Entries by Editorial Staff

Pioneer Statement on Next-Generation MCAS Announcement

/by

We applaud the Baker administration for proposing that Massachusetts retain its academic independence and testing autonomy, but the Commonwealth should reject any further participation in the PARCC consortium. MCAS has served Massachusetts very well for nearly two decades. The test and the pre-Common Core standards were the key to Massachusetts’ leadership position that was forged by the 1993 Massachusetts Education Reform Act and demonstrated by historic gains on national and international tests. As its name suggests, “Next-Generation MCAS” should largely be based on the pre-2011 MCAS and, where appropriate, include questions and modes from other models such as PARCC. This will provide continuity and foster accountability by allowing performance to be measured over time. Next-Generation MCAS should also use questions […]

Driving Force Behind California Tenure Lawsuit to Deliver 2015 Lovett C. Peters Lecture in Public Policy

/by

BOSTON – David F. Welch, Ph.D., the driving force behind Vergara v. California, a California court decision that found the state’s K-12 teacher tenure, firing and layoff statutes violated the equal protection clause of the state Constitution, will deliver Pioneer Institute’s 2015 Lovett C. Peters Lecture in Public Policy on Thursday, November 12 at 6:00 p.m. at the Seaport Hotel in Boston. Dr. Welch is a Silicon Valley-based entrepreneur who launched Students Matter in 2011 with the goal of creating positive change in California’s K-12 public education system. In 2001, he co-founded Infinera Corporation, the leading supplier of optical systems based on innovative Photonic Integrated Circuit technology. He currently chairs the board of directors for the company, which is valued […]

Fordham report predictable, conflicted

/by

Guest Post by Richard P. Phelps On November 17, the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) will decide the fate of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) and the Partnership for Assessment of College Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) in the Bay State. MCAS is homegrown; PARCC is not. Barring unexpected compromises or subterfuges, only one program will survive. Over the past year, PARCC promoters have released a stream of reports comparing the two testing programs. The latest arrives from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute in the form of a partial “evaluation of the content and quality of the 2014 MCAS and PARCC “relative to” the “Criteria for High Quality Assessments”[i] developed by one of the organizations […]

Study: Poor Performance of Other States in PARCC Consortium Would Translate to Lower Standards for Mass.

/by

Attacks on MCAS for not producing “college-ready” graduates demonstrates lack of understanding of test’s purpose BOSTON – Political realities dictate that, as with any tests, passing scores on those developed by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) will be set at a level that avoids having an unacceptable number of students fail.  Since Massachusetts is by far the highest performing of the states that remain in the PARCC consortium, the commonwealth’s K-12 education standards have the farthest to fall, according to a policy brief published by Pioneer Institute. “If too many students fail to reach the new threshold and are denied diplomas, our education system seizes up,” said Dr. Richard P. Phelps, author of “Setting […]

Study: Overhauling Two-Tiered Case Intake System Is Key to DCF Reform

/by

Troubled agency also needs technology infrastructure changes including creation of management dashboard BOSTON – In late September, the Baker administration announced that, going forward, the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF) will make children’s well-being its top priority in determining response options to alleged maltreatment of children.  According to a new study published by Pioneer Institute, this change in DCF’s mission will require that the state overhaul its two-tiered case intake system with particular focus on the assessment track to which low- and moderate-risk cases are supposed to be assigned. “Jeremiah Oliver was not the only tragic case assigned to the low-risk track,” said Pioneer Executive Director Jim Stergios. “According to press estimates, 10 children on that track died […]

What True Education Reform Leaders Think About MCAS & Charters

/by

An op-ed in Tuesday’s Boston Globe urges Massachusetts policymakers to adopt the Common Core-aligned PARCC test because MCAS is supposedly too outdated to help prepare our schoolchildren for future success. But as Pioneer has argued in our recent book, and numerous reports, op-eds and public appearances, Common Core and PARCC are academically mediocre and inferior to the Bay State’s homegrown MCAS and historically successful standards. Education leaders and the public should be reminded about the tremendous progress that Massachusetts’ students have made as a result of the implementation of the state’s previous standards and MCAS tests. At a Pioneer forum in 2013, two of the three co-authors of Massachusetts’ landmark 1993 Education Reform Act questioned the state’s decision to jettison […]

