Evolution Debate Accents Deeper Science Disquiet

By Millicent Lawton

On the ocean-like expanse of American science education, it's often the tempest over teaching the theory of evolution that draws attention. But beneath the surface pulls a broad and, some would argue, more troubling, undercurrent: Do teachers of the subject understand science well enough to enlighten students on evolution or any other concept?

When the National Academy of Sciences published a guide on teaching evolution last month, it was no accident, then, that it also focused on what teachers should know and explain to students about the nature of science.

Understanding that science is one way of knowing about the world, experts and science educators argue, is essential to comprehending scientific theories, or explanations, for how nature works--whether it's the theory of evolution or the theory that the planets...