THE OHIO school board ended the state's long debate regarding the teaching of evolution in science classes on Oct. 15. The board-approved new curriculum calls for the teaching of evolution, but offers school districts leeway in deciding what, if any, other theories to bring up in conjunction with lessons on evolution. The school board's decision is a fair compromise that should not be viewed as a way to sneak religion into the science classroom.
Ohio's science curriculum has received national attention since January when the question of teaching intelligent design as an alternative to evolution sparked controversy. The newly-worded curriculum allows for critical analysis of evolution, meaning districts can choose whether intelligent design and other theories get time in the science classroom. This appears to be the solution to satisfy the majority of Ohio residents, as 59 percent of 1,500 surveyed in May and June favored the teaching of evolution and intelligent design ("Ohio poll: 'Design' theory is religious," The Cincinnati Post, Oct. 11).
Intelligent design proposes that an intelligent being served as the force behind creation. It argues that life on Earth is too complex to have happened by chance or through a series of mutations or evolutions. The theory, however, does not refer to God or propose the divine creation story from the Bible book of Genesis.
Opponents of a balanced science curriculum claim intelligent design is a tricky attempt to sneak religion back into American's public schools. Such critics, however, rarely take into account the many ways religion already is a part of many classrooms. Activities surrounding the winter holidays are a great example. In the primary grades particularly, students spend much time during December engaged in activities about Christmas and Hanukah and other holidays with a primarily religious background. Such activities, no matter how innocent they may appear, are part of the socialization function of the public school system. Not all students celebrate these holidays, yet the holidays continue to have a noticeable presence in primary-grade classrooms.
The point is, the non-Christian first grader who learns about the celebration of Christmas in school does not experience a religious awakening and decide to convert. Similarly, a 10th grader who learns about theories in opposition to evolution is not necessarily going to ascribe to intelligent design or other theories of creation.
Additionally, it sells our nation's teenagers short to assume high school students have been exposed to evolution, but haven't heard about alternative theories. Since students most likely enter the science classroom with prior knowledge about theories of how life came into existence, teachers should try to expand their students' understanding beyond surface knowledge. Rather than curtailing the issue, students should be helped to understand the premise behind different theories. The new Ohio standards expect students to be taught evolution, but also expect that they be helped to realize the debate concerning the origin of life. The Ohio school board should be commended for appreciating the complexity and sensitivity of the topic of evolution and creation.
Students can learn about things without believing in them. They can study other religions without supporting their theories or practices. They can examine racism without being racist. We allow intelligent discourses to enter English, history and social studies classrooms. We should let such discussions into science classrooms as well.
Similarly, teachers can teach evolution without believing in it, just as they can teach intelligent design without seeing it as the basis of creation. It is a teacher's obligation to present both sides of difficult issues. Teachers equip their students with tools to help them learn to think for themselves. If teachers simply present evolution without mentioning another theory of creation, they are biased in their teaching. They are limiting their students' knowledge and stifling the development of higher-order reasoning skills by providing an overly simplistic view of the world.
Teaching theories of evolution in the absence of theories of creation is the same as teaching the Civil War as just a war about slavery. The Civil War debate is about more than slavery; the debate about life on Earth is more than just evolution. We wouldn't tolerate a history teacher who gave such a limited perspective of a complex war, so we should not force science teachers to present only one side of the complicated debate about the existence of life itself.
The Ohio school board's decision shows deep respect for the state's teachers and students by allowing for individual choice and a variety of voices in the science classroom. Maybe now more school systems can use Ohio's science curriculum as a model for their own, and our nation's schools can continue to evolve.
(Stephanie Batten's column appears Tuesdays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at sbatten@cavalierdaily.com.)
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