No evolution theory in US kids146; science curriculum

Cox said the curriculum changes were aimed to take pressure off teachers 8216;8216;on the front lines8217;8217; in Georgia classrooms. The state8217;s curriculum specialist, Stephen Pruitt, said the word 8216;8216;evolution8217;8217; would not be banned in the classroom. 8216;8216;I believe we are dissecting the Theory of Evolution to look at its pieces,8217;8217; Pruitt said.

On Thursday, 1,000 people had signed an online petition demanding the restoration of the omitted sections. A handful of states avoid using the word 8216;8216;evolution8217;8217; in teaching plans, replacing it with euphemisms like 8216;8216;biological adaptation8217;8217; or 8216;8216;change over time.8217;8217;

Georgia, however, would be the first state to remove the word 8216;8216;evolution8217;8217; from teaching plans after including it for years. The revised curriculum was a major initiative for Cox, a Republican who was elected to the school post in 2002. For six months, panels of educators met to fine-tune the new curriculum. But the final version eliminated large swaths of information about the origin of life, including Gregor Mendel8217;s identification of genes, the appearance of primitive life forms four billion years ago, and the long-term dynamics of evolution. 8212;LAT-WP