In addition to the fact that the SAT only tests math (to the extent that allowing calculators really tests math skills) and English, the Kansas curriculum was new as of last year and thus did not have much long-term effect. I have no idea what the long-term patterns in either teaching evolution or SAT scores are, but the comparison of this year's state standards with something that supposedly measures what the students learned over the past 12 years or so is highly dubious.
As my research is largely in evolutionary biology, evolution is an important consideration in my research. Evolutionary premises are not directly involved in the process of much research in other fields of biology; however, evolutionary considerations can be very helpful in giving ideas for hypotheses or interpreting results. For that matter, I do not have to think about evolution while I am analyzing my DNA sequences, though I had better think about it in order to decide what methods of analysis are appropriate, to interpret the results, or to find relevant questions.
Dr. David Campbell
"Old Seashells"
Biology Department
Saint Mary's College of Maryland
18952 E. Fisher Road
St. Mary's City, MD 20686-3001 USA
dcampbell@osprey.smcm.edu, 301 862-0372 Fax: 301 862-0996
"Mollusks murmured 'Morning!'. And salmon chanted 'Evening!'."-Frank Muir, Oh My Word!
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