New Study Gives Low Grades To States On Evolution.

A new study reports that a third of the states are doing an "unsatisfactory" job of developing standards for the teaching of evolution in public schools.

According to a study released Sept. 26 by the Thomas Fordham Foundation, 19 states do a poor job of including evolutionary biology in their science standards, making it "nearly impossible" to teach the subject properly. Of those states, 10 never use the word "evolution" and three entirely avoid teaching the subject.

Kansas, which came under international criticism for science standards prepared with assistance from a creationist group, got the study's lowest grade and had its standards described as "disgraceful."

The results of the research were presented in a 51-page report by Lawrence Lerner, a professor emeritus at California State University, Long Beach, and became the centerpiece of a symposium hosted by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. (The full report is available online at http://www.edexcellence.net)

"Almost all science is the study of the evolution of one system or another," Lerner said. "Given the far-reaching ramifications of evolution in the life sciences -- to say nothing of the other historical sciences -- a complete and proper exposition of evolution is an essential constituent of state science standards. Short-changing, distorting, or omitting evolution indeed harms the teaching of the life sciences."

The study covered the science curricula of 49 states and the District of Columbia. California, Connecticut, Indiana, New Jersey, North Carolina and Rhode Island were given the highest scores in the nation.

The report came as something of a surprise to many familiar with the work of the Thomas Fordham Foundation. Chester E. Finn, president of the foundation, is rarely on the side of church-state separation and is in fact an aggressive proponent of religious school voucher subsidies.