"A child's learning is the function more of the characteristics of his classmates than those of the teacher." James Coleman, 1972

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Thank You, Professor McLeroy

Everyone's favorite wingnut, outgoing Texas SBOE member Don McLeroy, has certainly left his mark on public education in the Lone Star state, but he's also left us with a digital record of his various wisdoms (particularly in the realm of history, geology, and education philosophy).

The video above is from a debate between the dentist and the eventual winner of the election, Thomas Ratliff. It's rather fitting that a large cross is in the background (fair to assume this debate was held in a church), and you can hear McLeroy ruminate over a story told on the Dennis Prager show.

You can skip to the 5:22 mark to hear McLeroy's suggestion for improving inner city education. It's a piece of "wisdom" that is, unfortunately, common wisdom around the country.

And, for just a taste of how different things are down in Texas, the moderator asks the candidates what they'd do to "abolish public education in the state of Texas" (7:55 mark).

McLeroy, surprisingly, is not in favor of abolishing public education, but his a big fan of charters and competition. That is a piece of "wisdom" shared by many in the education field, and it's likely to live on even when McLeroy rides into the sunset.

No comments:

Post a Comment