Pearson: Always Earning

Welcome back to Pearson Is Everywhere!

The last installment was back in May when the Minnesota test was hacked. Much has happened in the world of Pearson since then.  This will be a round-up of sorts.

First stop: Common Core Protestors hit testing conference in Portland, Oregon due to certain ties with Pearson.

The reason the Badass Teachers selected the conference as the nexus for its first Oregon protest is simple and understandable: Giant global publishing and testing company Pearson bought the training institute from the Stiggins and his wife about three years ago, so the Rick Stiggins-headlined conference is now the “Pearson Assessment Training Institute summer conference.” – OregonLive

Second stop: Pearson has launched a new version of Powerschool. This is version 9.0 and has mobile/android capabilities.

Meanwhile, Pearson is selling Powerschool off to Vista Equity partners.   If this app is so great, why is Pearson selling it? By the way, North Carolina parents reading this, we use Powerschool. Well, most of us. Elementary parents still don’t have access nearly 3 years later.

Third stop: Market adviser telling investors to SELL, SELL, SELL!

Mercedes Schneider has the goods:

In May 2014, I wrote a post about Pearson’s February 2014 earnings call, in which Pearson CEO John Fallon spoke with market analysts about Pearson’s education investments.

Here is an excerpt from that post:

One of the analysts (Whittaker) raises the question of Pearson’s dependence upon 2015 CCSS implementation for future profits. Fallon uses editorials on CCSS as evidence that CCSS will move forward (such sophisticated research, eh?) and comments that before CCSS, “local, stand-alone operating companies” were an impediment to not being able to “scale at anything.” …

Whittaker has asked once about an alternate plan of action if CCSS doesn’t work as anticipated. Fallon responded initially that all of CCSS need not work in 2015, just some of CCSS. Whittaker insists upon hearing of Fallon’s alternate plan of action; Fallon offers no substantive alternate plan. [Emphasis added.]

Now, cut to June 30, 2015, and an article in the UK Telegraph regarding financial advice from UK-based market research firm, Questor entitled, Questor Share Tips: Sell Pearson on US Education Weakness.

Sell Pearson??

Uh-oh…

“Uh Oh” indeed, but perhaps good advice when you have employees comparing your test and its scoring to McDonalds and Starbucks?