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Tuesday Sept. 21, 1999
Contact:
Students get a thorough list of pressing environmental concerns, but not much environmental science from textbooks, according to a new study published by the Environmental Literacy Council. The Council, a group of internationally known scholars, found that the environmental science textbooks commonly used in colleges and AP environmental science classes focus more on social and political aspects of environmental issues than on the science. The council's new publication, Science for Environmental Literacy: A Review of Advanced Placement Environmental Science Textbooks, looks at 6 college textbooks typically used for AP environmental science classes. In 1997, the College Board began offering an Advance Placement exam in Environmental Science, in addition to its traditional science exams in biology, chemistry, and physics. The number of students taking exams is growing rapidly. "It is important to give high school studentss the opportunity to study environmental science," said Council president, Roger A. Sedijo, Senior Fellow and Director of Forest Economics and Policy Program, Resources for the Future, in Washington, D.C. "Hopefully, some of the students will go o to further study in college. But for many students, this may be the last science course they take and it is unfortunate that so many of these texts provide such scant attention to the fascinating scientific research in this area, and fail to teach the critical analytical skills that every citizen should have to weigh competing claims about environmental policies." In addition, the Council found that several of the texts are marred by dated, inaccurate, or misleading information. Few provide adequate support for the rigorous, quantitative laboratory science course that AP environmental science courses are intended to be. The most popular textbook, Wadsworth Publishing Co.'s Environmental Science by G. Tyler Miller, received the lowest scores for its persistent use of unsubstantiated , often incorrect, data to emphasize provocative statements. The publication is intended to assist AP science teachers who are using these textbooks or deciding which textbooks to order. The reviews point out areas of strength and weakness in each book, and give some guidance about additional resources a teacher should consult. Council member and long-time science supervisor Kathleen Berry said, "The problem teachers face is finding time to review and analyze texts. This document is a real gift to the teacher." The Council is the successor to the Independent Commision on Environmental Education, whose report, Are We Building Environmental Literacy?, focused national attention on the need to improve the quality of environmental education. The Council is a diverse group of education and environment scholars, including, among others, John Disinger, one of the founders of the environmental education field; George Gray, Harvard Center for Risk Analysis, Alvin Trivelpiece, director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, James Rutherford, former director of Project 2061; Daniel Simberloff, Nancy Gore Hunger Professor of Environmental Science, University of Tennessee; and M. Jane Teta, Director of Epidemiology, Health Information, and Risk Assessment, Union Carbide. Science for Environmental Literacy is available on the Environmental Literacy Council web site: https://www.enviroliteracy.org
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