Pearson Is Fearsome. Just ask the Tenured UT-Austin Professor Who Called'em Out, All of a Sudden Facing Pressures from "Above"

You'll just have to trust me when I tell you being a college professor who speaks out against Common Core, Teach for America, Students First, and corporate education in general is a brave stance, especially if you're not tenured.

Tenure, unlike in K12 education, generally amounts to a lifetime of job security, though some colleges do have intermittent reviews which, theoretically, could lead to one's dismissal or demotion. However, the politics of higher education are such that if you've earned tenure in the first place, you've probably polished enough brass and kissed enough ass to have your colleagues happy to keep you around.

But what about when your research grates against Big Corporate Education (BCE), which has its claws in virtually every facet of schooling in America, from Kindergarten through college? And what happens when  BCE pulls the strings of the upper administration?

Walter Stroup, a tenured professor of education at the University of Texas at Austin whose research suggests standardized tests like the ones Pearson offers for pay do not measure learning but only measure -- you guessed it -- how well the test taker takes tests, is having an experience to help you find out. It ain't pretty, folks.

Stand strong, Dr. Stroup, and let EduStank know if there's anything we can do to help. EduStank readers, you can also see via his case how brave are other teacher educators who are willing to speak out against contemporary education reform.