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…

Boston Herald: Mass. must turn up lights

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If Massachusetts is serious about transparency, state leaders should provide one-stop campaign contribution shopping.

Rejection of Anti-Common Core Model Legislation a Sad End to a Bizarre Process

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Pioneer Institute's statement on the decision of the American Legislative Exchange Council Board to reject anti-Common Core model legislation that had been approved twice by ALEC’s education task force.

Fall River Herald News: Mass. students miss out on Native American history

Understanding the complexity our country’s Native American past requires knowing U.S. history. Preferring softer 21st century skills like “media awareness” and “systems thinking” to academics, the Patrick administration in 2009 postponed a requirement, starting with the class of 2012, that Massachusetts public school students pass a U.S. history MCAS test to graduate from high school.

Students in which states are climbing the highest?

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Reformers in other states, even ones with a sharp eye on keeping costs down, would do well to look at Massachusetts as much and, frankly, even more than Florida.

What can Oklahoma Teach Massachusetts on Healthcare?

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More patients and companies are moving away from traditional healthcare; this video of the Oklahoma Surgery Center explains why.

Inefficiency at Wellesley Schools stifles transparency

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Sometimes the smaller the bureaucracy gets, the more inefficient…

Boston Herald: Realistic returns only a start

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Realistic investment assumptions and paying down unfunded liabilities more aggressively are indispensable if we are to achieve public pensions that are solvent, fair to employees and attract qualified and capable individuals to public service.

Taunton Gazette: The history behind what Brown, Warren were fighting for

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BOSTON — The campaign between U.S. Sen. Scott Brown and challenger…

Continuing State Public School Enrollment Decline Will Increase Fiscal Pressure on Districts

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Enrollment in Massachusetts public schools is continuing to fall, and the decreases could result in under-utilized facilities, higher per-pupil costs and more political pressure to limit the growth of charter schools according to a new Pioneer Institute white paper, Enrollment Trends in Massachusetts: An Update.

Unrealistic Investment Return Assumptions Mask True Cost Of Retiring Unfunded Pension Liabilities

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Pension boards across Massachusetts must use more rigorous actuarial assumptions about pension fund investment returns and accelerate the rate at which they pay down unfunded liabilities to meet the 2040 statutory deadline for fully funding public pensions in the Commonwealth according to a new study published by Pioneer Institute, The Fiscal Implications of Massachusetts Retirement Boards’ Investment Returns.

2012 Lovett C. Peters Lecturer, Dr. Deepak Srivastava, Gladstone Institutes

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On November 13th, 2012, Pioneer’s core supporters gathered…

Can Mass ACOs & ICOs Co-Exist? Wait…What is an ICO?

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For those keeping track at home, ACO is the acronym for an…

9 States to Watch for ACA Implementation

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Healthcare reporters have been in a frenzy to report this week…

Fallout from election 2012 on education

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  You can summarize the fallout of the elections on schools…

Indiana’s airball on national education standards

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  Basketball fans will remember the scene from the epic…

Lowell Sun: The Role of the US Senate Largely Unappreciated

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BOSTON — The campaign between U.S. Sen. Scott Brown and challenger…

Patriot Ledger: State needs to step up U.S. history testing

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Understanding the Senate’s importance requires knowing U.S. history. It's time to restore the U.S. history MCAS test so Bay State schoolchildren can learn how to perpetuate our deliberative democratic institutions.

Improving the Investment Performance of Massachusetts Pension Funds

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The adoption of these reforms can significantly improve the performance of retirement systems statewide and reduce the costs of funding public pension benefits. Investment and payment planning will be facilitated by more predictable cash flows from investing activities, helping avert potential liquidity crises.