Parent Advocacy Group With Ties To K12 Inc. Takes Me On
I received a very interesting comment on my most recent post about K12 Inc. It came from Esthere Tolbert, the mom who testified before the Joint Committee on the Public Schools and participated in a demonstration for legislators.
Tolbert participated as part of a group called NJPublicSchoolOptions.org. My post pointed out that this group is directly linked to K12 Inc.. It was widely reported that K12 Inc. hired Princeton Public Affairs Group (PPAG), the "largest state lobbying firm in the country", to lobby for them in NJ. PPAG recently established a public relations firm called Princeton Strategic Communications, (PSC) "a full-service public relations, branding, and graphic design firm."
Norris Clark is a managing partner at PSC and also just happens to be the head of NJPublicSchoolOptions.org, which is also listed on the PSC website as a client. Unsurprisingly, it was NJPublicSchoolOptions.org that organized parent testimony and a demonstration for legislators.
It is not therefore a stretch in any way to conclude that K12 Inc. paid for an astroturf parent advocacy group to influence the legislature.
Tolbert participated as part of a group called NJPublicSchoolOptions.org. My post pointed out that this group is directly linked to K12 Inc.. It was widely reported that K12 Inc. hired Princeton Public Affairs Group (PPAG), the "largest state lobbying firm in the country", to lobby for them in NJ. PPAG recently established a public relations firm called Princeton Strategic Communications, (PSC) "a full-service public relations, branding, and graphic design firm."
Norris Clark is a managing partner at PSC and also just happens to be the head of NJPublicSchoolOptions.org, which is also listed on the PSC website as a client. Unsurprisingly, it was NJPublicSchoolOptions.org that organized parent testimony and a demonstration for legislators.
It is not therefore a stretch in any way to conclude that K12 Inc. paid for an astroturf parent advocacy group to influence the legislature.
Just who AM I crusading for, anyway?
Just Like Michelle Rhee's Students first only BETTER
Astroturf lobbying refers to political organizations or campaigns that appear to be made up of grassroots activists but are actually organized and run by corporate interests seeking to further their own agendas. Such groups are often typified by innocent-sounding names that have been chosen specifically to disguise the group's true backers
Just Like Michelle Rhee's
Students first Astroturf lobbying (only Better)
Other Astroturf lobbying groups
Just Like Michelle Rhee's
Students first Astroturf lobbying (only Better)