In Texas, a battle is brewing over the teaching of evolutionary theory, as the Board of Education considers a new set of instructional materials to be used in science classrooms.
In several states there are laws or standards that allow educational authorities to add material that isn't in the textbooks to the curriculum; usually these are designed to supplement the text, for example if it is out of date, or add activities or problem sets that students might do.
A New Mexico publisher has submitted materials to the Texas Board of Education that call into question the idea that life arose without any help from a supernatural entity. It is one of many battles over teaching evolution that have cropped up over the years. The submissions have to meet certain standards.
In 2009 the Texas Board of Education said that students should be taught "all sides" of current scientific theories. One submission has come from a company called International Databases, LLC. It's a one-man operation run by Stephen Sample, who says he has a degree in evolutionary biology and taught at the high school and junior college levels for 15 years.
The material he submitted consists of eight modules dealing with current issues in biology and ecology. Most are well within the mainstream scientific consensus. But there are two that deal with the origin of life. Those sections say the "null hypothesis" is that there had to be some intelligent agency behind the appearance of living things. It is up to the scientists proposing a naturalistic explanation to prove their case.
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/142452/20110507/texas-controversy-over-teaching-evolution-brews.htm
