It is shameful that in the United States—in the year 2011—teachers should feel intimidated when presenting well-established science. Yet a recent article in the journal Science revealed that up to 60 percent of teachers are “cautious” when it comes to teaching one of the most well-established and widely accepted theories in all of science: evolution. They skip lessons on evolution, downplay its importance, and avoid the subject, to the detriment of their students’ educations and the scientific literacy of this country.

There are several things we can do to improve this situation.

First, attacks on evolution in the media need to be countered with real science. Evolution comes under assault every day—in letters to the editor in local papers, in comments on news stories, on blog posts. Last week, a creationist group in New Mexico even bought a full-page newspaper ad to promote an anti-evolution bill. This pervasive anti-science climate is part of the reason why teachers feel cautious about teaching the solid science of evolution. Supporters of the integrity of science education need to mount a response—writing letters and sending emails in defense of the teaching of evolution.

Pro-science parents need to make it clear to teachers and school administrators that they expect evolution to be taught. Most parents simply assume that science is being taught in the science classroom, but the reality is that anti-evolution forces are pervasive, vocal, and influential. Teachers who present evolution forthrightly and their administrators are all too likely to hear an earful from parents opposed to evolution. They need to start hearing from pro-science parents—parents who will stand with them in such confrontations over evolution.

Finally, in-service teachers need the tools to teach evolution effectively. Schools are underfunded as it is, of course, with children often learning science from outdated books in classrooms lacking materials for hands-on learning. But with evolution under constant attack, it’s especially important to ensure that teachers with the courage to teach it properly will have the resources to do so. Talk to your children’s science teachers and school librarians about donating books, DVDs, and instructional materials about evolution and related topics to your school’s library and classrooms.

In the long run, more than these measures will have to be taken; the recent Science article calls for pre-service teachers to learn more about evolution in their own education, to enable them to teach it with more confidence even in the face of local opposition. But for now, there are plenty of opportunities to work to improve evolution education piecemeal. Teacher by teacher, school by school, district by district, we can take steps to help transform this “cautious 60 percent” of teachers into a strong majority teaching the best science possible.

Steven Newton is the programs and policy director of the National Center for Science Education.