Comments on: Science Education Progress http://scienceprogress.org/2010/01/science-education-progress/ Tue, 13 Sep 2011 13:59:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Tom K http://scienceprogress.org/2010/01/science-education-progress/comment-page-1/#comment-6713 Tom K Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:06:02 +0000 http://www.scienceprogress.org/?p=5117#comment-6713 I fear for the future of the U.S. Our science education is constantly under attack from within our borders. There are some who hold religious beliefs who deserve to be ridiculed - the idea that man and dinosaurs walked the earth at the same time?! Yet, as a percentage of the population, it seems that these beliefs are gaining. Only a small fraction of the U.S. population believes in evolution. As the basis for biology and medicine, that's a very sad fact. But, not only is science education under attack from some religious groups, but it's also under attack by our very own policies. Recently, a school district in California decided to eliminate science labs and advanced science electives - because white and Asian students were exceling in their district, but they needed to put more money into remediation of black and Latino students who weren't as successful in the very same district. At the price of not sounding politically correct, it's time that we realize that we need to stop diverting so much of the money in education toward lifting up groups of people who place minimal value on education, and instead, redirect some of that money back toward our top students - the students who will be the innovators of tomorrow & will continue to make our nation a prosperous one. Those groups that are receiving a disproportionate amount of education dollars are still not doing well, and the cost is born by our top students - the students who will lead our nation tomorrow - in the form of greatly decreased opportunities. I fear for the future of the U.S. Our science education is constantly under attack from within our borders. There are some who hold religious beliefs who deserve to be ridiculed – the idea that man and dinosaurs walked the earth at the same time?! Yet, as a percentage of the population, it seems that these beliefs are gaining. Only a small fraction of the U.S. population believes in evolution. As the basis for biology and medicine, that’s a very sad fact.

But, not only is science education under attack from some religious groups, but it’s also under attack by our very own policies. Recently, a school district in California decided to eliminate science labs and advanced science electives – because white and Asian students were exceling in their district, but they needed to put more money into remediation of black and Latino students who weren’t as successful in the very same district.

At the price of not sounding politically correct, it’s time that we realize that we need to stop diverting so much of the money in education toward lifting up groups of people who place minimal value on education, and instead, redirect some of that money back toward our top students – the students who will be the innovators of tomorrow & will continue to make our nation a prosperous one. Those groups that are receiving a disproportionate amount of education dollars are still not doing well, and the cost is born by our top students – the students who will lead our nation tomorrow – in the form of greatly decreased opportunities.

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