson, author of Darwin on Trial
Summer for the Gods is, quite simply, the best book ever written on the Scopes trial and its place in American history and myth. The tone is balanced; the research, meticulous; the prose, sparkling.
- Ronald L. Numbers
Experts will learn much about the background and details of the Scopes trial; the general reader will be drawn into the trial as never before. Inherit the Wind, step aside!
- Will Provine, Cornell
Posted by: David | August 21, 2011 7:26 PM
@David
Considering you linked to a website obviously written by a creationist, I would say Qwerty should collect his facts elsewhere, unless he would rather have creationist "facts."
Posted by: anonymouroboros | August 21, 2011 8:30 PM
Those of you who aren't in our state have no real clue just how UNDER EDUCATED Texas students really are.
Actually, we do. That's why we're staying the hell out of Texas.
Have you ever been to Oklahoma?
George Lynn Cross wanted a university that the football team could be proud of. Too bad we still don't have an educated populous for the university to proud of.
Posted by: Childermass | August 22, 2011 8:58 AM
Is putting in an FOI request the best way to obtain supplementary materials? Why not just ask for them, or talk directly to the teacher? Or talk to your children about what they're learning? Or talk to the principal?
Jumping straight to an FOI request smacks a bit of intimidation although I'll admit my perception of that is coloured by the abuse of the FOI for fishing expeditions by an AG, and to waste research institutions time by bogging them down in a legal morass.
Also, your children are going to that school. Why needlessly antagonize the people who are working with your children? By all means use an FOI if you can't get information otherwise--or if you later find out the teacher has not been forthright about having creationist material--but try asking first--most teachers will be very happy to show you what they have because they're proud of the lesson plans they've developed, and they relish the opportunity to show them off to other adults who might appreciate their work.
So, maybe just ask first before an FOI? Are things that different in the U.S. that an FOI is the first step instead of the last?
Posted by: Daniel J. Andrews | August 22, 2011 11:46 AM
@ David
Are you trying to convince me that a movie exaggerates the actually circumstances of events when transferring them to the screen? I'm shocked, shocked to find you making such an accusation. Next you'll be telling me that Erin Brokovitch looks nothing like Julia Roberts.
Posted by: Jim | August 22, 2011 12:53 PM
"So, maybe just ask first before an FOI? Are things that different in the U.S. that an FOI is the first step instead of the last?"
Denialists of AGW science found it an excellent way to both browbeat the scientists they don't like, waste their time and money to reduce the output of the scientists, AND to produce spurious reasons why these scientists are all frauds and MUST be arrested (and executed).
What's needed is to require that the curriculum be taught as if true and correct, with the knowledge that these will be expanded upon for the more interested student when they go to study in College.
We don't, for example, show how you derive the variance values from a dataset, we just say it's equal to this equation. We wait until they take higher maths to show how you do that. Then we wait until college maths to show them when that calculation is incorrect (student's t distribution, autocorrelation, etc).
But because maths doesn't tread on the toes of the thoughtless and above all NOISY religious bigots, they don't mind that we tell kids 1+1=2 and DON'T tell them how you prove it with set theory and logic at five years old.
Posted by: Wow | August 24, 2011 7:15 AM
Pshaw, next you're going to try to tell me that William Wallace isn't the real father of Edward III!
Posted by: dogmeat | August 24, 2011 10:18 AM