Shortly after I began this now-sleepy blog in 2013, I closely watched how Iowa debated the Next Generation Science Standards.

The NGSS represented a major change in how elementary and secondary students learn about the world. The standards focus less on rote learning and more on developing skills to evaluate evidence and reach conclusions – just as scientists do.

At first, I was skeptical about whether Iowa would adopt the standards without substantial changes – even though educators from the state helped develop them. I feared right-wing or religious voices would overrule sound science on issues such as the evidence that humans are causing climate change or that evolution is the best explanation for Earth’s biological diversity.

Some conservatives did attempt to influence the standards, and even urged state officials to reject them.

They failed. In 2015, the Iowa Department of Education adopted the standards with intact climate change and evolution references. Educators and the department held strong against critics who wanted to remove or rewrite those elements.

Now, 10 years later, it appears those detractors may get their way, at least partially – thanks to the Department of Education itself. Read on to learn how you can help block these alterations.