At the February meeting of the Ohio Board of Education, the "Critical Analysis of Evolution" lesson plan was deleted from the state board-approved curriculum, along with Indicator 23 and part of Benchmark H. The Board's Achievement Committee was charged with considering

... whether the deleted model lesson, Benchmark H and Indicator 23 should be replaced by a different lesson, benchmark, and indicator, and if so, to present any recommendation to the entire State Board for adoption.

In the July 10 meeting of the Achievement Committee, board member Colleen Grady submitted for discussion an amendment to an existing indicator:

Describe that scientists may disagree about explanations of phenomena, about interpretation of data or about the value of rival theories, but they do agree that questioning, response to criticism and open communication are integral to the process of science.

According to a version made available to some board members before the meeting, the amendment added:

Discuss and be able to apply this in the following areas:
Earth and Space
a) Global warming
Life Sciences
a) Evolutionary Theory
Physical Sciences
No indicators in grade 10
Science and Technology
a) Emerging technologies and how they may impact society, e.g. cloning or stem cell research

The version submitted to the Achievement Committee on July 10 omitted the references to cloning and stem cell research. The committee took no action on the proposal, but will be reconsidering it at its next meeting in September.

Here is an audio recording of the relevant portion of the Achievement Committee meeting, in mp3 format.

The Playboy Foundation has announced the winners of the 2006 Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Awards. One of the award winners is Patricia Princehouse, a founding member of Ohio Citizens for Science.

The Playboy Foundation's press release includes this commendation:

Patricia Princehouse, Ph.D. (Education): The leader of Ohio Citizens for Science who, seeing a profound and rising challenge to the separation of church and state in American schools, organized a successful coalition to preserve science education in Ohio's public schools.

Congratulations Patricia!

Patricia's acceptance speech has been posted at The Nation.

See also Why We Do This at Panda's Thumb.

Steven G. Gey is the David and Deborah Fonvielle and Donald and Janet Hinkle Professor at the Florida State University College of Law.

He is a leading scholar on the ramifications of "intelligent design" education, and Ohio policy after the Dover, PA decision on evolution education.

Thursday, March 16, 7:00 p.m.
Saxbe Auditorium
Drinko Hall
Moritz College of Law
The Ohio State University
(55 W. 12th Avenue, between High St. and College Ave.)

Flyer for Gey lecture

Sponsored by:
Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society
Ohio Citizens for Science
Graduate Students of Anthropology Association

Speciation

At the February 14 meeting of the Ohio Board of Education, the Achievement Committee was charged with considering whether the deleted lesson plan Critical Analysis of Evolution should be replaced by a different lesson, and if so to present any recommendation to the entire State Board for adoption.

The following lesson plan has been prepared by OCS member Steve Rissing as an example of such a replacement lesson. It shows how current areas of active inquiry and discussion in biology can be presented with grade-appropriate rigor in a pedagogically effective manner. The first two files are in Microsoft Word format.

Speciation Lesson - Teacher Version

Speciation Lesson - Student Version

Supplemental PowerPoint: How New Species Form

OCS members Ted Scharf and Phil Geis have prepared an essay Evolution vs. Young Earth and Intelligent Design Creationism in Ohio's Public School Curriculum: Finding the Common Ground. Portions of this appeared as an op-ed in The Cincinnati Enquirer on January 29, 2006.

Common Ground

Kitzmiller Analysis - rtf file

Kitzmiller Analysis - pdf file

On February 14, 2006 the Ohio Board of Education voted to delete the model lesson plan Critical Analysis of Evolution and the "critical-analysis" portions of the standards. Ohio Citizens for Science has prepared an unofficial transcript of this historic debate and vote:
Transcript

The transcript was based on an mp3 recording made by OCS member Richard Hoppe:
Recording

The transcript refers to a document Analysis of Ohio's "Critical-Analysis" Standard and Lesson Plan, which was distributed to board members at the meeting. It is available here as a pdf document:
Critical Analysis Analysis

During the board meeting, posters prepared by Ohio Citizens for Science were on display. The following page contains these posters, as well as the cartoon commentary of Hank and Tom McIver.
Posters & Cartoon

At the February 14, 2006 meeting of the Ohio Board of Education, the creationist lesson plan Critical Analysis of Evolution was deleted, by a vote of 11-4, from the model curriculum.

