Wall Street Journal: Pearson Faces School Probe

By Lisa Fleisher

The New York state attorney general is investigating whether the nonprofit arm of a school-testing and products company tried to influence public-education officials with free trips to Brazil, Singapore and other countries, a person familiar with the probe said.
Pearson Education Inc. and its nonprofit arm, Pearson Foundation, received subpoenas this week from Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office, which regulates charities and nonprofit organizations. No government agencies were issued subpoenas.
Public-school officials from across the country, including former New York Education Commissioner David Steiner, have come under fire for accepting free trips from Pearson to Brazil, England, Singapore and Finland. After Mr. Steiner attended one trip, put on by the foundation and a national group for state education officials, the state in January awarded the for-profit company a $32 million contract to create tests for third- through eighth-graders.
Mr. Steiner and officials from Pearson couldn't be reached for comment late Wednesday night. Pearson Education is a unit of Pearson PLC of London...ARTICLE CONTINUES HERE