Dear Members of the State Board of Education:
We, the undersigned faculty members of the University of Texas at Austin, view with dismay the unnecessary controversy that has arisen over the selection of textbooks for use in high schools in Texas. The scientific education of students should be as thorough and rigorous as possible. This means that students should have full exposure to contemporary evolutionary theory from which there is no scientifically credible dissent nor is there any empirical evidence that would make such dissent plausible.
We also believe that scientific methodology should be adequately taught to high school students, as required by the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. Spurious challenges to evolutionary theory do not belong in the textbooks used in classes. They confuse central issues of scientific methodology and theory. Texas students deserve to learn and must learn the basics of sound science, if they are to be competitive in today's ever more challenging job market, a market which demands considerable scientific sophistication from employees. We therefore urge the Texas State Board of Education to reject attempts made by individuals and groups such as the Discovery Institute to inject false or misleading materials into the textbooks.
Sincerely,
[Signed by 136 University of Texas at Austin professors of all disciplines, primarily scientists]
Contact:
Sahotra Sarkar
Section of Integrative Biology and
Department of Philosophy
University of Texas at Austin
Office phone: 512-232-7122
Lab phone: 512-471-7068
Lab phone: 512-232-7101
Email: sarkar@mail.utexas.edu