How the school board members voted

An audio recording of the Board of Education debate and vote (mp3 format)

The lesson plan had been linked to the following indicator in the Academic Content Standards:

Describe how scientists continue to investigate and critically analyze aspects of evolutionary theory. (The intent of this indicator does not mandate the teaching of intelligent design.)

The same resolution that called for the deletion of the lesson plan also called for deletion of this indicator and the same wording in Benchmark H. All are now gone.

Ohio Citizens for Science has put out this press release:

For Immediate Release

The Directors and members of Ohio Citizens for Science applaud the Ohio State Board of Education for removing the creationist material from the State Standards and Model Curriculum.

We are pleased that Members of the Board have affirmed the importance of honest science education in Ohio public schools, and we stand ready to assist the Board however we can in advancing that effort.

We are still vigilant, as are our allies. Efforts to undermine excellent science education will not stop here, and as Kansas learned to its regret, relaxation can be dangerous. We urge the Board, the Ohio Department of Education, and concerned citizens to continue to work to improve Ohio's public schools.

Here is the text of the resolution approved by the Ohio Board of Education

Resolved, that the Superintendent of Public Instruction be, and she hereby is, directed to take the following actions immediately:

1) Delete the model lesson plan, Critical Analysis of Evolution, from the state board-approved curriculum and remove its availability from print sources, technology sources, and any other Ohio Board of Education/Ohio Department of Education mechanism that makes it available for use;

2) Delete the following sentences from Grade 10 Life Science Benchmark H: "Describe how scientists continue to investigate and critically analyze aspects of evolutionary theory. (The intent of this benchmark does not mandate the teaching or testing of intelligent design.)", and delete Indicator 23 in its entirety, and adjust all print sources, technology sources, and any other Ohio Board of Education/Ohio Department of Education documents to reflect the removal;

3) The Achievement Committee of the Sate Board of Education is charged to consider whether the deleted model lesson, Benchmark H and Indicator 23 should be replaced by a different lesson, benchmark, and indicator, and if so, to present any recommendation to the entire State Board for adoption;

4) Communicate the fact of the above actions to all public school superintendents and high school principals in Ohio.

Continue reading ...

Weird Science: How "Intelligent Design" Got A Toehold In Ohio Public Schools, and What's Being Done To Dislodge It

The Cleveland Free Times of February 1, 2006 had a cover story on the evolution of Ohio's creationist lesson plan and standards.

See Weird Science

Members of the Ohio Science Standards Advisory Committee today called upon Ohio Governor Bob Taft to remove a benchmark, indicator and lesson from Ohio's science standards and endorsed curriculum. The material, they say, is "wholly without merit" and "embodies intelligent design creationism poorly concealed in scientific sounding jargon."

Continue reading ...

Lawrence Krauss of Case Western Reserve University spoke at the Cleveland City Club on February 3 about the evolution/ID issue.

You can see a video of the event on PBS (WVIZ) on Sunday morning (February 5) at 10 AM. You can also listen on Sunday at 11 AM on 1420 AM (WRMR)

Today's (Feb 3) Columbus Dispatch is reporting that Governor Taft has concluded that intelligent design should not be taught in Ohio schools. He has called for a legal review of the creationism-based model lesson plan to assess Ohio's vulnerability to a lawsuit.

He also said that he would look more closely at prospective appointees to the Ohio State Board of Education.

We welcome the Governor's actions, and hope that he follows through. We have one reservation. The "critically evaluate" benchmark, H23 in the 10th grade biology standards, is the product of intelligent design creationists, and was the gateway through which a writing team dominated by intelligent design creationists wedged the offending model lesson plan. The lesson plan is not the root problem. It is an implementation of a flawed benchmark that allows and encourages trash science in Ohio science classrooms.

Continue reading ...

An Inside Look at the Dover Intelligent Design Case and What it Means for Ohio

Extra: Lead Plaintif Tammy Kitzmiller to Speak

Eric Rothschild, the lead ACLU attorney in the Dover PA creationism trial, will speak on An Inside Look at the Dover Intelligent Design Case and What it Means for Ohio at Tifereth Israel (1354 E. Broad Street, Columbus, OH 43203) on Sunday, February 12th, at 3 p.m. He will be accompanied by Tammy Kitzmiller, the lead plaintiff.

Also, Dr. Hillel Chiel, an Orthodox Jewish biologist from Case Western Reserve University will give a talk Religion vs Evolution: An Unnecessary Struggle for Survival.

