The new Texas State Board of Education

It seems that the change of several Texas State Board of Education members in the last election is having an effect.

Yesterday, the Board adopted the supplemental K-12 science materials recommended by the Texas Education Agency. The proposal that included intelligent design materials got nowhere. The charge that one publisher’s material contained “errors” related to evolution (apparently merging from one reviewer, a Creationist, not a consensus of reviewers) was worked out. It is being sent back to the Texas Education Agency for review and revision, and won’t be subject (as far as I can make out) to the Board’s penchant for last-minute copy-editing.

It is being declared a complete victory for correct scientific information. This is a big change from the last time the board talked biology.

But while it seems the tide has turned, this is, of course, not the end. This article details the various strategies that fundamentalist Christians have taken to attack teaching of best available science in public schools.

As always, Steve Schafersman and Texas Freedom Network have summaries, live-blogged from the event.