Testing the Tests: Why MCAS Is Better Than PARCC

/by

Study:  MCAS Less Expensive, More Rigorous and Provides Better Information than PARCC  Authors call for state to phase out both PARCC and Common Core BOSTON – In the wake of an apparent shift by Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Mitchell Chester making it increasingly likely that Massachusetts will update MCAS rather than adopt English and math assessments developed by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), a new study published by Pioneer Institute concludes that revising and updating MCAS would result in lower costs and more rigorous assessments that would provide better information about student performance. “The research leads us to support keeping MCAS and making it an even better test,” said Jim Stergios, Pioneer’s executive […]

Op-ed: K-12 educational focus on government, civics must be restored

/by

John Boehner’s resignation as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, second in line to the presidency, has rightfully sparked much media commentary in Washington, D.C. and across the country. But thanks to the commonwealth’s 2009 cancellation of the requirement that students pass a U.S. history MCAS test to graduate from high school, far too many of our K-12 students don’t even know what the U.S. House of Representatives is, never mind why its speaker is so important. Read the rest of this op-ed in:  The Standard Times of New Bedford, The MetroWest Daily News, the Springfield Republican, Taunton Daily Gazette. and the Fall River Herald News 

Expanding Voc-Tech Education & Equality of Opportunity

/by

Vocational-Technical Education, Equality of Educational Opportunity Are Focus of Upcoming Forum BOSTON – A century ago, African-American civil rights leaders, Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois, framed a national debate about educational opportunity and racial uplift.  Washington believed vocational-technical education was the best route to equality for African-Americans, while Du Bois argued for the liberal arts. Watch the video of today’s vocational-technical education forum: Elements of that debate are still with us today and will be the subject of “Pathways to Equal Opportunity: Vocational-Technical Education and the Liberal Arts,” a Pioneer Institute forum to be held Monday, 8:00 a.m. at the Omni Parker House hotel in Boston. Co-keynote addresses will be delivered by Dr. Robert Norrell and Dr. Jacqueline […]

Study: Draft Science & Technology/Engineering Standards Should Be Withdrawn

/by

Study Calls for Draft Science and Technology/Engineering Standards to Be Withdrawn “Astonishing” gaps in science content too large to be resolved editorially BOSTON – Massachusetts’ draft pre-K through introductory high school Science and Technology/Engineering standards contain such startling gaps in science that they should be withdrawn from consideration, according to a new Policy Brief published by Pioneer Institute. “The proposed science standards have significant, unacceptable gaps in science content,” says Dr. Stan Metzenberg, a professor of biology at California State University and author of “A Critical Review of the Massachusetts Next Generation Science and Technology/Engineering Standards.” “For example, they are stunningly devoid of Mendelian genetics and large parts of cellular biology. This is an astonishing oversight for a state that […]

Pathways to Equal Opportunity: Vocational-Technical Education & the Liberal Arts

/by

A century ago, two prominent African-American educators, W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington, initiated a national debate between proponents of vocational-technical education and those who favor liberal arts as the best means of achieving equality of opportunity. This debate continues today. Please join us as a noted historian, biographer, college president, and reformers discuss this important and timeless education policy topic.

New Book: “Drilling through the Core: Why Common Core is Bad for American Education”

/by

With Common Core Collapsing, New Scholarly Book Informs Debate about Academic Quality, Cost, and Illegal Federal Role in K-12 Education “Drilling through the Core: Why Common Core is Bad for American Education” (377 pp, Pioneer Institute, Boston, $9.95) BOSTON – The Common Core K-12 standards have gone from “inevitable” to “poisonous.”  A new book adds to the woes of Common Core’s supporters by bringing together academic critiques from over a dozen scholars who provide an independent, comprehensive book-length treatment of this national standards initiative.  The book arrives at a moment when popular support for the Common Core is declining. Two national polls show widespread opposition; repeal and rebranding efforts are underway in numerous states; it has become toxic for presidential […]

Statement on 2015 MCAS Results and Preliminary, Incomplete 2015 PARCC Results

/by

The release of 2015 MCAS results together with a patchwork of preliminary 2015 PARCC testing results provides little new information to help Massachusetts choose between the two tests. PARCC supporters claim the test’s rigor is evidenced by the fact that fewer students scored in its top two categories compared to those who took MCAS at some grade levels. But the evidence doesn’t support such a claim. First, school districts were simply allowed to choose which test to administer. Districts also had the option of offering PARCC by computer or on paper. The data released yesterday covers only the 59 percent of students taking PARCC who did so by computer. Though both MCAS and PARCC are based on Common Core English […]