A reception and discussion period will follow the talks. We are making arrangements for Rothschild and Kitzmiller to be available to the press.

The event is free and open to the public.

Why is this issue taking up so much of the time of the Ohio Board of Education? Why is the opposition to creationism so adamant that the Critical Analysis of Evoluton benchmark must be deleted? Come to the talk, bring your questions, and help us defend science education, and the separation of church and state, in Ohio.

3 p.m., Sunday, February 12, 2006
Tifereth Israel
1354 E. Broad Street
Columbus, OH 43203

Co-sponsored by Ohio Citizens for Science and the National Council of Jewish Women-Columbus Section.

Download a pdf flyer advertising this event and distribute it as widely as possible.

An Inside Look at the Dover Intelligent Design Case and What it Means for Ohio

Eric Rothschild, the lead ACLU attorney in the Dover PA creationism trial, will speak on An Inside Look at the Dover Intelligent Design Case and What it Means for Ohio at Tifereth Israel (1354 E. Broad Street, Columbus, OH 43203) on Sunday, February 12th, at 3 p.m. Also, Dr. Hillel Chiel, an Orthodox Jewish biologist from Case Western Reserve University will give a talk Religion vs Evolution: An Unnecessary Struggle for Survival.

A reception and discussion period will follow the talks. It's free and open to the public.

Why is this issue taking up so much of the time of the Ohio Board of Education? Why is the opposition to creationism so adamant that the Critical Analysis of Evoluton benchmark must be deleted? Come to the talk, bring your questions, and help us defend science education, and the separation of church and state, in Ohio.

3 p.m., Sunday, February 12, 2006
Tifereth Israel
1354 E. Broad Street
Columbus, OH 43203

Co-sponsored by Ohio Citizens for Science and the National Council of Jewish Women.

If you do speak up, you can make a change
She's the name in the news, but it wasn't about fame
CHRISTINA KAUFFMAN - The York Dispatch

Creationism, Intelligent Design, Evolution - What Should We Teach?

The National Debate about the teaching of evolution continues to rage. School boards, communities, teachers, and parents grapple with questions such as: What does evolutionary biology teach us? What does it imply? Should creationism and intelligent design be taught as alternative explanations? Eugenie C. Scott, Ph.D., will discuss the scientific, educational, historical, legal, religious, and social aspects of this debate. Students, parents, teachers, and administrators will learn how to address questions and concerns about these thought-provoking topics

The author of Evolution vs. Creationism: An Introduction, Dr. Scott is Executive Director of the National Center for Science Education, a nonprofit organization based in Oakland, California, that works to educate the press and public about the creationism and evolution controversy and to promote rigorous science education. A former university professor, Dr. Scott has brought her insights as both a researcher and an activist to the creationism/evolution debate for over 20 years.

5:30 p.m.
Friday, January 27, 2006
Medical Sciences Auditorium
Wright State University

Lecture free and open to the public.

In December 2005, the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation released the report The State of State Science Standards, in which Ohio's science standards received a grade of B.

The study's principal author, Paul R. Gross, has issued the following statement:

In the recent report, “The State of State Science Standards” (Washington, DC: Thomas B. Fordham Institute, 2005), of which I am the lead author, we issued a grade of “B” for the Ohio standards. This was in recognition of documents unnecessarily long and with some errors, but dedicated, on the whole, to good and sufficient science content. My distinguished colleagues, members of the expert advisory committee, join me in the statement that follows.

The standards we reviewed present evolutionary biology well enough, and start it early enough, although the treatment is rather thin in relevant molecular genetics. In one benchmark, there is a mention of “critical analysis” of “aspects of evolutionary theory.” We gave Ohio the benefit of the doubt that such ordinarily innocuous words might raise in the current political climate. After all, modern evolutionary biology includes, in fact comprises, “critical analysis of evolutionary theory,” just as modern physics includes critical analysis of relativity and quantum theory. Serious science is a continuous critical analysis.

But the benefit of doubt we gave the benchmark may have been a mistake. Creationism-inspired “critical analysis” of evolutionary biology - as has been shown over and over again in the scientific literature, and recently in a Pennsylvania Federal Court - is neither serious criticism nor serious analysis. The newest version of creationism, so-called Intelligent Design (ID) theory, is no exception. Like its predecessors, it is neither critical nor analytic, nor has it made any contribution to the literature of science. Any suggestion that our “B” grade for Ohio’s standards endorses sham critiques of evolution, as offered by creationists, is false.

