Texas Gov. Rick Perry - Teach ID (Creationism) in schools
The San Angelo Standard-Times asked both major candidates for Texas Governor, Rick Perry (R) and Bill White (D) a series of questions about education.
Among Perry’s answers:
[…]
Do you think the role of the State Board of Education should be revised given the recent controversy over curriculum and textbook selection?
The State Board of Education is an independently elected body that is charged with developing college- and career-ready curriculum standards for our state. As elected officials, they are accountable to their constituents for implementing curriculum standards that will ensure the best education possible for our state. I have repeatedly stated that the curriculum adopted by the SBOE should be rigorous, grade-level specific, and contain college- and career-ready standards, and I believe we have the right system in place to determine our school curriculum.
Explain where you stand on evolution-creationism being taught in school.
I am a firm believer in intelligent design as a matter of faith and intellect, and I believe it should be presented in schools alongside the theories of evolution. The State Board of Education has been charged with the task of adopting curriculum requirements for Texas public schools and recently adopted guidelines that call for the examination of all sides of a scientific theory, which will encourage critical thinking in our students, an essential learning skill.
So there you have it, if you had any doubt (and I can’t see how anyone paying attention to this issue could.)
Texastan Governor Rick Perry wants “Intelligent Design” (aka creationism in a lab coat) taught in schools, and is quite ok with the SBOE even with their recent brouhahas. He has fully swallowed the Teach-The-Controversy approach to confuse children, dilute science education, and he wraps it in the Orwellian “encourage critical thinking”.