Study: Uber, Lyft, Shouldn’t Be Subject to Same Restrictions That Have Harmed Taxis

/by

Watch an interview with the author on BNN News: BOSTON – Rather than apply rules that have led to higher costs and lower quality in the taxi industry, Massachusetts should strive to balance adequate customer protections with the flexibility transportation network companies (TNCs) like Uber and Lyft need to do business in the commonwealth, according to a new Policy Brief published by Pioneer Institute. In “An Uncertain Future for Ridesharing Services in Massachusetts,” author Matt Blackbourn notes that three bills are currently pending in the Massachusetts Legislature that would create a regulatory structure for TNCs; two attempt to address customer safety concerns without imposing burdensome regulations, but a third bill includes at least one poison pill. The three bills discussed outline […]

Survey: Proposed Voucher Large Enough to Give Majority of Low-Income Recipients Access to Religiously Affiliated Schools

/by

BOSTON – An annual voucher of between $6,000 and $8,000 would be sufficient to provide low-income students access to an education in the majority of religiously affiliated Massachusetts K-12 schools, according to a survey published by Pioneer Institute. In “Proving the Viability of a School Choice Voucher,” author Scott Haller surveyed 107 religiously affiliated private schools across Massachusetts including schools that are Catholic, Jewish, and other faiths. The affiliations of surveyed schools were similarly proportioned to the statewide composition of religiously affiliated schools. For example, Catholic schools constitute about 70 percent of religiously affiliated private schools and Christian schools account for about another 15 percent. The survey was designed to test the effectiveness of recommendations from a recent Pioneer study […]

Mass. Healthcare Price Transparency Law Still Not a Reality

/by

State Healthcare Price Transparency Law Still Not a Reality for Most Massachusetts Consumers Survey finds many specialists unaware of the law, don’t comply with requirement to provide price data within two business days  Read news coverage of this report in The Boston Globe, WBUR, MassLive, the Boston Business Journal, WBZ 1030, Becker’s Healthcare, Fox 25, and the Boston Herald Editorial Page. BOSTON – With the exception of dentists and some ophthalmologists, many medical specialists make it very difficult for Massachusetts consumers to reap the benefits of a state law that requires medical price transparency, according to the results of a new survey published by Pioneer Institute. “In an era of high-deductible health plans, transparency is supposed to help consumers allocate scarce healthcare dollars,” said Barbara Anthony, Pioneer Institute’s […]

After Losing the Olympics Bid, Boston Can Still Win

/by

As the Olympic drama subsides following Mayor Walsh’s press conference decrying the USOC’s insistence on an immediate public funding guarantee, it is fair to conclude that the Olympics initiative has created valuable residual benefits for Boston and Massachusetts. For months No Boston Olympics said that the construction and city-wide improvements involved in Boston 2024’s bid were possible without the impetus of a pending Olympic games. No Boston Olympics co-chair Chris Dempsey argued that “Boston should not have to depend on the Olympics as a catalyst to fix basic services.” Dempsey is right that the undertaking of necessary infrastructure projects should not be contingent upon the fate of an Olympic bid, especially T maintenance. Improvements at the MBTA are long overdue, and […]

Kids and Families Deserve More: Catholic Education and School Choice

/by

Pioneer held an education forum on Friday, July 31, 2015, “Know-Nothings’ Nativism, Catholic Education and School Choice,” with a keynote address by Salem State University Professor Nancy Lusignan Schultz, author of Fire & Roses: The Burning of the Charlestown Convent, 1834. Dr. Cara Candal presented a policy briefing on a newly released research paper that she co-authored with Dr. Ken Ardon, “Modeling Urban Scholarship Vouchers in Massachusetts.” The event also included a panel featuring former Ambassador to the Vatican and Boston Mayor, Raymond Flynn; Thomas Gosnell, President of the American Federation of Teachers-Massachusetts; and Kathleen Mears, Superintendent of Schools for the Archdiocese of Boston. Ambassador Flynn devoted his Boston Herald column to the topic of this event (published Sunday, August 2, 2015), “Kids, Families […]