To the extent that model lessons are to be provided in Ohio as curricular guidance, lessons that refer favorably to, or incorporate, sham critiques of evolution, or bad science, or pseudo-science, the standards we reviewed are contradicted. That part of the state’s science education will be a failure. Moreover it will reflect badly on the entire standards undertaking, not just on biology and evolution. To devote scores of pages in the official standards to the principles of good science, and then to teach bad or pseudo-science in the classroom, is to defeat the very purpose of standards. If creationism-driven arguments become an authorized extension of Ohio’s K-12 science standards, then the standards will deserve a failing grade.

Paul R. Gross
University Professor of Life Sciences, emeritus
University of Virginia

The creationist lesson plan Critical Analysis of Evolution remains in Ohio's science curriculum, as a model for the science standards. The Fordham Foundation has not indicated that they plan to revise Ohio's grade in the report. But, based on the above statement by the authors of the report, the standards deserve a grade of F.

A motion to remove the Critical Analysis of Evolution lesson plan from the science curriculum was defeated 8-9 at the Ohio Board of Education meeting on January 10, 2006. The motion was sponsored by District 2 board member Martha Wise, of Avon, Ohio. It was not originally on the agenda, but was added as an emergency measure because of the potential for litigation after the Kitzmiller v. Dover decision.

Here's how the school board members voted

Board members were informed of the records obtained by Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Most members seemed unaware that Ohio Department of Education staff scientists had labelled items in the lesson plan as lies and as religiously motivated. Board member Michael Cochran tried to claim this was only hearsay, but quickly fell silent when copies of the staff scientists' notes were passed around.

Several OCS members were present and spoke at the public participation session at the end of the meeting. Because the motion was not an agenda item, there was no opportunity for them to speak before the vote.

During the public participation session, anthropolgy professor and OCS member Jeff McKee spoke on behalf of the Senate of The Ohio State University. Board members Deborah Owens Fink and Michael Cochran took the opportunity to launch a vicious personal attack on Jeff. It was a disgraceful performance.

Another disgraceful performance: Board members Richard Baker and Michael Cochran showed their public disdain for the proceedings by ostentatiously reading newspapers during the proceedings. Fortunately, the Columbus Dispatch captured Baker in the act and plastered the picture on the front page of their January 11 edition:

Richard E. Baker, a member of the State Board of Education, displays his apparent lack of interest in arguments for changing the state's science standards being put forth by fellow board member Martha W. Wise. Baker, who later voted to maintain the current standards, did not speak during yesterday's afternoon session, choosing instead to read the newspaper throughout.
TOM DODGE | DISPATCH

We will be keeping the pressure on. Although it went against us, the creationists seemed to be rattled by the closeness of the vote. Deborah Owens-Fink in particular gave us some good quotes. She linked evolution to atheism and stated that evolution was singled out for critical analysis because "only evolution is taught dogmatically." This should prove useful if there's a trial.

Ohio's board of education will meet next Tuesday Jan 10 in Columbus to decide whether to comply with the recent federal court ruling against intelligent-design creationism and its disingenuous "teach the controversy" ploy. The location is:

Conference Center
Ohio School for the Deaf
500 Morse Road
Columbus, Ohio

Please take two actions immediately to promote their compliance with the law and save the state of Ohio from a multimillion dollar lawsuit they will surely lose:

• Plan to attend the meeting. You can arrive around 1pm and speak out in "Public commentary on non-action items", or you can arrive any time after 8 am, and plan to stay all day or any portion thereof. (Public comments might begin as early as 11 am)
  
  
• Please write TODAY to board members and Attorney General Jim Petro

Demand that the board stop using the government to promote religion by damaging public understanding of science.

Ask Ohio's top lawyer, Attorney General Jim Petro, to stand up for Ohio's children, for freedom of religion, for science and industry, and for our future. Mr. Petro is in a unique position to understand the import of the ruling and to counsel the board accordingly. As a candidate for Governor, Petro should be eager to take a leadership position in his area of expertise. (See sample letter here.)

To get contact information for Board of Education members or Governor Taft, click on the Board of Education link at the top of this page. The following pdf file also conatins Board of Education Contact Information

The sample letter to Jim Petro includes contact information for the Attorney General.

