Now Releasing: Agenda for Leadership

“The Lost Decade is a tale told more in sorrow than in anger, and it is all the more devastating for its detached accounting of the indelible and avoidable damage wrought by the ideological excesses of recent years. … The first step in treating any pathology is to identify the problem. Steven Wilson has delivered a brave and exacting diagnosis. His chapter-length evisceration of the “five evasions” that deform contemporary American schooling—the therapeutic, instrumental, technological, futuristic, and political—should be mandated reading for trainee teachers and grant officers.” 

~  Helen Baxendale, writer and education researcher 

“Candor is rare in education circles. But someone needs to name what we all know to be true: Our schools are increasingly held hostage to the political and cultural agendas of both the left and the right. Whatever the merits of such agendas, they have diverted schools from their core educational mission. The tragic result is that we are falling to prepare students for success in life. And yet we can, Wilson argues in this riveting analysis. We’ve lost our way in the fight for better schools. Pick yourself up, he says. Get back to the battle. We can win yet.” 

~  Christopher Cerf, former Superintendent of Newark Public Schools and New Jersey Commissioner of Education 

“The highest praise one can offer is envy: I wish I’d written this book. Steven Wilson’s The Lost Decade: Returning to the Fight for Better Schools in America is not just another education book; it’s a barn-burner that fearlessly confronts the failures and evasions that continue to plague American K-12 education. Wilson, a true visionary, asks the essential question: “Can we provide a rich and engaging liberal arts education—the education long afforded children from privilege—to all children?” His unapologetic answer is a call to action to return to what has been proven to work in education, to reclaim lost ground, and to ignite a long overdue era of educational excellence.” 

~ Robert Pondiscio, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute 

“The Lost Decade is a thorough and damning critique of trendy, ill-considered educational ideas that have crippled the learning of millions of American children. But Wilson does not dwell on critique alone, he demonstrates with data the excellence and impact of a high-quality liberal arts education for all. We would do well to learn from the lessons The Lost Decade has to teach us.” 

~ Angel Adams Parham, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Virginia  

“The Lost Decade brings the saga of American education’s resistance to the academic curriculum, chronicled so well by Diane Ravitch and E.D. Hirsch, into the 21st century. While Wilson’s brisk rebuke of the Antiracist and therapeutic turn in education will please some readers and outrage others, his insistence that academic rigor and joyful challenge remain at the heart of the classroom should inspire all of us.” 

~ Ashley Rogers Berner, Director, Institute for Education Policy, Johns Hopkins University 

“Massachusetts is not competing with the nation’s top economically productive states like New Hampshire, Florida, Texas, Tennessee, and North Carolina. We constantly hear stories about taxpayers fleeing to no tax or low tax states. We cannot continue to tax our ways out of a state spending problem and expect a different result. Agenda for Leadership 2026 puts a spotlight on some policy ideas that these highly productive states use and if we ever want to be an attractive state for the taxpayers, they should be adopted here.”

~ Paul Diego Craney, Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance

“Once again, Pioneer Institute has offered a thoughtful, detailed, and action-oriented plan for the Commonwealth’s future as we enter another election year.  Gubernatorial and legislative candidates, regardless of party, should read Pioneer’s comprehensive report to better understand the pressing issues of the day and to spur their thinking about possible solutions.  Whether the subject is education, healthcare, housing, workforce development, entrepreneurship, or government accountability, Pioneer offers valuable insights and perspectives that need to be heard and taken seriously.”

~ Jim Peyser, Former Massachusetts Secretary of Education

“Agenda for Leadership 2026 is a perfect example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.  As critical as issues like education, fiscal responsibility, tax policy and fair and open competition are, even more important is the prosperous Commonwealth marked by innovation, excellence and fairness that the policy prescriptions included in these pages would deliver.”

~ Greg Beeman, Associated Builders and Contractors of Massachusetts

“As President & CEO of the Nashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce, I see every day how strong policy decisions shape the success of our communities and local businesses. Pioneer Institute’s Agenda for Leadership 2026 provides a thoughtful, grounded roadmap for addressing the critical issues that impact our workforce, our economic vitality, and our quality of life. This volume offers practical, forward-looking ideas that can help leaders strengthen our cities and towns, expand opportunities for residents, and ensure Massachusetts remains a place where businesses can grow and families can thrive.”

~ Melissa Fetterhoff, Nashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce

“Massachusetts businesses need to grow if our overall economy is to thrive. Agenda for Leadership 2026 presents a compelling argument for how to do so in a way that benefits all of our citizens. This roadmap for the future of our Commonwealth provides real, attainable goals and initiatives that will improve the business climate and allow us to once again become leaders in education, entrepreneurship, health care, innovation and more. Even if we can achieve only a portion of Pioneer’s forward-thinking agenda, we will have improved our standing amongst the other forty-nine states.”

~ Timothy Cahill, South Shore Chamber of Commerce

“For retailers and other small businesses, the rising costs of taxes, energy, and housing have made it harder to invest, hire, and grow in Massachusetts. By pursuing reforms that lower barriers, modernize regulations, and make the Commonwealth more affordable, the plan outlined in the Agenda for Leadership 2026 lays out a clear path to restore our economic competitiveness and offers hope for a stronger business climate and a more prosperous future for workers, entrepreneurs, and families.”

~ Jon Hurst, Retailers Association of Massachusetts

“Massachusetts’ restaurants are cornerstones of our communities, yet too often they struggle under the weight of high costs and outdated policies. Agenda for Leadership 2026 recognizes the need for practical reforms, whether it’s fixing unemployment insurance, addressing energy costs, or creating a more supportive regulatory environment. These recommendations would give restaurants and their employees the stability they need to keep serving our neighborhoods and driving local economies.”

~ Steve Clark, Massachusetts Restaurants Association

“Long run economic success means attracting and training smart people, and then getting out of their way. Pioneer’s Agenda For Leadership 2026 strongly and compellingly advocates for investments in schools, businesses, health care, and housing that create a more skilled and more productive Massachusetts. Building more homes in particular is critical if we want our state to be affordable to the young and the talented.”

~ Edward Glaeser, Harvard University

“Agenda for Leadership 2026 recognizes that small businesses are the backbone of Massachusetts’ economy — and right now, they’re struggling under the weight of high costs, outdated regulations, and a shrinking workforce. By advancing practical reforms like eliminating punitive taxes, modernizing business regulations, and streamlining licensing and permitting, the plan lays out a roadmap to restore competitiveness, stem the outmigration of talent, and empower local employers to grow and hire. For small business owners, this agenda represents a long-overdue commitment to opportunity, economic freedom, and a stronger future for the Commonwealth.”

~ Chris Carlozzi, MA NFIB

“Agenda for Leadership 2026 lays out a compelling vision for restoring Massachusetts’ vitality and dynamism. As former chair of the Massachusetts Board of Education, I know that strengthening our schools and workforce is essential to sustaining our innovation economy. By advancing concrete reforms—such as expanding vocational-technical schools and aligning training with employer needs—this roadmap addresses the cost-of-living crisis at its roots and lays the groundwork for a new era of prosperity for workers, business owners, and families.”

~ Christopher Anderson, Massachusetts High Technology Council