Study Proposes School Voucher Plan for 10,000 Low-Income Mass. Students

/by

New Study Proposes School Voucher Plan for 10,000 Low-Income Massachusetts Students Program would offer vouchers of $6,000 to $8,000 at no net cost to taxpayers BOSTON – In the wake of a North Carolina court ruling that school vouchers are constitutional, Pioneer Institute is releasing a new study demonstrating that at little or no cost to taxpayers, school vouchers serving low-income Massachusetts students would give poorer families the access to private and parochial schools that affluent parents already enjoy, improve educational outcomes for both students who choose a voucher and those who don’t, reduce school segregation and increase parental satisfaction. The study comes on the heels of a fast expansion of school choice programs in the United States over the […]

Study: Common Core & 2 Testing Consortia Violate Federal Laws, Unlikely to Improve Academic Achievement

/by

Study: Common Core and Two Testing Consortia Violate Federal Laws, Are Unlikely to Improve Academic Achievement “Competitive federalism” doesn’t run afoul of federal law, would produce better results Contact Jamie Gass, 617-723-2277 ext. 210 or jgass@pioneerinstitute.org BOSTON – In the wake of the U.S. House and Senate’s passage of bills that would reauthorize the federal No Child Left Behind law, a new Pioneer Institute research paper finds that national English and mathematics standards, known as Common Core, violate three federal laws that prohibit the federal government from exercising any direction, supervision or control over curricula or the program of instruction in the states. Dr. Williamson M. Evers, author of “Federal Overreach and Common Core,” proposes a better approach. “Competitive federalism, […]

Join us 7/31: “Know-Nothings’ Nativism, Catholic Education, and School Choice”

/by

In the wake of the Colorado Supreme Court ruling against the constitutionality of Douglas County’s school voucher program, Pioneer Institute is co-sponsoring a breakfast forum on “Know-Nothings’ Nativism, Catholic Education, and School Choice.” Event co-sponsors include Parents Alliance for Catholic Education, Harvard’s Program on Education Policy and Governance, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, and the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice. The event will feature Dr. Nancy Lusignan Schultz, Salem State University English Professor; Dr. Cara Candal, Senior Fellow, Pioneer Institute; Ambassador Raymond Flynn; Tom Gosnell, President of AFT-MA; and Kathy Mears, Superintendent of Schools, Archdiocese of Boston. At the event, Dr. Lusignan Schultz will discuss 19th century anti-Catholic bigotry in Massachusetts, which was the basis for Know-Nothing Amendments that […]

Study: “Pacheco Law” Has Cost MBTA At Least $450 Million Since 1997

/by

Report presented to legislative leaders and state budget conferees during deliberations about suspending the Pacheco Law at the MBTA Report confirms U.S. Department of Transportation study showing 41.3 percent savings by large bus transit agencies using competitively procured bus services News coverage: Boston Herald, Boston Business Journal, State House News Service, WGBH News, WBUR RadioBoston, Boston Herald Editorial, The Boston Globe, WWLP, Greater Boston BOSTON – The state auditor’s rejection of two contracts to outsource the operation and maintenance of 38 percent of the MBTA’s bus service under provisions of the so-called Pacheco Law has cost the T at least $450 million since 1997, according to a  new study published by Pioneer Institute. “Since rejection of the bus contracts and another […]

Pioneer Institute Public Statement on MBTA Reforms in the Budget

/by

Last night, the legislature put the public interest ahead of politics by giving the administration and the MBTA’s management a set of tools that can lead to real improvements in service for T riders. Both the House and Senate came under enormous pressure from union lobbyists seeking to maintain the status quo. Yet Speaker DeLeo, Senate President Rosenberg and budget conferees understood that real reform is needed at the T. They deserve our respect and admiration for not giving in to the special interest groups that so vehemently opposed meaningful change. Pioneer presented legislative leaders last week with a comprehensive analysis of the adverse financial effects of the Pacheco Law at the MBTA, which we are releasing to the public […]

Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester Should Recuse Himself from Upcoming Decision on PARCC & MCAS

/by

BOSTON – Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Mitchell Chester, who later this year will make a recommendation to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (the board) about whether to replace MCAS tests with those developed by the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), chairs PARCC’s governing board. Pioneer Institute calls on Chester to recuse himself from the MCAS/PARCC decision process for the following reasons: 1. As commissioner of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (the department), Chester serves as secretary to the board of education and oversees the state agency and hearing process for choosing between MCAS and PARCC. The agency he heads gathers the information on which the policy decision will […]