See why Ohio Department of Education's own scientists have called parts of this lesson "lies" and thinly veiled attempts to teach "Intelligent Design" Creationism in Ohio's Public Schools

Come Learn What You Can Do to Help Correct This!

Sunday, 8 January 2006, 7:00 PM
First Unitarian Universalist Church
93 W. Weiseheimer Rd.
Columbus, OH
(near the Park of Roses)

And

Monday, 9 January 2006, 7:00 PM
Embassy Suites Hotel
2700 Corporate Exchange Dr.
Columbus, OH
(near Cleveland Ave. and I-270)

Presented by Ohio Citizens for Science

Public Welcome and Invited
Admission is Free

Information (pdf files):
Dover-Ohio Comparisons
Dover-Ohio Comparisons: Highlights

Ken Miller's Cleveland talk

See the webcast free online:
Windows Media Player
Real Player

Kenneth R. Miller, professor of biology at Brown University, author of the high school biology textbook Biology: The Living Science, and a witness in the recent court case over intelligent design in Dover, PA.

Case Western Reserve University hosted this talk on January 3, 2006, in Cleveland, Ohio. Kenneth R. Miller is professor of biology at Brown University and author of the high school biology textbook Biology: The Living Science. He was the lead witness in the recent court case over intelligent design in Dover, PA. ID was declared religion, not science, and is now prohibited.

Miller spoke on the scientific bankruptcy of intelligent design, and the implications of the recent Dover "Panda Trial" in Pennsylvania for Ohio's biology standards.

The Scientific Evidence of Intelligent Design

Kenneth R. Miller, professor of biology at Brown University, author of the high school biology textbook Biology: The Living Science, and a witness in the recent court case over Intelligent Design in Dover, PA.

We have word that Miller's intended opponent may not be able to make it. If he doesn't, Miller will still speak on the scientific bankruptcy of intelligent design, and the implications of the recent Dover "Panda Trial" in PA for Ohio's biology curriculum.

Tuesday, January 3, 7 p.m.
Strosacker Auditorium
Case Western University
Cleveland, Ohio

Free and open to the public

The Scientific Evidence of Intelligent Design

Kenneth R. Miller, professor of biology at Brown University, author of the high school biology textbook Biology: The Living Science, and a witness in the recent court case over Intelligent Design in Dover, PA; and

William Dembski, the Carl F. H. Henry Professor of Science and Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY, and a senior fellow with the Discovery Institute.

Tuesday, January 3, 7 p.m.
Strosacker Auditorium
Case Western University
Cleveland, Ohio

Free and open to the public

We challenge the top "intelligent-designists" to a debate of the scientific evidence for intelligent design, to be held at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland the first week of January.

Patricia Princehouse, Department of Biology at Case Western Reserve University, has issued this challenge in the pages of USA Today

Here's the full text of her letter, written in response to a column by Cal Thomas and Bob Beckel.

See also this story at Panda's Thumb.

More information about this challenge will be posted as it comes available.

Emails show Taft's office manipulated Board of Education; suggest ties to larger movement to undermine the integrity and legitimacy of teacher education in Ohio at the service of the extreme Religious Right.

The August 16, 2005 edition of The Columbus Dispatch features a front-page story

Ohio Citizens for Science has isssued a Press Release giving more details:

On the heels of George W. Bush's declared support for teaching "intelligent-design" creationism, newly released public records confirm that Governor Bob Taft's office manipulated the Ohio Board of Education during the writing of the state's science standards. Taft's office orchestrated a compromise that resulted in the inclusion of the religious pseudoscience "intelligent-design" in Ohio's 10th-grade public school curriculum, and misrepresented Taft's role in the process.

"I always figured Taft was behind it. But until now, we didn't have any proof. Now we know Taft's office was negotiating directly with creationist board members while preventing his appointees from voting their consciences," said Patricia Princehouse, an evolutionary biologist at Case Western Reserve University, and a founding member of Ohio Citizens for Science.

Continue reading...

In January, 2005, the U.S. District Court in Atlanta ordered the removal of evolution disclaimer stickers from biology textbooks in Cobb County, Georgia. An HTML version of the text of the decision is available at talkorigins.org.

The case is now before the U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. Ohio Citizens for Science has joined eleven other citizens groups in an amici curiae brief in this appeal. Click here for a pdf version of the brief.

