The Daily Report Card: Virtual Schools, Creationism, And The Second Half Of The Session
In The Classroom Today
Education Week: U.S. Virtual Ed. Companies Court Global Clients Within U.S. borders, online learning providers often approach districts, schools, and individual students and families by pitching the idea that virtual courses can help a student reach beyond a school system that falls short of addressing all student needs. International e-learning consumers, by contrast, are approaching American virtual providers because they represent not an alternative to traditional American education, but an extension of it. (Education Week)
Creationist School Bill Looks Doomed in Indiana – ScienceInsider Legislators in Indiana appear to have fallen short of their goal of injecting creationism into U.S. public schools, at least for this year. However, they did deploy a few new tactics in the never-ending assault on evolutionary theory by religious fundamentalists. On Tuesday the Indiana Senate approved a bill, S.B. 89, that would have allowed schools to teach “various theories on the origins of life.” It didn’t specify whether the instruction should occur in a science class or in another setting, but its sponsors made clear that they saw it as a way to challenge prevailing views on scientific evolution. The bill, which passed 28 to 22, drew widespread media coverage and triggered condemnations from scientific organizations in the state and across the country. (news.sciencemag.org)
Agenda at Indiana Statehouse changes focus as second half of session starts | The Indianapolis Star | indystar.com With the contentious “right to work” legislation now law, the Indiana General Assembly will move forward in the second half of the 2012 legislative session that begins today, working on bills that range from local government reform to teaching creationism in public schools. For Gov. Mitch Daniels, that means focusing on a statewide smoking ban, making college more affordable by reducing the number of credit hours students have to take in certain areas, and getting more state dollars to the State Fair victims. (Indianapolis Star)