School reform benefits big business
There’s an interesting story in the Wall Street Journal about Pearson PLC, the standardized testing and publishing conglomerate. The company logged a $648 million profit in 2009, and according to the piece, it stands to benefit directly from the Obama admininstration’s drive to develop core common standards for all states. (Some 48 states have signed on to the effort, all but Alaska and Texas.)
How? If all states have the same “standards,” Pearson only needs to develop one test, rather than having to make tests that meet diverse standards in different states. And it could gain significantly by developing systems to assess whether the tests are improving student proficiency.
The implementation of core standards would reduce the burden Pearson faces in adapting materials to individual state requirements. It could also open up an opportunity for Pearson to win a new contract measuring the progress of that common-standards initiative. The degree to which Pearson will reap benefits depends on how many states ultimately opt into the common standards and how specific they are.
The company could also reap profits from Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s Race to the Top initiative.
[CEO Marjorie] Scardino said Pearson could also benefit from $4.35 billion in “Race to the Top” grants the Obama administration will begin distributing to states this year for education innovation and reform. Data systems that measure student success, one of Pearson's key product areas, are an emphasis of the grant plan.
Interesting. So who exactly stands to get the most from these reforms? The students? Or the test-makers?
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I’m sorry. Ms Hartigan. I don’t understand what the problem is here. Honestly. Is it that a company will make money doing what it does? That it will get money from the state/feds? Or is it how much money they make that is the problem?
“Interesting. So who exactly stands to get the most from these reforms? The students? Or the test-makers?”
As if you have to ask