In January 2025, the Iowa Department of Education (DOE) removed the terms "evolution" and "climate change" almost entirely from the new science education standards proposed for Iowa public schools, and replaced them with phrases like "biological change over time" and "climate trends."
The changes were a surprise to members of the Science Standards Revision Committee, a team of 35 people including community members, educators, and Department of Education staff, who met multiple times to revise and update the standards. The Committee submitted a final proposed version of the standards to the state on November 18, 2024 which included references to evolution and climate change.