[Taxacom] botany removed from highschool curriculum in USA

[Kenneth Kinman]

Dear All,
     Whether this concerns regular national standards in general or
Advanced Placement standards (which should presumably be more strict),
restricting the study of plants or photosynthesis in any way seems
absurd.  If it weren't for plants and their photosynethic energy supply,
our early metazoan ancestors would pretty much have died off millions or
even billions of years ago. 
       That places like California should be dictating such standards is
even more problematic, given their virtual bankruptcy economically and
their large role in the whole nation's present economic problems, that
they should dictate such standards is laughable.  I wouldn't put a lot
of trust in Texas either.  Perhaps it is time to rebel against the
bullying of the bulls in the china closet, and curbing their blind faith
in molecular research alone (but I 'm a little surprise that I just said
that).   
      Trouble is that in spite of the advances made by molecular
biology, some people are just a little too enamoured with those advances
and frankly ignorant of the occasional shortcomings.   Not to minimize
the influence of New York City in their contributions to our problems,
both economic and biologically (overly phylogenetic).  In some ways, New
York City is the epicenter of a wide variety of problems.  Frankly big
population centers might attract a lot of talent, but a lot of such
talent seems to be subsequently corrupted by the national funding that
such centers are able to monopolize.  Whether  such centers (economic
"black holes") cause more harm than good is debatable (and frankly
variable from one discipline to another).  The same could be said for
Washington, D.C.  Probably a mixed bag of excellence in some cases and
pouring resources down a rat hole in others.  But then again, California
and Texas have tapped into a big chunk of pouring such funding down rat
holes as well.  
     This seems to be the mixed bag of urban centers in general, able to
econonically attract both the best of the best and even more so the
worst of the worst.  That New York publishers should be dictating how
our students should be educated is a little disturbing.  Most of them
are probably about as removed from the natural world as humans can get.
Seems like New York City is perhaps even better able to breed even more
horrible parasites as they are real contributors to the betterment of
humanity.  Urban centers in California perhaps rellect the same
combination, and in time the greedy tends to overwhelm the good.
       -------Ken Kinman
      
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Dick Jensen wrote:
     While Dave Schindel is right about no national standards, we know
that if two or three states, say Texas and California, change their
standards, the rest of the nation is almost forced to accept those
changes.  The states with really large public school systems can
virtually dictate to publishers what the content will be. 
Could this be part of the concern?