“Pure and unadulterated false propaganda”

Posted on September 30, 2017 by Brandon Haught

It’s been mighty quiet out there, folks. A month ago I told you that the Florida Department of Education launched their instructional materials review for science and they were accepting applications for reviewers. The response from all of you was awesome and I’m confident several of you applied. So, now I’m following up. Have any of you been accepted? Did you get a “no thanks” response? The DoE hasn’t issued any announcements or updated their website in the past month. Of course, these processes take time, but we can’t let the silence lull us into forgetting. Please report in if you have any information.

And let’s also not forget that Marion County isn’t bothering with the state review process, instead choosing to do it all themselves. This notice was recently published in the Ocala Star Banner:

Textbook committee
Marion County Public Schools is looking for five people for a textbook adoption committee that will review and approve instructional material for 17 courses for the next school year. Committee members must commit to at least 10 hours of work time, per course, mandatory overview and final vote meetings, and must attend one of two training sessions Oct. 4. Applications are on marionschools.net and can be submitted by emailing crystal.cizmar@marion.k12.fl.us by 11:59 p.m. Saturday. Call 867-2121.

And let’s not forget why paying attention to textbook reviews is important. The Florida Citizens’ Alliance posted last weekend a couple of their reviews of history textbooks in Brevard County. Of interest to us science advocates is their disdain for mentions of man-made climate change. For example:

This statement leads the child to believe that man made global warming is a scientific fact, when it is not. Man made global warming is a hoax, based only on computer models and false data, and is an injustice to the child, by not teaching scientific fact. It is pure and unadulterated false propaganda.
[…]
The most disturbing aspect is that children are propagandized and being led to believe a falsehood; that man is more powerful than the forces of nature, and therefore can control earth’s climate. Completely ignored is the fact that global warming and cooling are cyclical, occurring for million of years, and man has no effect on that cycle. Ignored is the fact that man made global warming is based on computer models and not the scientific method.

Stay alert, everyone!

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Marion County to review and approve textbooks on their own

Posted on September 24, 2017 by Brandon Haught

There’s a new wrinkle in the Florida instructional materials world. We already know that the Florida Department of Education is in the process of reviewing and approving new science textbooks that school districts could then pick from to purchase for their schools. We already know that two new laws could dramatically impact how textbooks are challenged by Florida citizens and we know that certain science topics could be in the cross hairs.

But here’s the new twist that will require our vigilance: Marion County has decided to review and select textbooks completely on their own.

The way textbook selections have worked for several years now is that the state Department of Education solicits for bids from textbook publishers. Then the DoE assembles committees to review all of the submissions and choose the best ones that align with the Florida state education standards to be on the state’s approved list. (It needs to be noted that those committees have changed. It used to be that the committees were comprised of people from all across the state. However, in 2011 the committees were reduced to just three “subject matter experts.” See our old posts about this: Textbook selection process to change? and New textbook selection process now law.) Finally, school districts choose from the approved list the materials they want to buy for their schools.

But in 2013 a state law was passed that allowed school districts to review instructional materials on their own and not have to choose from the state’s approved list. In the years since, no school district has chosen that route primarily due to the time and expense it would take.

But now Marion County is taking the plunge. Here is a news story about it: Local schools, not state, will select textbooks. But the story doesn’t have much original reporting. It’s just a rewrite of the school district’s press release: Parents and Teachers: Choose Textbooks for Next School Year.

Why is this concerning?

Yes, some of my points are old news, but they show a potential trend. If you’re in Marion County, please consider signing up to be on a textbook committee. And it would be helpful to know where the idea for Marion County to do its own textbook review came from. Who suggested it and what was the justification for approving it?

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It can’t be done without you

Posted on September 3, 2017 by Brandon Haught

What can you do? How can you help? How can you make a difference?

I’m getting a lot of inquiries from folks wanting direction. They have the interest and the desire to pitch in but they’re not sure where to put that energy. With that in mind, I’ve created a to-do list. You can pick a whole bunch of things to do or you can just choose the thing or two that your busy schedule allows. But the main thing is that you find a way to participate that works best for you. Even if you’re doing a small part to help, you’re at least doing something.

What are the issues we’re facing?

