Evolution Education in Utah
One of the broader impacts of my research program is an ongoing effort to engage in evolution education. Many misconceptions exist about the theory of evolution, especially among the general public. In partnership with the Utah State Office of Education, I am involved in an effort to visit each school district in the state of Utah to discuss why the theory of evolution matters. Our team offers a two-day inservice training, including meetings with school district leaders and teachers. A summary of this work is published here. All of this is done in an effort to support quality science education in Utah schools. We have also presented our program at the National Science Teachers Association annual meeting (2010) and in Texas at the annual Conference for the Advancement of Science Teaching (2009).
Johnson, J. B., M. Adair, B. J. Adams, D. J. Fairbanks, V. Itamura, D. E. Jeffery, D. Merrell, S. M. Ritter, and R. R. Tolman. 2009. Evolution education in Utah: a state office of education-university partnership focuses on why evolution matters. Evolution: Education & Outreach 2:349-358.