Bryan Leonard, a candidate for a Ph.D. in Science Education at The Ohio State University, has had his dissertation defense postponed at the request of his advisor. Leonard's main research question is:

When students are taught the scientific data both supporting and challenging macroevolution, do they maintain or change their beliefs over time? What empirical, cognitive and/or social factors influence students' beliefs?

Leonard is principal author of the controversial lesson plan "Critical Analysis of Evolution" that was approved by the Ohio Board of Education in March 2004. He recently testified in hearings before the Kansas Board of Education about the lesson plan and his dissertation.

For a critique of the lesson plan, go to Lesson plan critique

Click here for a pdf version of Leonard's testimony.

Leonard's dissertation defense was postponed after questions were raised about the composition of his dissertation committee and about the ethics of misleading high school students about a fundamental principal of biology.

For more information, see the stories at The Panda's Thumb:

• ID vs. Academic Integrity: Gaming the System in Ohio
• The DI Spins Academic Freedom
• Spinning the truth the DI way

The PowerPoint presentation Evolution and Creationism in Ohio's Public School Curriculum is presented in two parts: 1) science and religion, and 2) politics. The presentation provides an overview of events relevant to Ohio, with some specific examples from southwestern Ohio.

Part One, "science and religion" is built around Kelly Smith's short piece in RNCSE: Smith, K.C. (2000). Can Intelligent Design become respectable? Reports of the National Center for Science Education. v.20, no.4. July/August, 2000, pp. 40-43.

Part Two, "politics" summarizes a few important national events and then focuses on activities of the Ohio State Board of Education.

The PowerPoint presentation takes approximately two hours including questions along the way. Please refer to the speaker's notes in the presentation for additional details. For colleagues both in Ohio and beyond, this presentation is probably most useful as a resource to develop a presentation for your own audiences. The speaker's notes contain specific suggestions for modifications and revisions.

Comments and suggestions are invited. Contact:

Ted Scharf

tscharf@cinci.rr.com

In honor of Darwin's 196th birthday, February 12th, 2005:

• Darwin Day at Case Western Reserve University
• Other Darwin Day Events in Ohio

The conflict between science and religion, which gave rise to the anti-evolution "Critical Analysis" lesson plan, was examined at a symposium at Case Western Reserve University over the weekend of October 15-17, 2004.

The symposium title was "Evolution and God: 150 Years of Love and War Between Science and Religion." Its goal was to explore both the conflict and cohesion between evolutionary theory and religion, and to provide accurate information about the theological, historical & philosophical relations of evolutionary theory. This should help to counter the falsehoods spread by anti-evolution fundamentalists. Detailed information on the symposium and an order form for the video is in the symposium press release..

For 3 months, the Ohio Dept of Education has been delaying its response to requests by the ACLU and Americans United for Separation of Church and State for documents pertaining to the creationist lesson plan adopted by the Ohio Board of Education in March 2004.

At the July 12-13 Board meeting, elected Board member Martha Wise reproved the Department for the unconscionable delay not only on the Freedom of Information Act requests, but also on their delay in supplying her with key documents she requested in March. At the March meeting, the lesson was adopted in part because Deputy of Public Instruction Bobby Bowers claimed to have peer-reviewed scientific articles that supported the creationist claims made in the lesson plan. Thus far, the Dept has failed to produce the purported evidence.

ACLU Freedom of Information Act Request

AU Freedom of Information Act Request

Patricia Princehouse's remarks to the Board of Education, July 13th 2004

Since the Board of Education approved the flawed lesson plan "Critical Analysis of Evolution," OCS and others have continued to fight against it behind the scenes. The American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State have both filed Freedom of Information Act requests for documents, in preparation for possible legal action. Meanwhile, the debate continues in several newspapers' editorial pages, and OCS members and other citizens continue to try to convince the Board members to drop the illegal lesson plan.

ACLU Freedom of Information Act Request

AU Freedom of Information Act Request

Cincinnati Enquirer: Education board snubs scientists. Jim Borgman added his inimitable touch on Saturday March 13th.
Dayton Daily News: Evolution lesson plan approved
Mansfield News-Journal: State school board approves evolution lesson plan
Associated Press: Ohio School Board OKs Evolution Lesson
CNN Online: Ohio evolution lesson plan irks science groups

On March 13th, the German publication Suddeutsche Zeitung printed this article by their science editor, Dr. Patrick Illinger.