Highlights from the 24th Annual Better Government Awards Gala

/by

Watch video clips below of Pioneer Institute’s 24th Annual Better Government Competition, and read the State House News Service‘s news bulletin entitled “Pioneer on a roll.”  After listing recent policy victories, SHNS noted that: “Pioneer held its annual Better Government Competition with a focus on criminal justice reform. Ed Davis, former Boston Police Commissioner, gave the keynote address and talked about his transformation from a narcotics cop in Lowell to his discovery of community policing. Few areas of government need more original thinking than the criminal justice system, reversing the just arrest them and lock’em up mentality that has led to the US having 25 percent of the world’s incarcerated population. The winner of the Better Government Competition?  The implementation of a charter […]

Report Showing MBTA Pension Fund Performance “Too Good To Be True” Reinforces Pioneer Research

/by

BOSTON – Stories in The Boston Globe (“Madoff whistle-blower: The T’s pension plan may be $470M short,” June 27th, and “T pension board’s new members call for tough review of fund,” June 29th) validate concerns about the management and condition of the MBTA Retirement Fund (MBTARF) that Pioneer Institute first raised in 2013 (“Have the MBTA’s Retirement Plans Gone Off the Rails?“), and many times since then (here, here, here, here, here, and here). According to the Globe, a new study by Harry Markopolos, the whistle-blower in the Bernard Madoff case, and Boston University professor Mark T. Williams, finds that the MBTARF may be overestimating its value by nearly half a billion dollars, as well as underestimating how long its […]

Pioneer Institute Statement on MBAE PARCC/MCAS Study

/by

Recently, the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education (MBAE) continued its advocacy for Common Core and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), a federally funded testing consortium, with the release of a study concluding that the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) performance is not an indicator of preparedness for higher education success. This study perpetuates a deeply troubling pattern of conflicts of interest marking the commonwealth’s consideration of Common Core and PARCC. MBAE has accepted several hundred thousand dollars from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has invested more than $200 million in development of, and advocacy for, Common Core. In addition, this most recent MBAE report was co-authored by Scott Marion, who serves as […]

Pioneer and You – Together We Can Fix the T

/by

Pioneer has been attacked in a recent radio (WBZ, WEEI, and elsewhere) campaign as “shark privatizers.”  The ads falsely claim that Pioneer’s motivation for working on the MBTA crisis is so that our “corporate pals can get their hands on even more of our public facilities.” Listen to our response: Help us respond to the Amalgamated Transit Union’s attack with the real story. Yes, our research has indeed shaped the public debate over a time-limited control board that will need to get the T working in a way that is worthy of our great state. And the reason we do it is because we know how important reliable transit is to 1.3 million riders, thousands of employers, and the region’s economic […]

Survey: Price Information Difficult to Obtain From Massachusetts Hospitals

/by

View media coverage of this report on WCVB-TV 5 Investigates: “Law to keep health care costs down fails to live up to promise,” The Boston Globe, “Hospitals failing to meet state law on price inquiries“, MassLive, “Price shopping cost of MRI at area hospitals? Report finds persistence needed,” WAMC: “Survey Finds Hospitals Struggle To Answer Price Questions.” Across the country, growth of high-deductible insurance plans is increasing consumers’ demand for healthcare prices BOSTON – It’s very difficult for Massachusetts consumers to get information on the price of medical procedures, according to a survey of 22 out of approximately 66 Massachusetts acute care hospitals and 10 free-standing clinics in the commonwealth published by Pioneer Institute. “Most Massachusetts hospitals don’t seem to embrace a […]

Fixing Our Troubled Justice System – 2015 Better Government Awards Gala

/by

This Wednesday evening, Pioneer Institute is recognizing the most innovative proposals from non-profits and community groups, law enforcement agencies, and policymakers across the U.S. on the topic, “Improving Public Safety and Controlling Costs in America’s Criminal Justice System.” The winner, runners-up, and special recognition awardees will be honored at a June 24th awards gala at the Seaport Hotel in Boston. At the awards gala, Massachusetts Governor Charles D. Baker will provide welcome remarks, and former Boston police commissioner, Edward F. Davis, will deliver the keynote address. Watch Videos of the Winner and Runners Up: Read the 2015 Better Government Competition Compendium of Winning Entries: Pioneer Institute’s Better Government Competition, founded in 1991, is an annual citizens’ ideas contest that rewards some of the nation’s […]