What can you do? Here’s a to-do list to choose from:

  • You’ve reading this because you heard about at least one of the issues mentioned above. How did you hear about it? Now think about the many other people who haven’t heard about it. It’s time to spread the word. Post on social media. Bring it up in conversations with friends, colleagues and family. Ask any organizations you’re a member of to consider advocating for one of the issues. Write letters to the editor. The bottom line is to spread the word. This becomes a numbers game. If you tell 50 people, then maybe five will be interested and maybe one or two will be very active. But it all starts with you.
  • We posted about the start of the state’s science instructional materials review and approval process. Sign up if you have the qualifications.
  • The real fireworks will happen over instructional materials at the school district level. Contact your local school district. Let them know you are willing to help them review and select science instructional materials when the time comes. Let them know you’ll be willing to serve as the hearing officer if any complaints come forward. Make sure they know who you are and that you are there to help, not cause problems.
  • Become familiar with your school district. When are the school board meetings? Can you access the school board meeting agenda online or somewhere else before meetings? Can you access the meeting minutes after the meetings? Are the meetings recorded? Are they broadcast live? Who are the school board members? Have any of them ever expressed anti-science sentiments or pro-science comments?
  • Become familiar with your local residents. Are there any who frequently complain to the school board who might now use the new instructional materials law to amplify their complaints? Are there any organized groups who have or possibly will be loud? (Check this list on the Florida Citizens’ Alliance website and this list, too. Are any of those groups or individuals in your area?)
  • The new instructional materials law was created and pushed by a group called Florida Citizens’ Alliance. They were dominant during the last state legislative session. They were a constant presence in Tallahassee, meeting lawmakers face to face and speaking at every relevant hearing. We need to counter-balance that influence. Do you have any contacts with state lawmakers? Can you contact your local representatives now to ask them questions and express your concerns while they’re in your home district (as opposed to sealed up in Tallahassee when the legislature is in session)?
  • We here at Florida Citizens for Science are an all-volunteer force. None of us are working on this full time. That means we need more people willing to stand up and take on a role. All of the above ideas are wonderful and could make an impact, but they’ll be even more powerful if they’re coordinated and tracked. We have an idea for a “county watch” committee that will collect and sort a lot of the above information. Then we can better match people up with others in their area, keep track of activities in potential hot spots, and better deploy resources without wasted duplication of effort. But all of that takes committed people willing to invest the time and energy.
  • In conjunction with any of the above to-do items is doing your homework. Our blog is jam-packed with lots of valuable information. Read it. If you would like to help index all of that information for better ease of use, then do it and send me what you’ve compiled. In other words, if you see something that can be improved to make our work more efficient, then please roll up your sleeves and pitch in. I would love to make the blog more user friendly for quick research but I don’t have the time to do it. Do you?

We’ll add to this list as more ideas pop up. No, it’s not comprehensive. That’s why we need you. Help us to help our schools.

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Get to work! It’s science textbook review time!

Posted on August 31, 2017 by Brandon Haught

The Florida Department of Education has now issued a “Call for Reviewers Invitation for Science.”

Every year the FDOE reviews and approves a list of recommended textbooks for that year’s academic subject. Last year it was Social Studies. This year it is Science. Once the state compiles a list of approved instructional materials, each of the state’s school districts then select from the list the books they want to purchase to be used in their classroom for the next several years. Reviewing and approving these instructional materials is important work and we know without a doubt that our opposition — those who challenge the validity of evolution and climate change and vaccines — will be out in force. We need to step up to the plate to ensure that the textbooks selected are of the highest quality.

We need you. Without you, we can’t do this.

Go to the FDOE Instructional Materials website. Go to the pdf document “Call for Reviewers Invitation for Science”. Below is a copy and paste of some of the relevant sections (but please go read the full document for yourself, these are just excerpts):

To evaluate the quality of instructional materials for use in district classrooms, the Florida Department of Education (the department) is seeking reviewers with content expertise and an indepth understanding of the current Florida Standards. State standards detail what students should know and be able to do as the result of a quality educational program. Instructional materials shall be made available electronically to the state instructional materials reviewers, who shall complete an electronic evaluation of the items to assess whether the materials align to the Florida Standards.