On March 15th, the Cincinnati Post printed this article: Science teachers wary; fear new lessons based on religion

• News article (front page, below the fold in the printed edition)
• Forum column defending the lesson plan
• Forum column criticizing the lesson plan
• Letters to the Editor both for and against the lesson plan

Members of Ohio Citizens for Science have taken a comprehensive look at the controversy over the flawed 10-23 lesson plan "Critical Analysis of Evolution." This guide to the controversy includes several analyses of different flaws that are in the approved lesson plan, as well as an alternate lesson plan which uses good science.

• News article published the day after the vote (Feb 11th)
  
• Plain Dealer columnist Sam Fulwood's perspective
  

• Article published the day of the vote (Feb 10th)
• Article published the day after the vote (Feb 11th)
• Editorial published Sunday Feb 15th
• Letter to the Editor by Professor Jeffrey McKee, Ohio State University

• News article published the day after the vote
• Editorial published Saturday Feb 14th

Bruce Alberts of the National Academy of Sciences wrote a letter to the Ohio Board of Education criticizing the suggested lesson plan.

Wesley Elsberry posted a longer discussion of the Ohio controversy, with comprehensive links, on a discussion board at the website Antievolution.org. (A PDF version, without hyperlinks, can be found here.)

• Analysis of the references used in the lesson plan
• Analysis of the Website links used in the lesson plan

On Tues Dec 10, the Ohio Board of Education voted in standards that will teach a great deal of evolutionary theory, including recent developments in evolutionary biology. In a last minute move, they adopted an explicit statement against teaching Intelligent Design.
More info

Associated Press: Evolution to be part of state science curriculum
Board of Education votes intent to adopt strong evolution program
Here is the version of the science standards tentatively approved by the Ohio Board of Education in October.
Final vote to take place in December.

CWRU & Univ of Cincinnati polled Ohio scientists.

Editorial in the Akron Beacon Journal: Science + theology = education? Hardly.

Editorial from the Daytona Beach News-Journal: Creative creationism: The dishonesty of 'intelligent design' theory.

In-Depth Report On the Intelligent Design Debate:
A section in the Cleveland Plain Dealer with many articles, including "Curriculum Team Backs Evolution" and more.

Article from the Plain Dealer Sunday Magazine: State Board Members on Teaching "Intelligent Design". The Ohio Board of Education will decide this year whether public school students should be taught only the theory of evolution, or evolution and a controversial alternative called "intelligent design." Here is where board members stand and how to reach them.

Article from the Christian Science Monitor: Darwin or Design?.

Article from the Columbus Dispatch: Evolution Debate - State board should reject pseudoscience.

Article from the Columbus Dispatch: "Science Excellence" hides the real agenda.

Article by Apoorva Handavilli from BioMwedNet News: Deja-vu for Darwinism in Ohio .

Article from the Dayton Daily News: Assembly debates life's origins .

Letters to the Editor from the Columbus Dispatch: Intelligent design unjustly kept from schoolchildren, Kansas lawyer John Calvert aruges for ID.

Letters to the Editor from the Columbus Dispatch:

Intelligent design merits equal time.
Religion, science must be separate.
Creationists, be careful what you wish for.

News Article from the ClevelandJewishNews.com: Battle for creationism moves to Ohio.

News Article from the ThisWeeknews.com: Reidelbach wants schools to teach more than evolution .

News Article from the ThisWeeknews.com: Freshmen proficiency scores sink, other grades rise on test . Science scores drop from 53% to 45%.

News Article from the Columbus Dispatch: Lawmakers enter debate on science curriculum.

Jeffrey K. McKee, OCS Supporter and associate professor of the Department of Anthropology, Ohio State University had a letter published in the Columbus Dispatch.

Editorial from the Columbus Dispatch: Creationism doesn't belong in biology class .

Editorial from The Cleveland Plain Dealer: Opening the door to far-out ideas .

News Article from the Cleveland Plain Dealer: Education panel to get some tutoring .

Reader opinions from the Cleveland Plain Dealer: Do you think students should study evolution along with other theories, such as intelligent design? .

Editorial from the Cleveland Plain Dealer: Evolving Standards .

Editorial from the Cleveland Plain Dealer: 'Creationism' discussion belongs in religion class .

News Article from the Columbus Dispatch: Science-Standards proposal for teaching evolution in schools draws more fire .

News Article from the Cleveland Plain Dealer: Evolution targeted in curriculum study .