Oral history interview with William Dallas Herring, May 16, 1987

William Dallas Herring, longtime chairman of the North Carolina State Board of Education, discusses some of the issues he encountered during his tenure. He speaks in detail about education issues at the time of the interview, and offers his opinions on the state of democracy in the United States. Herring believes strongly in representative democracy, and worries that institutions across the country and in the state are falling prey to complacency, entrenched incumbency, and flawed processes. On a more granular level, Herring shares his opinion on proposed changes to the election of superintendent of education; evaluation of teacher performance; and curricula. Researchers interested in the details of these issues should read this interview in its entirety.