Although John Scopes and his famous "Monkey Trial" strongly influenced the ongoing evolution-creationism controversy, relatively little is known about Scopes's post-trial life. Moreover, many questions about his trial remain unanswered (e.g., did he actually teach evolution in Dayton?). This paper answers these questions with new…

Despite frequent litigious interactions between science and religion, when it comes to the teaching of evolution, relatively little is known about public school teachers' understanding of the associated legal issues. The present study expands on Moore's (2004) survey by obtaining more information about respondents, surveying teachers from multiple…

Just before his death in 1970, John Scopes claimed that his famous trial "had no other effect upon my family" than his sister Lela losing her teaching job in Paducah, Kentucky. He was wrong. My interviews with John Scopes's family members and descendants -- most of whom have never talked about their famous relative until now -- reveal…

Evolution, due to its importance in science, holds a prominent place in national science standards and many state standards. Scientists nearly universally agree that the theory of evolution best explains the unity and diversity of life. Accordingly, numerous science, science education, and religious organizations support the teaching of evolution…

Darwin's Theory of Evolution has stirred controversy since its inception. Public schools in the United States, pressed by special interest groups on both sides of the controversy, have struggled with how best to teach the theory, if at all. Court cases have dealt with whether states can ban the teaching of evolutionary theory, whether Creationism…

To assess current trends of evolution instruction in high schools of the mid-South, we invited Arkansas high school biology teachers from across the state to respond to a survey designed to address this issue. We also asked students enrolled in a freshman-level, nonmajors biology course at a midsize public Arkansas university to recall their…

Last summer, Governor Bobby Jindal signed the Louisiana Science Education Act into law. Although the name of the bill sounds innocuous, it is backed by the intelligent-design movement and will no doubt lead to yet another court case on teaching evolution and creationism in school and college classrooms. After all, courts and classrooms have served…

The Federal District Court decision in "Kitzmiller v. Dover" halted a school board's attempts to introduce an "intelligent design" account of human origins into science classrooms as an alternative to evolution. The judge's opinion judged the Board members' actions by implicit standards of deliberative democratic discourse, which this article…

Approximately one-fourth of biology teachers in public schools include creationism in their biology courses. Most of these teachers 1) present creationism as a scientific alternative to evolution, and 2) present only the biblical (i.e., Christian) story of creation. State science-education standards, position statements from professional…

This brief review of the Supreme Court case, Edwards v. Aquillard, which struck down a Louisiana statute that prohibited the teaching of evolutionary theory in the public schools unless "creation science" was also taught, considers the ruling's implications on school policies and practices. (CB)

Ohio's new set of science standards, adopted in December 2002, require that the state's public-school students learn Charles Darwin's theory of evolution as well as be allowed to criticize evolution in the classrooms. Includes a sidebar about some school boards' attempts to accommodate both sides in the evolution debate, and an article,…

The teaching of evolution and creationism is controversial to many people in the United States. Knowledge of the many important court-decisions about the teaching of evolution and creationism in the United States can be used not only to resist anti-evolution activities of creationists, but also to help teachers address questions about the teaching…

Describes the case of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) versus the state of Arkansas concerning this state's law requiring equal time for the teaching of creationism and evolution. ACLU contends this law violates the separation of church and state clause of the First Amendment. (DS)

Historical background to Arkansas Act 590, mandating inclusion of creationism in public school curriculum, is given, including the history of antievolution bills, emergence of textbook watchers, and political issues in the law's passage. Suggestions are given for elementary and secondary teachers to become informed and active regarding…

Describes the background and outcome of the McLean v. Arkansas Board of Education case heard in federal court in the early 1980s. The decision repealed a legislative act which called for "equal time" in science classrooms for presenting evolution and creationism. The decision also established that "creation science" had no scientific merit or…