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Texas Education Experts: Shame on you

Category: Education • Science Education
Posted on: May 6, 2009 10:50 PM, by Greg Laden

The whole world is watching. And it is rather embarrassing.

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Comments

Three minutes and she said absolutely nothing! Does she know what she is talking about? She said 'failure to communicate' several times. Did she suggest a course of action? No, she is just a whiny little annoying blob.

Posted by: NewEnglandBob | May 6, 2009 11:10 PM

She said 'failure to communicate' several times

Maybe she just really likes "Cool Hand Luke?"

Posted by: Joel | May 7, 2009 12:16 AM

So, anti-education people are in charge of education. Something seems not quite right about that. I can't quite put my finger on it. Something is amiss.

Posted by: 386sx | May 7, 2009 12:53 AM

Anti-science loon she may be but unfortunately on this question she's absolutely right. The scientific community didn't get their act together on this one. The sort of wishy-washy accomodationalism currently pursued by groups like NCSE and AAAS opens the door for the approach now adopted by anti-science politicians. Its pointless to spend all this effort on the wording of a few science standards while ignoring the fact that a significant percentage of science teachers in the state currently believe and teach creationism. Would the best science standards in the world compensate in the event you have a creationist as a biology teacher?

Posted by: Sigmund | May 7, 2009 4:37 AM

Right, Sigmund. It's a problem not just in Texas but all over. Would it have hurt the SBOE to say "Hey, before we put all of these science standards together, let's go after and consult the experts so that we can at least start with good standards." Apparently, that wasn't the goal. The goal was to make science education weak so they could justify their standards to conform with the way that science is already taught so that no one would have to move out of their comfort zone.

Posted by: Mike Haubrich, FCD | May 7, 2009 8:31 AM

I have a superficial command of English, but I read a lot and I like science.

¿Do I need any other qualification to be elected to an education board? ¿Who do I have to talk to?

I bet I could do better than most of those yahoos...

Posted by: Mankel | May 7, 2009 4:07 PM

For some strange reason I keep thinking of a conversation that I read somewhere…

"But Mr Dent, the plans have been available in the local planning office for the last nine months."

"Oh yes, well as soon as I heard I went straight round to see them, yesterday afternoon. You hadn't exactly gone out of your way to call attention to them, had you? I mean, like actually telling anybody or anything."

"But the plans were on display ..."

"On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them."

"That's the display department."

"With a flashlight."

"Ah, well the lights had probably gone."

"So had the stairs."

"But look, you found the notice didn't you?"

"Yes," said Arthur, "yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying 'Beware of the Leopard'."

Posted by: Dan J | May 7, 2009 7:20 PM

@7 Dan,
Best.Book.Ever.
That is all

Posted by: jj | May 8, 2009 4:04 PM