Gov. Haslam allows evolution bill to become TN law

by Lee Davis


Gov. Bill Haslam allowed House Bill 368/Senate Bill 893, the evolution bill, to become law without his signature.  The governor's move is symbolic in that it signals his opposition but allows the measure to be added to the state code.  The message sent is, however, confusing. The governor can tell bill supporters that he allowed it to become law, and still he will be able to say to the bill's critics that he refused to sign the legislation. Both statements are true, but neither shows leadership. 


The Tennessean reports that the bill became law in Tennessee, "despite a veto campaign mounted by scientists and civil libertarians who say it will reopen a decades-old controversy over teaching creationism to the state’s schoolchildren."  Supporters of the law say it simply allows teachers to critique subjects like evolution or global warming without fear of discipline.


Critics of the legislation say that the purpose of the law is to allow teachers to promote their personal beliefs in the classroom.  The law creates an opportunity for  teachers--who may wish to openly challenge the science of evolution with religious beliefs of creationism and intelligent design--to do so.


Here are the principal passages of the new law.


"The teaching of some scientific subjects, including, but not limited to, biological evolution, the chemical origins of life, global warming, and human cloning, can cause controversy. Some teachers may be unsure of the expectations concerning how they should present information on such subjects. Teachers shall be permitted to help students understand, analyze, critique, and review in an objective manner the scientific strengths and scientific weaknesses of existing scientific theories covered in the course being taught.  {No school official}...shall prohibit any teacher in a public school system of this state from helping students understand, analyze, critique, and review in an objective manner the scientific strengths and scientific weaknesses of existing scientific theories covered in the course being taught. This section only protects the teaching of scientific information, and shall not be construed to promote any religious or non-religious doctrine, promote discrimination for or against a particular set of religious beliefs or non-beliefs, or promote discrimination for or against religion or non-religion."


On its face, you can say that this law protects teachers who may wish to criticize evolution and that it allows teachers to counsel students on the weaknesses of evolution, global warming, and human cloning. While many may applaud that move by the Tennessee legislature, it seems that all it really accomplishes is to muddy the waters of established science.  


Teachers should educate our children with the best science and technologies that the world has to offer.  Doing so is the only way the next generation will compete in tomorrow's ever-shrinking global economy.

Below are two tables that show how American students compete in science against their global peers. Students in seven countries scored higher than U.S. 4th-graders in physical science, while in life science and earth science students in three countries scored higher than U.S. 4th-graders. U.S. 8th-graders were outperformed by 8th-graders of another country in 10 instances in physics, in 9 instances in chemistry, and in 5 instances in both biology and earth science.

Table A-16-1. Average science and content domain scale scores of 4th-grade students, by country: 2007

Country (ordered by total score)	Total science		Content domain
			Life science		Physical science		Earth science
TIMSS scale average	500	▼	500	▼	500	▼	500	▼
Singapore	587	▲	582	▲	585	▲	554	▲
Chinese Taipei	557	▲	541		559	▲	553	▲
Hong Kong SAR1	554	▲	532		558	▲	560	▲
Japan	548	▲	530	▼	564	▲	529
Russian Federation	546		539		547	▲	536
Latvia2	542		535		544	▲	536
England	542		532	▼	543	▲	538
United States3,4	539		540		534		533
Hungary	536		548	▲	529		517	▼
Italy	535		549	▲	521	▼	526

Table A-16-2. Average science and content domain scale scores of 8th-grade students, by country: 2007

Country (ordered by total score)	Total science		Content domain
			Biology		Chemistry		Physics		Earth science
TIMSS scale average	500	▼	500	▼	500	▼	500		500	▼
Singapore	567	▲	564	▲	560	▲	575	▲	541	▲
Chinese Taipei	561	▲	549	▲	573	▲	554	▲	545	▲
Japan	554	▲	553	▲	551	▲	558	▲	533
Korea, Republic of	553	▲	548	▲	536	▲	571	▲	538	▲
England1	542	▲	541	▲	534	▲	545	▲	529
Hungary	539	▲	534		536	▲	541	▲	531
Czech Republic	539	▲	531		535	▲	537	▲	534	▲
Slovenia	538	▲	530		539	▲	524	▲	542	▲
Hong Kong SAR1,2	530		527		517		528	▲	532
Russian Federation	530	▲	525		535	▲	519	▲	525
United States1,3	520		530		510		503		525

Source: National Center for Education Statistics


Three questions to Governor Haslam and the Tennessee legislature.  (1)  Given the international competition for jobs and innovation, is now the time to water down quality science education?  (2)  Will Tennessee be a place for ground-breaking science and technology if our school-age children continue to fall behind in science? (3)  Who will lead the change in thinking that international business work requires?


In this world of global competition the cheer that "USA is Number One" needs to be in science.