MBTAAnalysis: A look inside the MBTA

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The MBTA shuttles over a million passengers a day around Greater…

The Clock is Ticking…….

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The clock is ticking towards December 30, 2017.  As part of…

Announcing The Frederick Douglass Prize U.S. History Essay Contest

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Your History Paper Could Win $2,500! Announcing The Frederick…

Archambault to Become Pioneer Senior Fellow, Work on Medicaid Reform Outside MA

Archambault to Become Senior Fellow at Pioneer Institute and…

New Report: Massachusetts’ Tech Tax an Unnecessary Detour

Report Finds Revenue Not Only Option for Plugging Transportation…

Consolidating Public Pension Administrations Could Save $27M Annually

REVISED STUDY FINDS THAT CONSOLIDATING ADMINISTRATION OF PUBLIC…

New Research on Common Core Damaging State/Local School Autonomy

Study Calls on U.S. Dept. of Education to Stop Using Adoption…

ACA Medicare Payroll Tax Costs MA $1.7B Over 10 Years; 3 Patriots to Pay $707,850 in 2013

ACA also includes additional 3.8% Medicare tax on net investment…

Schizophrenia in the New York Times Editorial Office (by Sandra Stotsky)

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The New York Times is suffering from a split personality about…

New ACA Medicare Payroll Tax Hits Massachusetts, $1.7 Billion Over 10 Years

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This brief is part of an occasional series from Pioneer Institute examining the direct effects of the ACA on Massachusetts. Please see the end of the paper for more examples.

Massachusetts’ Technology Tax an Unnecessary Detour

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Governor Patrick now concedes it was a bad idea and it appears that the so-called tech tax will be repealed. Repeal will leave a $160 million hole in state transportation funding. But that hole need not be filled exclusively by new revenue. It can be filled by savings, revenue, or a combination of the two, and Pioneer Institute research shows there are plenty of savings to be had from a series of reforms.

A Republic of Republics: How Common Core Undermines State and Local Autonomy over K-12 Education

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By signing on to national standards and the assessments that will accompany them, participating states have ceded their autonomy to design and oversee the implementation of their own standards and tests. The implications of ceding this autonomy are varied. Not only do some states risk sacrificing high quality standards for national standards that may be less rigorous, but all states are sacrificing their ability to inform what students learn.

Lowering the Bar: How Common Core Math Fails to Prepare High School Students for STEM

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This paper began as a response to the attempt by Professor Jason Zimba, a lead writer of Common Core’s mathematics standards, to revise in 2013 what he said about the meaning of “college readiness” in 2010. Zimba’s original comments on this topic were uttered at the March 2010 meeting of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. In the official minutes of this meeting, we find the following: “Mr. Zimba said that the concept of college readiness is minimal and focuses on nonselective colleges.”