Texas gets an ‘F’ on climate change education
AUSTIN — Texas is one of just six states to receive an “F” grade for its teachings of climate change in public schools, according to a report Thursday by the left-leaning Texas Freedom Network Education Fund and the National Center for Science Education.
The report said Texas’ standards “largely ignore the issue” of climate change and generally fail to acknowledge the seriousness of the crisis.
The findings come as Texas is in the process of updating its science curriculum standards, which will be finalized next month.
“Scientists have long warned that climate change would lead to increasingly extreme weather events, and it’s critical that education policymakers in Texas and elsewhere act with the urgency the crisis requires,” Kathy Miller, president of the TFN Education Fund, said in a release. “This means making instruction on climate change a priority when revising science standards for all grades. Let’s at least help students get the tools they need to solve a critical problem they didn’t have a hand in creating.”
Three scientists independently reviewed states’ curricula for the study and evaluated the standards based on four principles: climate change is real; it is caused by humans; it negatively affects nature and society; and it is possible to mitigate.
They then judged how comprehensively and explicitly those tenets were included in the curricula and how well the standards prepared students to discuss climate change throughout their educational careers and beyond.
Texas received an F on each of the principles, except for teaching students that humans cause climate change, for which it received a D.
The researchers said that, generally, states with poor grades either ignored climate change entirely or presented it as scientifically uncertain. Many also did not address ways to combat the climate crisis.
Climate change has emerged as a top issue in Texas as the Republican-controlled State Board of Education continues the process of reviewing and updating the state’s science curriculum standards, which last underwent a major update in 2009.
The omission of climate change from the standards dominated public testimony last month as the board considered primary changes.
In public comments, advocates and student testifiers accused the board of ignoring one of the most pressing social and scientific crises in a generation.
Board member Barbara Cargill, a Conroe Republican, said global warming was addressed in environmental science and space courses, which aren’t included in this year’s review.
But activists are urging board members to include the subject in high school core science classes — biology, chemistry, physics and integrated physics.
The board ultimately decided last month to include a line in the biology curriculum referencing “environmental change, including change due to human activity.”
“That should lead to vibrant discussions and critical thinking in the classroom about this issue,” Cargill said in an email Thursday, noting biology already is a “very packed course.”
Advocates say that one-line addition isn’t enough to address all facets of the crisis.
The board will reconvene next month to consider any last-minute changes to the standards and give the final OK.
Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia also received an F in the study. Just one state — Wyoming — received an A, while most states fell in the B-range.
“Climate change is a relative newcomer to American science education, and as a result, the treatment of climate change in standards varies in accuracy and completeness from state to state,” NCSE Executive Director Ann Reid said. “In some states, regrettably, ideology has been allowed to override science.”
The findings come as Texas is in the process of updating its science curriculum standards, which will be finalized next month.