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…

Celebrating 20 Years of Education Reform in Massachusetts

Birmingham, Weld Oppose MA Adopting Common Core, Call for Lifting…

Thomas F. Birmingham, Former Massachusetts Senate President

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This video features Thomas F. Birmingham, Former Massachusetts…

The Honorable William F. Weld, Former Massachusetts Governor

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This video features the Honorable William F. Weld, former…

20 Years of Education Reform Roundtable Panel Discussion

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This video presents the panel discussion from the Pioneer…

More Than One Fatal Flaw in Common Core’s ELA Standards (by Sandra Stotsky)

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There isn’t just one fatal flaw in Common Core's English language…

Why Common Core’s Math Standards Don’t Measure Up (by Guest Blogger Ze’ev Wurman)

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Guest Post by Ze'ev Wurman (biography below)  Last year William…

Weak on Unemployment Insurance Reform

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As we head into the end of the first half of the two-year…

What To Do Once Common Core Is Halted (by Sandra Stotsky)

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What could states do once implementation of Common Core’s standards…

The MBTA’s Out-of-Control Bus Maintenance Costs

Pioneer Institute Study Highlights Overspending on MBTA Bus Maintenance A new…

Why Do They Lie? And Why Do Others Believe Them? (by Sandra Stotsky)

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One of the most puzzling phenomena in recent years is the unquestioned…

ACA Premium Roller Coaster for Small Business Coming to Massachusetts

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A handful of owners of small companies in the Commonwealth…

Ed Glaeser’s Straw Man on Common Core (by Jim Stergios)

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In today’s Globe, Ed Glaeser, an economist by trade and…

Mass. charter schools: No sector like it in the US

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In 1992, Pioneer published a book that had the kind of squishy…

Improving the Charter School Authorization Process

NEW STUDY FINDS ABOLISHING CAPS AND A MORE AUTONOMOUS CHARTER…

60% of MA Docs Will Not Meet Ch224 Electronic Medical Record Mandate

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Putting aside a lengthy discussion about the merits of and cost…

The MBTA’s Out-of-Control Bus Maintenance Costs

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This policy paper compares the MBTA's bus maintenance costs to those of other bus transit agencies and considers the causes of the T's inordinately high bus maintenance spending. Considering that the MBTA spent a whopping $832 million on bus maintenance between 2000 and 2011, any significant improvement in cost-effectiveness in this area is certain to translate into large savings.

Looking Back to Move Forward: Charter School Authorizing in Massachusetts

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Thus 20 years after the charter school movement began in Massachusetts, it is at a crossroads. This paper aims to point the Commonwealth in the right direction by exploring the history of charter school authorizations, with an eye to understanding how the current authorization process both sets Massachusetts apart from other states and stands to constrain the continued success of the charter school movement.