"Pittsburgh Post-Gazette", Friday, July 13, 2001
Board passes teaching standards
Evolution focus of science classes
By Pamela R. Winnick, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. -- The State Board of Education yesterday
overwhelmingly approved science standards that strongly endorse the
teaching of evolution in science classes in Pennsylvania's public schools.
"We're very pleased that they went through," said Charles B. Zogby, state
education secretary. "The standards reflect good science."
Thirteen members of the board voted in favor of the standards and two
voted against them. Three legislative members of the board -- Sen.
Allyson Schwartz, D-Philadelphia, Rep. Jess M. Stairs, R-Mount Pleasant
and Sen. James J. Rhoades, R-Schuylkill -- all abstained because the House
and Senate will vote on the standards later this year.
Board member Larry Wittig, a school board member in Schuylkill County,
moved that a vote on the standards be tabled because the changes were made
"at the eleventh hour" and warranted further study. His motion was
defeated.
Wittig and board member David Saxe, a Penn State University education
professor, cast the two votes against the standards.
"This is a step backwards," said Saxe, who, along with Wittig preferred
the previous version of the standards, which contained language requiring
that students evaluate data that "supports and does not support" the
theory of evolution.
That language proved highly controversial, drawing 120 letters in the
last year, mostly from scientists. Critics said the language could open
the door to the teaching of creationism, the biblical account that the
world and all living things were created in six days.
The majority of the board disagreed with the dissenters.
"I'm satisfied that the standards can move us along," said Rhoades.
Gov. Tom Ridge, in praising passage of the science teaching standards,
avoided the evolution controversy.
"We're a big step closer to having -- for the first time -- clear, tough
academic standards in science, technology, ecology and the environment,"
Ridge said. "These subjects are critical to any child's education."
POWRÓT