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From NSTA Member Email
August 8, 2005

President Bush Ignites Firestorm with Comments About Intelligent Design

President Bush ignited a media firestorm last week when he voiced his support for Intelligent Design. When asked by reporters whether he believed both evolution and intelligent design should be taught in schools, Bush replied that he did so that people can understand what the debate is about. The response from the scientific and education communities was immediate and fierce. Statements by NSTA, the American Physical Society (APS), American Geophysical Union (AGU), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Americans United for the Separation of Church and State (AU), American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), and others helped to shape the controversy for millions nationwide. A statement was also issued by the National Congress on Science Education (NCSE), which is comprised of representatives from NSTA Chapters and Associated Groups.

In a statement released on August 3, NSTA indicated that it was stunned and disappointed that President Bush is endorsing intelligent design effectively opening the door for nonscientific ideas to be taught in the nations K-12 science classrooms.

"It is simply not fair to present pseudoscience to students in the science classroom," said NSTA President Mike Padilla. "Nonscientific viewpoints have little value in increasing students' knowledge of the natural world."

To read the NSTA statement, go to http://www.nsta.org/pressroom&news_story_ID=50794. To read statements issued by other organizations, go to the following links:

• American Physical Society
• American Geophysical Union
• American Federation of Teachers
• Americans United for the Separation of Church and State
• American Institute of Biological Sciences
• To view the statement by the NCSE, click here.

NSTA also contributed to numerous news articles, including the cover story in this week's issue of TIME magazine. To read a few of the many news articles generated from Bush's comments, go to the NSTA News Digest at http://www.nsta.org/main/news/stories/education_story.php?news_story_ID=50796.