I don’t say this often, but: Go Indiana!


This was up at Pharyngula a couple of days ago: a map showing states with their science education standards scores.I don’t often have an excuse to cheer on my state, but here I go: Go Indiana! We’re one of the few states with excellent science education standards. I really shouldn’t be too shocked: All of my biology teachers openly said Intelligent Design/creationism is not science, we got comprehensive sex education, there were many elective science classes offered… However, before I cheer them on too much, I want to make one caveat. Even though we have great standards, that doesn’t mean we’re getting through to people. I still see a frighteningly large amount of people here at Purdue who are anti-evolution or really just anti-science. Were these kids asleep during their high school classes?

Anyway, go Hoosiers, state pride, yadda yadda.

Comments

  1. says

    Yes, they were asleep. :-p

    As a physics teacher, I see many students who have previously just been let by by their science teachers. We have many excellent biology teachers, but we also have ones who are very poor, or even ID proponents themselves (the whole "guided evolution" nonsense). While our standards are definitely up to snuff, enacting them in classrooms is still a constant battle.

  2. says

    wisconsin is teh suck with a D.

    my that explains why my first A & P lab was all about what is the scientific method. i really wanted to just get up and leave. after my tuesday hell of classes, the last thing i want to do is sit for two hours listening to things that seem extremely basic to me. but maybe some kids in the class needed it. it was also very obvious that the prof has lots of problems with students who say "but evolution is just a theory" as she stressed what a scientific theory means.

  3. says

    Woah, North Carolina's scootin' along with a B. It could be a lot better, but I'm feeling kind of proud right now. Just as well. No one had mentioned Intelligent Design that I remember. The Scopes Trial, yeah…but that's it.

    And go Indiana!

  4. Nell Gwynne says

    Michigan isn't too bad, with a b. We got a very basic teach on evolution in Biology, but my high school's S.O. team has always done really well.

    whoop!

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