Big bang busted in science class for high schools
By LAURA DIAMOND
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/13/04

When scientists learned last month that the word "evolution" had been removed from Georgia's proposed science curriculum for middle and high schools, some wondered what else might have been deleted. Some feared that the big-bang theory — the dominant scientific theory about the origins of the universe — would be absent.

Their fears were well founded. The big bang had been eliminated from the science curriculum, and lessons on plate tectonics had been scaled back. Concepts like the big bang, evolution and plate tectonics can be controversial in some circles because they offer scientific explanations of how the world began that don't correspond with some religious beliefs about how God created the universe, Earth and humans. Scientists say the concepts are key to understanding physics, chemistry and other natural sciences. Sarah Pallas, associate professor in biology at Georgia State University, said the science portion of the proposed curriculum was "definitely written to be acceptable to biblical literalists. Any phrase that would upset a creationist is gone."
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NEWS RELEASE
Georgia Student Finance Commission
May 22, 2002
by Alma Bowen 770-724-9018

Georgia has been ranked No. 1 in the nation for the fifth consecutive year for student aid that is not based on family income. Also, Georgia once again is No. 1 in estimated grant dollars to individual undergraduates and No. 1 on the percentage of undergraduates receiving state-financed grants and scholarships for education beyond high school. The No. 1 status is attributed to Georgia's HOPE Scholarship program, which is funded by the Georgia Lottery for Education.
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Note: According to the 2002 PPi Rankings of Economic Index Rankings by State, Georgia ranks 22nd overall in the US; however it is 5th in Job Churn: (The number of new start-ups and business failures, combined, as a share of all establishments in each state.), 40th in Workforce Educational Attainment, and 43rd in the Country for the number of Scientists & Engineers as a percentage of the workforce.
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The NEA reported that the average teacher's salary has gone up in Georgia, from ranking 27th in the Nation in 1997, to ranking 16th in 2002.
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In the Morgan Quitno "Smartest State Rankings" for 2002, Georgia came in ranked 40th, while Connecticut came in 1st.
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The 2000 Census listed Georgia as having 29.2% of the population being African American, which ranked 5th highest in the US. Connecticut had 10%, or 3% less than the National Average.
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The 2000 Census has the Georgia Hispanic population at 5.3%, compared to the National average of 12.5%
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Georgia is ranked 41st in the Nation on the UHF's State Health Rankings in 2002, based in part on a very low high school graduation rate at 51.4% of incoming ninth graders who graduate within four years.
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In 1998, 36% of all births were to unmarried women compared with a US average of 33%. Also the proportion of children under 18 years living in a single parent home was 36%, about 6% higher than the National average.
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