[…]

State Reviewer Qualifications:
State instructional materials reviewers will hold one or more of the following credentials in the field of Science:
1. A master’s degree or higher;
2. Certification;
3. Substantial experience with evidence of Science content expertise and student achievement;
or
4. Recognition as a Science content expert. Such recognition may include, but is not limited to, awards received or publications related to the field of Science.

[…]

State Instructional Materials Reviewer Registration:
To register as a reviewer:
Open the hyperlink https://app2.fldoe.org/BII/InstructMat/Evaluation/Account/Login.aspx and select the Register link.
Select State Instructional Materials Reviewer under account type, and complete the  required registration information page.
Please be sure to retain your Login Name and Password; you will need to access the IM Review Portal upon your account being activated.
All reviewer notifications for the review process will be sent via email; hence, please be sure to provide an accurate email address.

Sign up, folks. It’s time to get to work!

 

Posted in Textbooks | 2 Comments

Wow, quite a week: Florida Citizens for Science in Nature and Science Friday!

Posted on August 31, 2017 by Brandon Haught

Do you listen to Science Friday? Even if you don’t, can I convince you to tune at 3 p.m. tomorrow (Friday, Sept 1)? Because that’s when I’ll be on the show! Yes, that’s right, your Florida Citizens for Science communications director will be chatting with Ira Flatow about science education, our state’s new instructional materials law, activism and whatever else comes up. I’ve been paired up with another guest for the segment: Julie Palakovich Carr, who works at the American Institute of Biological Sciences and is a scientist who is making her voice heard in politics. I can’t wait!

But wait … there’s more. I was invited to write a piece for the prestigious science journal Nature. My World Views column was just published: Keep on marching for science education.

Scientists might have made a difference, had they protested against laws that now threaten what can be taught in our classrooms, argues Brandon Haught.

The response so far to it has been awesome!

If any of this incredible national exposure motivates you into wanting a piece of the action, we have a long wish list of things we would love to see get done. We just need the people who are willing to donate some valuable time and energy to making things happen. Our determined opposition isn’t resting. They are tirelessly working to push their ideological agenda and the only way to counter it is to be even more resolute and active. Contact us and we’ll plug you into a network of others willing to make a stand for quality science education. Let’s make a difference!

Posted in Instructional Materials bills '17 | 1 Comment

The Heartland Institute, Truth in Textbooks, and Time magazine are interested in Florida

Posted on August 28, 2017 by Brandon Haught

The interest in Florida’s new textbook law might have faded into the background lately but today it’s jumped back into the spotlight with a vengeance. The Heartland Institute, the purveyor of climate change denial nonsense, is definitely aware of what’s going on here in the Sunshine State as is an organization called Truth in Textbooks. And Time magazine published a story online today about the new law.

I’ll start briefly with the Heartland Institute. The originator of the textbook law, the Florida Citizens Alliance, is likely now cozy friends with Heartland. I stumbled across this web page at the Institute’s publications and resources section of their website. They added to their collection the Alliances’s bogus list chock full of complaints about textbooks used in Florida. For instance:

Unacceptable curricular examples included the glorification of teen sex and distorted accounts of America’s founding. One sixth grade history textbook explicitly stated children are descended from apes, and another declared anyone can qualify as an American citizen simply by wanting to be one.

So, we definitely want to be on the lookout for any future teamwork from Heartland and the Alliance. Keep in mind that Heartland has deep pockets.

The Alliance was also prominently featured in an article published at Time magazine’s website: Florida’s Textbooks Are a New Battleground in America’s Fight Over Facts. I spoke with the reporter quite a bit and so did someone from the National Center for Science Education and yet neither one of us are mentioned in the article at all, which is deeply disappointing, especially since the Alliance wound up being the centerpiece of the story. However, despite that omission I thought the story was good. It revealed yet a little bit more about the Alliance’s activities and players.

Mike Mogil doesn’t believe climate change is caused by humans. The 72-year old former National Weather Service meteorologist says global temperatures have been fluctuating for millennia, and recent extremes could very well have nothing to do with mankind. Now, he wants to make sure Florida’s public school students get the same perspective.

