Darwinian Caution

CNN.COM, Dec. 26 — While the recently passed national education bill does not include a provision for vouchers that was originally sought by President Bush, it does give solace to critics of Darwin's theory of evolution for the origins of humanity, reports the Web site of the Cable News Network.

The bill cautions: “Where topics are taught that may generate controversy (such as biological evolution), the curriculum should help students to understand the full range of scientific views that exist, why such topics may generate controversy, and how scientific discoveries can profoundly affect society.”

The Discovery Institute of Seattle, which favors the theory that an intelligent mind created the universe, told CNN that the bill includes the “the right of students to hear honest accounts of the scientific disputes over Darwinian theory.”

Voucher Silence

MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, Dec. 16 — The number of students using taxpayer-funded vouchers to attend private schools in Milwaukee has, for the first time, topped 10,000, reports the city's daily. The milestone was achieved during last fall's semester.

After outlining the program's popularity and the academic success of the student-participants, Journal reporter Alan Borsuk noted that “several prominent critics of the school choice movement did not respond to telephone calls or declined to comment.”

Ties That Bind

NATIONAL REVIEW, Dec. 22 — In a column on imaginary Christmas gifts, John Pitney, a professor of government at Claremont McKenna College, said he would like to present his male students with a tie: “a valuable reminder of impending adulthood.”

The professor notes that “it has been decades since American institutions of higher education have asked young men to wear ties to class. Unless he went to Catholic school, the typical student has gone through life with a naked throat.”

Alternative Medicine

GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY, Dec. 10 — The university has received a five-year, $1.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to implement a program that incorporates alternative medicine into the School of Medicine curriculum.

A required course on “Mind-Body Medicine: An Experiential and Didactic Introduction” is believed to be the first such course to be required of first-year medical students in the United States.

Aviad Haramati, a professor of biophysics at the Jesuit university, said future doctors need to understand such practices as dietary supplements, acupuncture, herbs, homeopathy and therapeutic massage because of their increasing popularity.

Prepared Principals

THE DIALOG, Dec. 21 — Neumann College of Aston, Pa., and the Diocese of Wilmington, Del., have developed a master's degree in instructional leadership that will train teachers to become Catholic school principals and administrators, according to the diocesan newspaper.

Slated to start next fall, Neumann's current master's program in education will be expanded to cover issues specific to Catholic school administration such as fund raising and parish relations. Part of the two-year program, titled “Calling Forth Leaders,” will be spiritual formation so that the future principals will better know how to instill Catholic faith and values into the school community.