Nope, You Can't Learn About Climate Change in Georgia Schools

[n2doc]

Georgia Tech paleoclimate scientist Kim Cobb made a disturbing discovery when she saw her 8 year-old daughter’s state-issued science textbook.

In the section on Earth science, there was no mention of climate change whatsoever — despite the fact that studies conducted by state scientists show the state is vulnerable to climate change (see image above). When she asked her daughter about it, she replied that kind of class was only for older kids. So Cobb dug a little deeper into state standards to find out more. She writes:

It spurred me to dig a little deeper into the K-12 Georgia Science Standards. As it turns out, the only mention of climate change comes in the optional high school Oceanography course standards:

“Explain relationships between climate change, the greenhouse effect, and the consequences of global warming on the ocean.”

Georgia’s approach is woefully out of step with the recommendations by the National Academy of Science, who published “A Framework for K-12 Science Education”, featuring the following climate change standards for Grade 5:

“If Earth’s global mean temperature continues to rise, the lives of humans and other organisms will be affected in many different ways.”

So essentially, children growing up in Georgia do not learn about climate change at all unless they are given the opportunity to take an elective oceanography class in high school.

more

http://gizmodo.com/nope-you-cant-learn-about-climate-change-in-georgia-sc-1723921097

[Hoyt]

1. That's what happens when Republicans take over at almost every level of state and local government.

[Sancho]

2. Not surprising or new...

I taught public school in SC and GA in the 1970s. My science curriculum volume on Evolution was removed. We didn't mention climate change much, even with Jimmy Carter's solar panels.