…

To Mogil, who is a member of the Florida Citizens’ Alliance, the conservative group that helped write the bill, “objective” means that any textbook including climate change information should leave open the possibility that humans are not at fault, even though that goes against the overwhelming scientific consensus that global temperatures are rising and carbon emissions by humans are to blame. “You shouldn’t start off with a political agenda from either side,” he says. “We’re all taxpayers in one form or another, and I would like to have a say in how that money is being spent.”

We here at Florida Citizens for Science didn’t get a voice in the story, but others on our side did.

“This could be really misused by a lot of people to the detriment of the job of educating our kids,” says Richard Grosso, a Florida attorney and Nova Southeastern University law professor who believes the new law is unnecessary. He is concerned that already-underfunded districts will have to spend time and money hearing textbook challenges even if they’re “completely frivolous.”

Have you heard of Truth in Textbooks? The Alliance has …

In the meantime, the Florida Citizens’ Alliance urged its 20,000 supporters to become “textbook reviewers” by taking a three-month, mostly online training course run by Truth in Textbooks, a Texas-based conservative group that encourages its volunteers to oppose what it calls a “pro-Islam/anti-Christian” bias in history books. The Truth in Textbooks course doesn’t officially give participants a leg up in textbook objections, but the Florida Citizens’ Alliance hopes the training will add credibility to members’ challenges to school boards this fall.

Truth in Textbooks, which started in Texas and is expanding nationwide, now has their fingers firmly in Florida and we’ll undoubtedly be hearing from them and their trainees quite often in the near future.

And the Time story ends with this interesting tidbit:

Mogil, the former meteorologist, spent the summer teaching about weather and sharing his views on climate change with about 30 middle and high school students at a summer camp he runs in Naples, Fla. He hopes that by offering a different view than what the kids learn in school, and by challenging textbooks under Florida’s new law, he will teach students to be skeptical, like him, of widely accepted knowledge.

Are any of you reading this in the Naples area? Can I talk you into finding out more about this summer camp?

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Thank you! You’re awesome!

Posted on August 15, 2017 by Brandon Haught

There are now 14 Florida classrooms and about 1,831 students who are going to have extra help when it comes to science education because of our team effort. Our 4th annual fundraising campaign through Donors Choose raised a total of $2,943. You gave $2,243 and then we here at Florida Citizens for Science pitched in our promised $700. That blows away our previous fundraising record of $1,775 in 2009. Wow!

Here are the amazing projects we funded together:

Palmetto Grades 6-8: a document camera, graphic novels about hurricanes, and marbling art supplies to visually learn about the science of hurricanes and create a work of art representing the hurricane storm formation.

Plant City Grades 9-12: students will learn how to reconstruct a crime scene and develop suspects after evidence is recovered. Students will learn to determine the caliber of bullets, determine the trajectory/path the bullet traveled, identify striations left on recovered bullets, and will later dust for latent finger prints that may have been left on the cartridge.

Ft Lauderdale Grades 6-8: modeling clay will be used to create 3-D models of Earth’s features to planets and other celestial objects in outer space. We’ll use the plaster to investigate how fossils are preserved on Earth for hundreds of thousands of years. Having these supplies means less time with our heads in the book and more time creating and exploring.

Tampa Grades 3-5: students will learn how to measure and read exact amounts of liquid such as in an environmental investigations testing water samples. They will use the tools to understand water displacement when adding a solid material. Graduated cylinders are critical for measuring liquid volumes.

Miami Grades 6-8: students will be able to grow bacteria, look at cells and organisms, and see and work with models of the solar system in a hands on way. The materials will provide opportunities for my students to explore science concepts, test hypotheses, and learn through observation.

Orlando Grades 3-5: students will be able to complete labs and experiments so they can connect their learning to what they are doing scientifically. They will have safety glasses, beakers, different types of scales, magnifying glasses and a microscope to complete the activities accurately and safely. They will also have different types of magnets so they can manipulate the magnets to show how they can attract and repel.

Miami Grades 3-5: having complete STEM kits and books, students will have all the materials they need, to do projects and have extra materials for other projects. The STEM kits will be used to engineer and create projects. The students will need the writing and science journals to write about, design, create, and redesign their STEM projects.

