Dear Commons Community,

Referencing an article that appeared in the January 28, 2011 edition of the journal Science, Dennis Robbins (Hunter College) passed on the findings of a recent study of  high school biology teachers that found  that 13 percent of them advocated teaching creationism  in their course.  Of greater concern, 60 percent of them are cautious about teaching evolution.  You can access the actual Science article  here, but unfortunately it is behind a pay wall.  The abstract of the article is below:

“Just over 5 years ago, the scientific community turned its attention to a courtroom in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Eleven parents sued their Dover, Pennsylvania, school board to overturn a policy explicitly legitimizing intelligent design creationism. The case, Kitzmiller v. Dover, followed a familiar script: Local citizens wanted their religious values validated by the science curriculum; prominent academics testified to the scientific consensus on evolution; and creationists lost decisively. Intelligent design was not science, held the court, but rather an effort to advance a religious view via public schools, a violation of the U.S. Constitution’s Establishment Clause Many scientists cheered the decision, agreeing with the court that the school board displayed “breathtaking inanity”. We suggest that the cheering was premature and the victory incomplete.”

Tony