=====National Center for Science Education=====
===Lede===

The National Center for Science Education (NCSE) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization based in Oakland, California, dedicated to defending and promoting science education in U.S. public schools. Founded in 1982 by Stanley L. Weinberg, a retired high school biology teacher from Iowa, the NCSE initially formed to counter efforts by creationist groups seeking to introduce alternatives to evolution in public school curricula. Eugenie Scott, a physical anthropologist, became the organization's first executive director in 1987 and led it for nearly three decades. Over time, its mission expanded to include support for evidence-based instruction on climate change and other scientifically contested topics. The organization collaborates with educators, scientists, and legal experts to develop resources, provide professional development, and advocate for policies that uphold scientific integrity in classrooms.

===Current State===

The National Center for Science Education (NCSE) remains active in defending and promoting science education through multiple initiatives. It publishes *Reports of the National Center for Science Education* (RNCSE), a quarterly publication covering developments in science education, legal cases, and policy updates. The organization runs its *Project Steve* campaign, a satirical petition that collects signatures from scientists named Steve (or cognates such as Stephanie, Stefan, and Esteban) who endorse the teaching of evolution, designed to parody creationist attempts to compile lists of scientists skeptical of evolution. Named after paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould, the campaign demonstrates the breadth of scientific support for evolution. In 2005, the NCSE served as a pro bono consultant for the plaintiffs in [[kitzmiller-v-dover-legal-case-history|*Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District*]], a landmark case that ruled against the teaching of intelligent design in public schools, assisting the legal team in choosing and preparing expert witnesses.

The NCSE provides educators with resources and training on evolution, climate change, and other scientifically contested topics, including workshops and curriculum support materials. It publishes reports, newsletters, and court briefs while tracking legislation and litigation affecting science education. Affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the organization aligns with the consensus among scientific organizations that evolution is robustly supported by evidence. Through media outreach and policy statements, the NCSE engages in public advocacy to uphold scientific integrity in classrooms.

===Viewpoints===

The National Center for Science Education has elicited diverse perspectives from scientific organizations, educational bodies, and religious groups regarding its advocacy for evidence-based science education. The [[american-association-for-the-advancement-of-science-viewpoint]] and the [[national-academy-of-sciences-viewpoint]] have endorsed NCSE's efforts, specifically supporting its position that evolution and human-caused climate change are well-established by evidence and must be taught as such in public schools, without mandated inclusion of religiously derived alternatives. Conversely, groups like the [[discovery-institute-viewpoint]] have criticized NCSE's approach on the grounds that it misrepresents intelligent design as inherently religious rather than engaging its scientific arguments on the merits, and have opposed NCSE's role in litigation such as Kitzmiller as advocacy rather than education. The [[texas-state-board-of-education-2009-revision-controversy|Texas State Board of Education]] during its 2009 standards revision similarly pushed back, seeking language requiring students to examine "strengths and weaknesses" of evolutionary theory — a framing NCSE opposed as a vehicle for introducing creationist doubt. The [[national-science-teachers-association-inquiry-based-learning-viewpoint]] has emphasized that science instruction should center on inquiry-based learning and the nature of science, supporting curriculum standards that treat evolution as a core disciplinary concept; while broadly aligned with NCSE's defense of evolution education, NSTA has focused its public statements on classroom standards and pedagogy rather than on organizational advocacy or litigation strategy.

===Related Pages===

[[evolution-consensus]]
[[intelligent-design-scientific-theory-viewpoint]]
[[kitzmiller-v-dover-legal-case-history]]
[[climate-change-education-controversy]]
[[creationism-public-schools-debate]]
[[science-curriculum-standards-us-overview]]

===Footnotes===

1. Glenn Branch, "Defending Science and Scientists: The National Center for Science Education's Role in Fighting Anti-Science Legislation," *NCSE Reports*, July 2015, https://ncse.ngo/journal/defending-science-and-scientists.
2. *Reports of the National Center for Science Education*, ongoing publication, National Center for Science Education, Oakland, CA, https://ncse.ngo/resources/articles.