2305 students will learn a few things about sub-governments and the revolving door next week. Public policy making tends to include groups of people who form networks that tie together the various institutions involved in the policy making process. One of the ways these networks are formed is when someone who had been a participant in one institution moves into another.
As an example, the Texas Tribune reports that a key member of the Texas Legislature is now lobbying for a major producer of textbooks and testing materials.
- Click here for the article.
- Click here for information on Rob Eissler.
Former House Public Education Chairman Rob Eissler has taken on publishing and testing giant Pearson as a client, according to recent Ethics Commission filings.
The Republican from The Woodlands, who lost his seat in the 2012 Republican primary, is now an Austin lobbyist whose clients include the Harris County Department of Education and the Barbers Hill Independent School District.
Pearson's $468 million, five-year contract to administer the state's new standardized exams has proved controversial amid a growing backlash against high-stakes testing.
"Part of my job is education, and I think they are the No. 1 education company in the world. To focus on their testing seems to be a hot-button issue now, but they are also a publisher," said Eissler, who added that he thought the company had done a "very professional job" fulfilling its responsibilities to the state.
