Some progress is being made …
The proportion of teachers who reported discussing creationism and intelligent design in classes dropped from 23 percent to 14 percent. And where it was discussed, the researchers pointed out, “some teachers may raise the topic of creationism in the context of explaining why it is not scientific.” To understand responses better, the survey included two additional questions:
- “I emphasize that intelligent design is a valid, scientific alternative to Darwinian explanations for the origin of species”; and
- “I emphasize that many reputable scientists view creationism or intelligent design as valid alternatives to Darwinian theory.”
The number of teachers disagreeing with the first statement rose from 32 percent to 58 percent …