Here’s a telling quote from an article by Gail Collins:

An American child could go to a public school run by Pearson, studying from books produced by Pearson, while his or her progress is evaluated by Pearson standardized tests. The only public participant in the show would be the taxpayer.

via A Very Pricey Pineapple – NYTimes.com.

You have to wonder about the dangers of the growing control of corporations when you read stuff like this.