Textbook selection: survival of the fittest.The textbook Living Things Living Things may refer to:
This is the sort of passage that Bill Honig, California's superintendent of public instruction, wants to have changed -- by Oct. 15th--before the Board will reconsider adopting the book. "It's garbage," he told SCIENCE NEWS. "They don't mention evolution or explain what a scientific theory is." His comments come on the heels of the California Board of Education's unanimous vote to reject 24 7th and 8th grade science text books, that six publishers had submitted for state adoption, because of their "watered down" treatment of evolution and human reproduction. The books were also faulted for "systematically omitting" discussion of genetics, cells, human reproduction, sexually transmitted disease sexually transmitted disease (STD) or venereal disease, term for infections acquired mainly through sexual contact. Five diseases were traditionally known as venereal diseases: gonorrhea, syphilis, and the less common granuloma inguinale, and nuclear energy. The issue, says Honig, is not whether evolution should be taught in California public schools, but how well it should be taught. All the publishers who submitted books, a procedure which happens once every six years, were issued a clear set of guidelines guidelines, n.pl a set of standards, criteria, or specifications to be used or followed in the performance of certain tasks. and standards, says Francie Alexander, director of the state office of curriculum framework. The six publishers are Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc. of New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. ; Charles E. Merrill Charles Edward Merrill (October 19, 1885 – October 6 1956) was a philanthropist, stockbroker and one of the founders of Merrill Lynch & Company. Early years Charles E. Merrill, the son of physician Dr. Publishing Co. of Columbus, Ohio Columbus is the capital and the largest city of the American state of Ohio. Named for explorer Christopher Columbus, the city was founded in 1812 at the confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers, and assumed the functions of state capital in 1816. ; Prentice Hall Prentice Hall is a leading educational publisher. It is an imprint of Pearson Education, Inc., based in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, USA. Prentice Hall publishes print and digital content for the 6-12 and higher education market. History In 1913, law professor Dr. Inc. of Englewood Cliffs, N.J; Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc. of New York City; and D.C. Heath Co., Inc. of Lexington, Mass. A spokesperson for Holt would not comment on the changes but said that the company was "pleased" they were so "minimal." But Roger Rogalin, editor-in-chief of D.C. Health Co. said, "We're seeing ambiguity in the guidelines. Although Honig has stated that he wonht accept anything about evolution as theory, we didn't see anything in the guidelines to that effect." The guidelines include the board's "anti-dogmatism policy," which admonishes teachers and publishers that "on the subject of discussing origins of life and earht in public schools, dogmatism dog·ma·tism n. Arrogant, stubborn assertion of opinion or belief. dogmatism 1. a statement of a point of view as if it were an established fact. 2. be changed to conditional statements where speculation is offered as explanation for origins." But the anit-dogmatism policy, Alexander and Honig insist, is not the cause of the problem. "It [the current position] has always been the board's position, because science is by it's nature undogmatic," says Alexander. |
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