Does the prevalence of creationism suggest that US high school standards too low?

Question

Seriously - how else can any modern country be so full of people who don't understand even elementary science and keep stating that evolution is nonsense when it is the most validated scientific theory in existence (we have more evidence for it than for Newton's or Einstein's theories of gravity).

They clearly cannot ALL be stupid so this must indicate serious failings in the US educational system.

Why were they even allowed to graduate High School with such minimal understanding of science and massive ignorance of the scientific facts?

Sorry - my point is not that too many schools are teaching creationism (they clearly aren't). But that the teaching and examination standards in biology must be pretty low if so many people seem to graduate high school with such minimal understanding of the most fundamental theory in all of biology.

Answer 1

My 12th grade biology teacher in 1995-1996 school year would literally look me square in the eyes and say, "You need to stop asking questions about evolution, you know good and well that the answer is in the Bible."

A few years later, I was a substitute teacher and we came to an agreement that she would call me in for the two weeks evolution specifically needed to be addressed (ugh, two weeks... and they think that's enough?!). That way she didn't have to violate her religious beliefs and the students got exposed to both the fact of evolution and the theory of evolution.

Insane she was... but I respect her convictions and finding a way to keep them while doing what the state standards required of her.

Answer 2

I see that you have been thoroughly indoctrinated into the religion of evolution. Let me tell you something that your teachers will not tell you. I an evolutionary chain you must have a link between one era and another. What they will not tell you is that there ARE NOT LINKS! Not a one ever has been found. If we have so much evidence for evolution then we would have had to have found a link somewhere. In the early 90' I don't remember which year, a paleontologist found in a dry stream bed in New Mexico (or maybe it was Arizona) foot prints (this is a place that they like to go to find them) of a brontosaurus being chased by a tyrannosaurs, the only catch was that HUMAN foot prints were found running along side the brontosaurus! And don't you know it, that they have kept that quite. Well more about evaluation latter.

Answer 3

I don't think it's a rampant problem, actually. It's just a few backwater southern towns that are trying to do this. If Creationism in schools ever actually became a serious consideration, the scientific community would stand up and correct them.

I think thus far, there hasn't really been a need for them to do so.


Edit - yes I misinterpreted your question. To correct, however... yes, just look at the answers provided by people here. Until I came to Yahoo Answers, actually, I had no idea there were so many people in this country that are not only ignorant of science, but are flat-out opposed to it. I guess I was lucky to go to a school that didn't bury evolutionary theory. (Ohio)

I'm not sure where these other folks get their facts, but it's not from any scientist, that's for sure. And yes, it is mind-boggling.

Answer 4

I think around 60% of Americans actually support teaching Intelligent Design in public school science classrooms. It blows my mind. And my favorite part is how they claim evolutionary theory has minimal evidence, all while advocating a theory (creationism) that has NO scientific evidence whatsoever.

To the guy below me: A BIOLOGY TEACHER who doesn't know what a scientific theory is? Holy crap, that's the most frightening thing I've read all day...

Answer 5

First of all, we have a president who's a born again christian, which by itself makes him a total wack job. To him, the jury is out on evolution. Because of that, the creationism movement has been getting more power these past few years. It is an aberration and a shame, but I believe than most people in this country are smarter and more educated than that.

Answer 6

There is no scientifinc proof that evolution is a fact. If so then present it here.
The first bone found and said to be a bone of the missing link was a tooth, they said this tooth was from a missing link between cave and modern man, an artist actually made a perception of what man would look like from this one tooth.
Then a few months later another tooth was found but as the man started looking at it he noticed it was exactly like the other tooth except for one major difference this new tooth was attached to the body of a pig. Looks like the evidence was made up and yes I'll post the proof here later. Evolution is a joke

Answer 7

I think it's more an indicator of the degree of religious insanity in the US than it is a failing of school standards. The two purposes of school in the US are to foster submission to authority, and to babysit. If the kids happen to learn anything useful in the process, that's just kind of a side effect.

Answer 8

The existence of the concept of "Creationism" proves that we have not been diligent enough (as a society)to shame and humiliate anyone stupid enough to utter such a pile of delusional crap. Stupidity should never be tolerated.

Answer 9

An alternative to your conclusion is that the evidence for evolution is not quite as compelling as you seem to think it is...

I don't know a single high school outside of Kansas that teaches anything other than evolution in Biology class though...so not sure what your point is.

Answer 10

It definitely isn't taught very seriously in high school. I remember my high school biology teacher saying "Don't worry, it's only a theory, all you need to know are the definitions for the test."