Naples Grades PreK-2: The “larvae” (caterpillars) are one way that our students not only get hooked on science, but also understand one of those mystifying processes of science. How does a caterpillar turn into a butterfly? It sounds like make believe to them until they get to see it.

Brooksville Grades 6-8: Mini Stream Tables will engage students and allow them to have hands-on interactions with weathering, erosion and deposition so they can complete their challenge successfully. Students who are engaged and can actually interact with the material will want to learn!

Seffner Grades 3-5: Most classrooms are not equipped with the materials needed to provide for safe experimentation, and just reading about electricity doesn’t give students the best learning experience. Being able to actually create open and closed circuits as well as figuring out how switches work through hands-on investigations will ensure that students will have a better understanding of the content that they are expected to learn. It will allow for greater application later.

Palm Bay Grades 3-5: students will be able to learn how to use various weather instruments and make predictions about the weather. Learning to use tools has become lost to this generation of people who can simply turn on the television or a computer to find the answer to something. Students will dig deeper by taking learning outdoors to compliment the learning in the classroom. Students will explore, record and chart the weather in their garden using proper weather instruments.

Leesburg Grades PreK-2: students will be able to enjoy pouring, washing, experimenting, and splashing (just a little!) in the safe environment of their very own classroom. It will be an important tool for science experiments and be a fun setting for imaginative students to pretend to wash cars or animals or create an ocean ecosystem. All of these experiences will allow students, who come from varied backgrounds that include different primary languages, to communicate with their classmates while they learn and play!

Navarre Grades PreK-2: This raised garden will offer students from all walks of life the ability to build, plant, water, nurture and harvest herbs, vegetables, and fruits. Gardening allows surprises to arise when insects land in the vicinity or when the weather surprises everyone and disrupts the plan for the day. These surprises show that nature is in control and they give students immediate and personal reasons for wanting to know the answers to pressing questions.

Tallahassee Grades PreK-2: On August 21st, 2017, a very rare event will occur. A total solar eclipse will occur for the United States to view. In Tallahassee, FL, we will receive 90% totality of the eclipse. The peak time is estimated to be about 2:40 PM. Our students may not have another chance to experience this natural occurrence for another 30 years. We will be partnering with another grade level to share this experience with. The students will be able to interact with the older students/science buddies and talk about the amazing phenomena happening before their eyes. With solar viewing glasses, students can view the eclipse safely, gain a science buddy to talk to and of course remember their ultimate hands on experience!

Posted in Raising $ for classrooms | Comments Off on Thank you! You’re awesome!

Let’s start off the school year right!

Posted on August 13, 2017 by Brandon Haught

My room is all set up and ready for about 160 high school freshmen (over the course of 6 class periods) to get excited about environmental science starting Monday. I was in my room all day Saturday putting on the final touches. I could spend all of today in there, too, but I don’t want to get burned out before school even starts. I love teaching environmental. It’s so relevant to every single student’s life and only the most stubborn of teens are going to fail to see that when I’m done with them. Heck, even those stubborn ones will probably see the light but just refuse to admit it.

I’m ready to go. However, there are some teachers who are still wanting to work some science magic on their students but they don’t have the supplies to do so. Yes, I’m talking about our 4th annual fundraising campaign through Donors Choose. We’re trying to help a few Florida teachers obtain the materials they need to make science come alive in their classes.

Your giving so far has funded three classroom projects. One class will be learning about insect life cycles through caterpillars. Another group of lucky kids will learn about environmental science because they will now have hands-on experiences in new gardens. And young students will be able to safely view the upcoming solar eclipse because of the special glasses you funded for them.

But we’re short of our goal! There are five other projects that need your help to cross the finish line. The students want to learn about electricity, erosion, weather and water. As I said at the beginning of this post, school is back in session. The kids are walking through those classroom doors now.

Let’s give them a good year of science. Please give at our Donors Choose Giving Page. Florida Citizens for Science will match your donations up to a total of $700.

And excuse me while a show off a bit. Here’s a few pictures of my room, all ready to go!

Posted in Raising $ for classrooms | Comments Off on Let’s start off the school year right!