The hypothesis of special creation has, over nearly two centuries, been repeatedly and sympathetically considered and rejected on evidential grounds by qualified observers and experimentalists. In the forms given in the first two chapters of Genesis, it is now an invalidated hypothesis. To reintroduce it into the schools at this time as an element of science teaching would be akin to requiring the teaching of Ptolemaic astronomy or pre-Columbian geography. Science and Creationism explains why creationism cannot be regarded as a scientific pursuit. The claim that equity demands 'balanced treatment' of the two in the same classroom reflects misunderstanding of what science is and how it is conducted.
Scientific investigators seek to understand natural phenomena by direct observation and experiment.
Scientific interpretations of facts are always provisional and must be testable. Statements made by authority, revelation, or appeal to the supernatural are not germane to this process in the absence of supporting evidence. In creationism both authority and revelation take precedence over evidence. The conclusions of creationism do not change, nor can they be validated when subjected to test by the methods of science. Thus there are profound differences between the religious belief in special creation and the scientific explanations embodied in evolutionary theory.