Legislating Against Denialism: National Science Standards

Per PZ Myers and Greg Laden, an idea is circulating on the Obama transition team’s website – change.org – to institute national science standards on the issue of evolution. Specifically, the “cause” supporter calls for:

National standards on the teaching of Evolution and the origins of life, decided on and created by top scientists from significant scientific organizations, should direct curricula of all schools nationwide, overriding any state laws on the subjects.

Of course, ideas submitted to change.org are just that: ideas circulated by average citizens for public and informal “voting,” which of course binds nobody. But this one has some merit. America’s scientific hegemony fuels its economic power, and ensures the triumph of American arms abroad. A scientifically literate populace is a prosperous & secure populace; anti-intellectualism, on the other hand, undermines both securities.

During the Cold War, a recognition of this value, coupled with a healthy fear of the rate of Soviet innovation, placed science education all of a sudden at the top of national priorities. But for some reason – perhaps because we can have no principled fear of Osama Bin Laden (1) building a time machine, (2) saving Hitler’s brain, and (3) unleash Nazi-robots on Manhattan – science education dropped on the priorities list. Ensuring that America’s public school children receive a scientifically sound education, explicitly including “controversial” subjects, would go a long way towards protecting our interest in a scientifically-minded populace, and the spillover effects (shoring up respect for academia) could be fantastic.

That said, there are real reasons to query whether implementing a national policy requiring a sound education in evolution would be either feasible or constitutional. The prospect of a national mandate that all public schools, in all states and municipalities, must teach a certain subject, is deeply troubling. Though I defer to the experts (anyone out there?), I doubt the Department of Education’s regulatory power extends that far, and I also doubt the ability of the Commerce Clause to sweep so broadly (bad education is a problem among, not between the states, and the distinction is constitutionally critical). Even assuming Congress (or an agency) could constitutionally require all public schools to teach evolution, though, if the Obama administration pushed that far, they could reap the anger of not only religious fanatics, but principled, states’-rights federalists too. After all, local school boards are used to policymaking, within certain boundaries: further circumscribing that right could start firestorm, resulting in squandered political capital.

Alternately, Congress could create a grant program tied to certain teaching standards, pursuant to its ability to condition funding on legitimate federal objectives. Under this scheme, Congress would appropriate a significant, enticingly large sum of money to be used by the states on improving science education at the local level, subject to proof that all schools in the state teach evolution. While this plan would be politically easier to swallow, it could raise alternate problems. Even setting aside the obvious (enforcement), tied grants could risk holding entire states hostage to a few stubborn districts, and ultimately result only in more disparity in science education. Pro-science districts would get richer, while creationist districts could force whole states to become poorer, more backwards, and increasingly dogmatic.

It may not be the sexiest of topics, but a major priority for the incoming administration should be restoring a basic respect for the sciences, even and especially in the controversial fields (evolution/climate change). Flat-out regulation, though, may not be the best answer, and I admit that I’m not sure what the best answer is (perhaps a latter-day Apollo Project, or comparable great public work?). But how nice to have the chance to talk about making inroads in American science, rather than having to continuously to hold the line against ignorance and politicized science. Let’s just hope America’s latest William Jennings Bryan keeps to herself in Alaska.