Draft - Responsibility to Teach Earth Sciences

NAGT members may provide comments on this draft position statement. There is currently no deadline for comments.

Position Statement

NAGT affirms the importance and value of academic freedom in the Earth sciences classroom. Federal and state Supreme Courts uphold that K-12 teachers may exercise the constitutional right to teach controversial subjects such as climate change and evolution. Attempts to censor or silence discussion of legitimate Earth sciences content or concepts in any educational setting are not acceptable and should be discouraged. Per the NAGT Code of Ethics, Earth sciences educators (at the K-12 level, at colleges and universities, and at other formal and informal settings) have the responsibility to teach scientific topics as they are currently understood by the scientific community. Governing bodies that set learning standards for schools likewise have the responsibility to ensure that standards reflect the consensus of the scientific community.

Rationale

Climate change, energy, Earth history, and organic evolution are essential components of basic education in the Earth sciences that are key to meeting civic responsibilities. Some of this content is politically, though not scientifically, controversial. Non-scientists may misconstrue Earth sciences concepts, especially when political debates obscure scientific realities. A clear majority – at least two thirds of Americans – support climate action but feel helpless to act (1). If school boards or other public governing bodies remove Earth sciences topics from curriculum, that response may prove costly, from short-term litigation, to mis-informed students, to long-term loss of a well-educated workforce. Issues arise at the complex intersection of multiple rights to freedom of speech and education from individual students and teachers to educational institutions and states.

In the United States, education is traditionally a State responsibility, pursuant to the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Since the 14th Amendment's Due Process Clause was invoked by the U.S. Supreme Court in its 1954 ruling in Brown v. Board of Education that school segregation was unconstitutional, it is understood that all K-12 students, regardless of home State, should receive equivalent education according to their age and abilities (2). Many States enshrine education rights within their State Constitutions. Nearly all States have adopted updated science standards after 2012 in accordance with the K-12 Framework for Science Education (3) or Next Generation Science Standards (4). As a result, Earth sciences content now has its largest ever percentage of K-12 science curriculum.

State science standards provide guidance to school districts regarding acceptable speech in K-12 classrooms. At the K-12 level, public school teachers are required to teach curriculum approved by their school district. In Mayer v. Monroe Cnty. Cmty. Sch. Corp. 2007, the ruling court wrote that the "First Amendment does not entitle primary and secondary teachers, when conducting the education of captive audiences, to cover topics, or advocate viewpoints, that depart from the curriculum adopted by the school system... [T]he school system does not "regulate" teachers' speech as much as it hires that speech. Expression is a teacher's stock in trade, the commodity she sells to her employer in exchange for a salary." (5) Therefore, K-12 teacher speech must align with approved state science standards, including Earth sciences curriculum.

While States have the final say on what is legitimate discourse in the K-12 science classroom, they often delegate this authority to school districts and school boards. Courts are generally reluctant to interfere in local control of education. Geoscientists and others who care about strong Earth sciences education may play an important role by running for school board and actively advocating for the teaching of evidence-based science without interference. (6)

Taxpayer-funded two-year and four-year colleges sometimes struggle with whether to provide Earth sciences courses. Those that do contribute greatly to the science literacy of citizens and to essential workforce development.  In cases such as Meriwether v. Hartop 2021, the Sixth Circuit court found that the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution "protects the free speech rights of faculty members at public universities during the core activity of teaching... [when it] involved a matter of public concern." (5)

Earth sciences issues are very much a matter of public concern. They affect public health, economic vitality, and community endurance. Science-literate citizens are needed in the workplace and at the ballot box. Earth sciences educators should have the freedom to teach their students essential concepts and skills in accordance with State science standards for K-12 and as appropriate at the college level.

Recommendations

• Earth sciences concepts and content should be taught in every public school grade band and should be available to students enrolled in taxpayer-funded two-year or four-year colleges or universities.
• K-12 teachers providing instruction in alignment with school district curricula or state science standards should be protected from harassment, especially if it affects their work.
• Taxpayer-funded four-year and two-year colleges as well as public school boards should clearly delineate through professional development events what is allowable speech by science instructors, when educators will be given disciplinary actions, and how employees may appeal those sanctions. Special attention regarding rights and responsibilities should be provided to adjunct or part-time faculty.
• State legislatures, school boards, or other elected bodies must not encroach on students' rights to science education. They should promote and support curriculum that aligns with the current consensus of the scientific community and refrain from political partisanship in politicizing school district curriculum and standards. 
• Earth science educators and scientists who wish to advocate for stronger and more equitable science education should take opportunities to become more actively involved in local school activities, including running for school board or providing guidance to school districts (6).

References

1. Sparkman, Gregg, Nathan Geiger, and Elke U. Weber (2022). Americans Experience a False Social Reality by Underestimating Popular Climate Policy Support by Nearly Half. Nature Communications 13, no. 1: 4779. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-32412-y.
2. U.S. Constitution (1787, modified 1992). The Constitution of the United States of America. See note on page 35 per the 14th Amendment.  https://www.senate.gov/civics/resources/pdf/US_Constitution-Senate_Publication_103-21.pdf
3. National Research Council (2012). A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/13165
4. NGSS Lead States (2013). Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States. Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press.
5. Eckes, Suzanne & Russo, Charles (2021). Teacher Speech Inside and Outside of Classrooms in the United States: Understanding the First Amendment. Laws. 10. 88. DOI:10.3390/laws10040088
6. Phillips, Mike, & Riihimaki, Catherine (2021). Run for Something: The Importance of Serving on a School Board. In The Trenches. April 2021 edition from the National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT). https://nagt.org/nagt/publications/trenches/v11-n2/school_board.html