Larry Caldwell is a parent in Sacramento who has fought to improve the teaching of biology in his children’s high school. We’ve reported on his efforts (here, here, and here) and their consequences (here, here, and here) in the past.

Now the Sacramento Bee has a very good profile on Caldwell. It opens with an excellent summary of Caldwell’s approach to the debate over teaching evolution.”

Ask Larry Caldwell why he decided to take on Darwin, and he’ll tell you his motivation stems from science, not religion.

It was two years ago now that Caldwell first approached trustees in the Roseville Joint Union High School District about revamping the science curriculum to highlight what he says are flaws in the theory of evolution. His aim, he says, was not to bring God into the classroom but to present the work of researchers who challenge the widely held theory, citing what they see as gaps in evidence.

To the Granite Bay resident, the effort isn’t anti-science, it’s an extension of the academic process.

Interestingly, the rumor mill has Caldwell on the Discovery payroll — completely untrue.

“His critics in the Roseville district have speculated he gets financial support from the Discovery Institute, a Seattle-based think tank devoted to intelligent-design research. John West, associate director of the institute’s Center for Science and Culture, said his group has provided Caldwell with materials such as videos but not financial assistance.”

We have cheered his efforts, and applauded both his approach to the issue and his tenacity, but we have never issued him a paycheck.

Check out Caldwell’s organization, Quality Science Education for All at http://www.qsea.org/.