Rick Perry tried to persuade the University of Texas to adopt a system where teacher's are evaluated based on student evaluations and not investing much in research unless there is money to be made off of it. It's hard to give a measured response to an idea that is so prima facie asburd. However, I will make an attempt.
The Perry proposal really shows the divide between a lot of liberals and conservatives when it comes to the idea of the PURPOSE of education. Should education be about making us all Capitalists who are greedy or about informing us about the human experience and helping us to question it along with providing some skills that are needed for employment? I would take the latter view.
Education is about teaching children/adults that the world is a complicated place. We have a history of atrocities and kindness. Black and white rarely exists in the real world. Complex ideas are considered that can change a person's perspective on the world. Ideally, it should instill a thirst for knowledge and learning that does not end once one officially leaves the school. It is a life-long process. And this is a value education can provide to all people, liberal or conservative.
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