The chorus of support for the teaching of evolution continues, with a statement from the Arkansas Science Teachers Association, issued in 2008, updating its previous statement from 2006.
In its statement (document), the ASTA expresses its strong support for "the position that evolution is a major unifying concept in science and should be included and maintained in the state K-12 science education frameworks and curricula," adding, "Evolution is not taught in many Arkansas school districts. These students in these districts will not achieve the level of scientific literacy they needed in an increasingly technological and scientific society."
The statement discusses the scientific invalidity of "creation science" and "intelligent design" as well as the constitutional barriers to teaching them as scientifically credible in the public schools, recommending that "[s]chool boards, district administrators[,] and teacher[s] need to understand that science and not religious ideas should be taught in science classrooms in our public schools" and warning of the legal and administrative consequences of not doing so.
The ASTA's statement is now reproduced, by permission, on NCSE's website, and will also be contained in the fourth edition of NCSE's Voices for Evolution.