From: frankmayo [mailto:frankmayo@sbcglobal.net]
Sent: Sunday, February 01, 2004 4:44 PM
To: Snyder, Judy; Shaw, Robert; Myers, Marsha; Laas, Nan; Duhon,
Eric; Birkel, Jackie; Adams, Joe
Subject: Textbooks
Dear Member of the Katy ISD Board,
It was a pleasure to speak to you briefly at the forum on textbooks during the January 20th Board meeting. I want to provide some additional information and clarification about the biology textbooks than was not possible to provide in that format. First all, the State Board of Education approved the proposed biology textbooks only with the contingency that certain factual errors in these books are corrected by the publishers under the supervision of TEA head, Dr. Robert Scott. You should be aware that none of the publishers have completed this process yet. Nor is it known that any given publisher will complete this revision process in a satisfactory way. It is known that some of the publishers have been quite resistant to making corrections. It is possible that some of the publishers might not, in the end, be approved for use in Texas. The errors in question are related to the way evolution is presented in these biology textbooks. [Emphasis added by TCS] Many of these factual errors stem from the habitual repetition of illustrations of evolution from earlier in the 1900s and even the late 1800s. In many cases later experimental evidence has greatly weakened or invalidated the principles or facts of an illustration. These illustrations have become known as 'icons of evolution'. The history and technical problems in many of these icons are documented by the book, Icons of Evolution, Science or Myth? Why much of what we teach about evolution is wrong, published in 2000 by biologist Dr. Jonathan Wells. In the proposed textbooks some of these 'icons' have in fact been removed from some of the texts. Some of the icon presentations have some clarification added and some have only a one-line disclaimer added. Many of these icons remain unchanged, seriously misrepresenting the scientific facts. One should also recognize that much recent scientific evidence does not support the conventional wisdom that mutations plus natural selection can explain everything about the biological world. Rather, this contrary evidence demands new hypotheses be formulated and evaluated against the available evidence. Most of this contrary evidence is not presented in the biology textbooks at all.
The continued presentation of invalidated 'icons of evolution' and the censoring of modern evidence that is inconvenient to the Neo-Darwinists misinforms and misdirects our students and it limits their ability to think critically or to follow new evidence as it comes along in the future. It also limits their ability to relate scientific evidence to the philosophy, religion and culture of their individual heritage. This is directly contrary to Texas law in Biology TEKS 3(A), which requires: (3) Scientific processes. The student uses critical thinking and scientific problem solving to make informed decisions. The student is expected to: (A) analyze, review, and critique scientific explanations, including hypotheses and theories, as to their strengths and weaknesses using scientific evidence and information;
During the public hearing of the State Board of Education there was a faction that supported the adoption of the textbooks as proposed by the publishers. Among these were many individuals, teachers, and professors that are simply unaware of the evidence that has come to light in the last three decades and so expect the books to tell the same story they learned in school. Many of these individuals are concerned that something might be presented that is contrary with their antitheist worldview. The organizations opposed to change are particularly revealing in this respect. They generally represent atheist or secular humanist worldviews in an aggressive way. The leaders of these organizations have in fact won awards for their activism from the national humanist organizations. The scientist who received more time in front of the Board than any other is Nobel laureate, Steven Weinberg, who is well known to have a life goal to destroy all religion. It has become clear that the opposition to change has a hidden agenda that has nothing to do with good science or following the evidence. In contrast a scientifically sampled Zogby poll of Texas conducted in September 2003 clearly shows that 82% of Texans want the weaknesses of evolution, as well as the strengths, to be presented in the textbooks and the classroom just as is required by TEKS 3(A). The same desire is revealed in polls all across the nation. More than 90% of Congress voted for the Santorum language saying "the curriculum should help students to understand the full range of scientific views that exist" and this was made part of the No Child Left Behind Act. Public officials have an obligation to see to it that students are not misinformed, manipulated and indoctrinated by the dominant religion or worldview or by any other. Public officials have an obligation to implement TEKS 3(A). This is the basis of the ongoing process of reviewing and correcting factual errors. For your consideration Texans for Better Science Education provides on the TBSE web site, www.StrengthsAndWeaknesses.com <http://www.strengthsandweaknesses.com/>, detailed reviews of the evolution content of the biology textbooks as the publishers proposed them.
I would like to suggest that the Katy ISD Board consider the possibility that it would be better to postpone purchase of new biology textbooks until next year when we will know as fact which publishers have successfully completed the correction process on which approval is contingent. [Emphasis added by TCS]
I would also like to suggest two videos that make an excellent presentation of the scientific issues involved in the evolution debate. These are Unlocking the Mystery of Life and Icons of Evolution available from the Discovery Institute at <http://www.discovery.org/csc/>. These videos make an excellent way for the Board Members, teachers, and students to become familiar with the most important scientific issues that are typically in error or missing altogether from the textbooks. For your convenience I will mail one copy of each video to the Board Secretary for your use. Further, the material in these two videos could be used as a supplement to the textbook in use. Given the limited progress that is likely to be made in correcting errors, such a supplement will be needed to fulfill the requirements of TEKS 3(A).
Finally, much more information on all of the issues above is available at the Texans for Better Science Education web site, www.StrengthsAndWeaknesses.com <http://www.strengthsandweaknesses.com/>. In addition I would be happy to provide any assistance that might be desired. Frank Mayo 281-589-8048 h 281-552-3727 w frankmayo@sbcglobal.net Texans for Better Science Education
[Texas Citizens for Science has been told that the Katy ISD Board members were previously aware of Frank Mayo's unscientific creationist beliefs and background, and gave his presentation little value. For the sake of better science education in Texas, let us hope so. -- Steven Schafersman, TCS President]