Far Too Many Science Teachers Don’t Understand Evolution

A new survey of science teachers in Oklahoma confirms what we have long known from many other such surveys, which is that far too many science teachers in our public schools don’t understand the concepts they’re teaching, especially the theory of evolution.

Among the specific findings:

• 25 percent strongly or somewhat agree with the statement, “Scientific evidence indicates that dinosaurs and humans lived at the same time in the past.”

• 36.8 percent strongly or somewhat disagree with the statement, “Complex structures such as the eye could have been formed by evolution.”

• 40.8 percent strongly or somewhat agree with the statement, “‘Survival of the fittest’ means basically that ‘only the strong survive’.”

• 17.1 percent strongly or somewhat disagree with the statement, “The earth is old enough for evolution to have occurred.” (And, 3.9 percent were “undecided.”)

• 32.9 percent strongly or somewhat agree with the statement, “Evolution is a total random process.”

A 2001 study of science teachers nationwide found that a whopping 30% of them rejected evolution, so this is hardly a surprise. It’s still depressing. You can read the full study here.