l****z
发帖数: 29846 | 1 May 8, 2014 - 6:36 PM
By BOB MOEN, Associated Press
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming, the nation's top coal-producing state, is
the first to reject new K-12 science standards proposed by national
education groups mainly because of global warming components.
The Wyoming Board of Education decided recently that the Next Generation
Science Standards need more review after questions were raised about the
treatment of man-made global warming.
Board President Ron Micheli said the review will look into whether "we can't
get some standards that are Wyoming standards and standards we all can be
proud of."
Others see the decision as a blow to science education in Wyoming.
"The science standards are acknowledged to be the best to prepare our kids
for the future, and they are evidence based, peer reviewed, etc. Why would
we want anything less for Wyoming?" Marguerite Herman, a proponent of the
standards, said.
Twelve states have adopted the standards since they were released in April
2013 with the goal of improving science education, and Wyoming is the first
to reject them, Chad Colby, spokesman for Achieve, one of the organizations
that helped write the standards.
"The standards are what students should be expected to know at the end of
each grade, but how a teacher teaches them is still up to the local
districts and the states, and even the teachers in most cases," Colby said.
But the global warming and evolution components have created pushback around
the country.
Amy Edmonds, of the Wyoming Liberty Group, said teaching "one view of what
is not settled science about global warming" is just one of a number of
problems with the standards.
"I think Wyoming can do far better," Edmonds said.
Wyoming produces almost 40 percent of the nation's coal, with much of it
used by power plants to provide electricity around the nation. Minerals
taxes on coal provided $1 billion to the state and local governments in 2012
and coal mining supports some 6,900 jobs in the state.
Burning coal to generate electricity produces large amounts of CO2, which is
considered a heat-trapping gas in the atmosphere. Most scientists recognize
that man-made CO2 emissions contribute to global warming. However, the
degree to which it can be blamed for global warming is in dispute among some
scientists.
Gov. Matt Mead has called federal efforts to curtail greenhouse emissions a
"war on coal" and has said that he's skeptical about man-made climate change.
This past winter, state lawmakers approved budget wording that sought to
stop adoption of the standards.
"Wyoming is certainly unique in having legislators and the governor making
comments about perceived impacts on the fossil fuel industry of kids
learning climate science, and unique in acting on that one objection to
prohibit consideration of the package of standards, of which climate science
is a small component," said John Friedrich, a member of the national
organization Climate Parents, which supports the standards.
Friedrich and Colby noted that oil and gas industry giants Exxon Mobile and
Chevron support the standards.
Opponents argue the standards incorrectly assert that man-made emissions are
the main cause of global warming and shouldn't be taught in a state that
derives much of its school funding from the energy industry.
"I think those concepts should be taught in science; I just think they
should be taught as theory and not as scientific fact," state Rep. Matt
Teeters, R-Lingle, said.
Paul Bruno, an eighth-grade California science teacher who reviewed the
standards for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, said the climate-change
components can cause confusion because they are difficult to navigate.
The Fordham Institute, a conservative think tank, gave the standards a "C''
grade.
While the standards overall are "mediocre," Bruno said they are being "a
little bit unfairly impugned on more controversial topics like climate
change or evolution."
The standards for high school assert that models predict human activity is
contributing to climate change, but leave an "appropriate amount of
uncertainty" and note that it's important to factor in costs, reliability
and other issues when considering global warming solutions, he said.
"And so I think it's fair to say that the Next Generation Standards at least
make gestures in the direction of wanting to accommodate those potentially
skeptical viewpoints, particularly when it comes to things like energy
production," Bruno said. | a**e
发帖数: 8800 | 2 还在推globe warming? 这些人瞎了心了。
't
【在 l****z 的大作中提到】
: May 8, 2014 - 6:36 PM
: By BOB MOEN, Associated Press
: CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming, the nation's top coal-producing state, is
: the first to reject new K-12 science standards proposed by national
: education groups mainly because of global warming components.
: The Wyoming Board of Education decided recently that the Next Generation
: Science Standards need more review after questions were raised about the
: treatment of man-made global warming.
: Board President Ron Micheli said the review will look into whether "we can't
: get some standards that are Wyoming standards and standards we all can be
|
|
