Animal Dissection Cut Out at Indiana School with Help from PETA
Thea Bowman Leadership Academy Welcomes Modern Teaching Tools That Make Kindness Part of the Curriculum
For Immediate Release:
May 4, 2015
Contact:
Tasgola Bruner 202-483-7382
Thea Bowman Leadership Academy Welcomes Modern Teaching Tools That Make Kindness Part of the Curriculum
Gary, Ind. — When a biology teacher at the Thea Bowman Leadership Academy charter school wanted help replacing animal dissection with humane teaching tools, PETA rushed to answer his call.
The group has donated the popular Digital Frog virtual-dissection software to the school, giving students the chance to learn science without crudely cutting into once-living animals. The software allows students to dissect frogs virtually and contains animations of the living body, side-by-side comparisons of different species, and modules on how frogs sound and where they live. The benefits of the switch don’t stop there—studies have repeatedly found that interactive software, such as Digital Frog, teaches anatomy more effectively than animal dissection.
“I think it is a terrific program. The graphics are good, it is very educational, the supplemental materials were second to none and most importantly, the students were always engaged and seemed to like it. I must thank PETA again from the bottom of my heart for the gift of this program. It has saved the school hundreds of dollars, and the students seemed sincerely interested in and energetic about Digital Frog. Thank you!” says Jeff Sanford of the Thea Bowman Leadership Academy’s Science Department.
To read what the academy’s students think of the program and to see photos of them learning with it, please click here.
“Digital Frog will allow Thea Bowman Leadership Academy to modernize its biology curriculum and teach students to understand animals without harming them,” says PETA Director of Laboratory Investigations Justin Goodman. “The school’s decision to replace crude animal dissection will spare the lives of countless frogs, save the school money, and provide students with a more effective and humane learning experience.”
The millions of animals used in school dissection come from biological supply houses, which breed animals or obtain them from animal shelters or the wild. The National Science Teachers Association endorses the use of modern non-animal methods as replacements for animal dissection. Programs such as Digital Frog save teachers time and money and increase student confidence and satisfaction.
For more information, please visit PETA.org/Dissection.
