Unfortunately the governor ignored them, which is a shame when you consider that Wyoming students are already lagging behind those in other states in science and math. The NGSS would help to bridge this gap, and they are widely supported by science educators and business groups.

So far, NGSS has been adopted with strong support by 11 states, including Kentucky, Kansas and Nevada. Kids who have access to NGSS will be better prepared to deal with everyday challenges like managing their personal finance, retirement planning, health care needs -- just about anything you can think of that requires scientific and mathematical literacy. They will also be better prepared be innovative and to compete for jobs in the science and technology sectors.

I do not know the motive behind the governor’s decision, but he gave us a clue when answering a question from the Associated Press about climate change. An AP reporter asked Gov. Mead about his view on if human behavior is altering the climate and he answered, “I am skeptical about it.”

Gov. Mead took the action he did despite the fact that a 30-person subcommittee of the Board of Education, the Science Standards Revision Committee, unanimously voted to approve the new education standards last summer.