It's hard not to remain a little skeptical about the timing of this entire ordeal.

At the end of 2010, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp paid almost $400m in cash to purchase 90% of Wireless Generation, a company that bills itself as "the leading provider of innovative education software, data systems, and assessment tools for reading, writing and math,"

On Tuesday, News Corp announced "The Future of American Education: A Presidential Primary Forum."

The joint effort with the College Board will pit "all Republican primary candidates who meet a threshold level of support in national polls" against each other.

The Wall Street Journal's Paul Gigot and Joel I. Klein, former Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education and current CEO of News Corp's education division will moderate the panel.

“Whoever is elected President in 2012 will need to take dramatic steps to improve the way we prepare our students for college and ensure our nation’s ability to better compete in the global economy. This forum will provide a great opportunity for candidates for the Republican nomination to articulate their plans to achieve these goals,” Murdoch, who has been vocal about his support of education reform in recent weeks, said in a statement.

And yes, it is good that one of the biggest companies in the world is taking such an active role in encouraging education reform. But at the same time, it's hard not to be cynical.

The News Corp head recently called education the "last holdout of the digital revolution." Which is true.

Of course, he stands to make a boatload of money if and when that digital revolution occurs.