Board of Education and public kept in dark on Pearson deal

Grant application reveals that Superintendent Weast collaborated with Pearson on curriculum in 2009

Analysis of the MCPS Investing in Innovation (i3) grant application reveals that Superintendent Weast and Pearson, LLC had collaborated since 2009 to design the North Star project, contrary to previous reports.

With no advance notice to the public, the deal between MCPS and Pearson was added to the Board of Education meeting agenda as a consent item in June.  With little time to study the contract, the BOE voted to approve the deal and sell the MCPS curriculum to Pearson.

The Washington Post reported in June that the "school system had independently embarked on developing the curriculum" and that the "school system did not submit the curriculum contract to a competitive bidding process and made it public only on the day before the Tuesday vote."

See Section (G)(1) (page 23) in the i3 Grant Application for details about the collaboration that began in 2009.

[Update:  September 2010:  Maryland State Board of Education Slams BOE for Pearson deal.]
MCPS i3 Grant Application