Entries by Editorial Staff

Let’s Not Waver on Testing: An Open Letter to MA Education Commissioner

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In the letter below, Pioneer Institute Executive Director Jim Stergios raises important questions about academic accountability and legality with regard to Massachusetts’ administration of student assessments. New PARCC tests related to Common Core national standards are being field-tested in Massachusetts this year, in lieu of or in addition to MCAS, adding countless more hours teachers’ workloads. Schools and parents would not receive results of PARCC tests, despite federal and state laws (NCLB and MERA) that require testing for consequences of every child in grades 3-8 and again in high school. Stergios asks Massachusetts Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester to disclose whether the Commonwealth has received a waiver from the federal government that would authorize school districts to forego administering  testing for consequences. […]

Study: Reduce Privacy Leaks to Achieve Full Potential of Electronic Health Records

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Press Release: Study Finds That Focus on Reducing Privacy Leaks Needed to Achieve Full Potential of Electronic Health Records Citizens – not the federal government or medical institutions – should determine who can access their medical records BOSTON – Governor Deval Patrick announced the second phase of rollout of the Commonwealth’s Health Information Highway (HIway) project earlier this month, which allows doctors across the state to access a patient’s records from anywhere. Yet numerous issues related to the privacy of patients’ data still remain unanswered. Electronic Health Records (EHR), a technological system that allows health care providers to store and share private medical information, hold the potential to reduce medical errors, and promote efficiency, but achieving their full potential will […]

Enter the 2014 Better Government Competition – Winning Prize: $10,000 – Theme: Technology

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Pioneer Institute invites you to enter our 2014 Better Government Competition (BGC) for your chance to win $10,000. [button color=”#COLOR_CODE” background=”#COLOR_CODE” size=”medium” src=”http://bgc.pioneerinst.wpengine.com/enter-the-better-government-competition/”]ENTER NOW[/button] The 2014 competition seeks technological solutions to create more efficiency, transparency, cost-effectiveness, and higher quality service in the public sector. (Sample topics below.) Entry deadline: Monday, April 7th. Visit our  BGC 2014 website to download this year’s guidelines and enter online! The winner will receive a $10,000 prize and each runner-up will receive a $1,000 prize. At our June BGC Awards Dinner, Pioneer will announce the winners and celebrate their efforts. What is the Better Government Competition?The Better Government Competition is an annual citizens’ idea contest. Since 1991, the Competition has promoted innovative policy approaches and tested […]

Public Statement Regarding the MBTA’s Lack of Transparency

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The future finances of the MBTA’s employees depend on solid management of their pensions. Pioneer’s research points to real challenges due to sharp deterioration in the funding level of those pension funds. While we have been able to unearth troubling trends and several causes, as Pioneer Senior Fellow on Finance Iliya Atanasov has stated, “the insufficient transparency makes it impossible to know all the causes of their deteriorating financial condition.” Pioneer is deeply concerned by two patterns arising from the T’s own responses to “Have the MBTA’s Retirement Plans Gone Off the Rails?” First, it is alarming just how oblivious T officials are to the financial condition of the MBTA’s retirement fund. Joseph Pesaturo’s statement that the MBTA funds 100 […]

Join Us (1/15): “America in the Age of MLK: Teaching the Civil Rights Movement”

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This year marks the 50th anniversary of some of the Civil Rights Movement’s most notable historical milestones. Join us with Robert P. (Bob) Moses, Taylor Branch, Peniel Joseph, Diane McWhorter, and other experts for a discussion on this important era, and teaching it in K-12 schools. REGISTER ONLINE NOW. This event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. Please RSVP by Wednesday, January 8th either online or by contacting Brian Patterson at 617-723-2277, ext. 217 or bpatterson@pioneerinst.wpengine.com  

Have the MBTA’s Retirement Plans Gone Off the Rails?

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Study Finds Lack of Transparency and Chronic Underfunding Among Reasons For Sharply Deteriorating MBTA Retirement Plans’ Finances MBTA Retirement Fund does not post complete financial statements or board minutes online, isn’t subject to state pension regulations BOSTON – The MBTA Retirement Plan’s (MBTARP) financial condition has been deteriorating and a lack of transparency makes it impossible to know all the reasons why, according to “Have the MBTA’s Retirement Plans Gone Off the Rails?” a Pioneer Institute white paper published today. Have the MBTA’s Retirement Plans Gone Off the Rails? The MBTA Retirement Fund (MBTARF) was not established under Chapter 32 of the Massachusetts General Laws, which governs the commonwealth’s other 105 public pension systems, and is not subject to regulation […]

The Gettysburg Address at 150: Reflections from Civil War Historian James McPherson

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Today, as the nation commemorates one of history’s most famous speeches, Pioneer Institute proudly presents an archived video and transcript of a keynote address by Pulitzer Prize-winning Civil War historian and Princeton University Professor Emeritus James M. McPherson. He spoke at “The Legacy of Lincoln: U.S. History in American Schooling,” a Pioneer forum held earlier this year, marking the 150th anniversary of both the Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQuwJz4nzxY&list=PL0BWHvcPmNxt7vs5f7v9aEksx_6TfmHRr&index=1 [wpdm_package id=390] In the video, Professor McPherson quotes from the Gettysburg Address, and shares thoughts on its significance: [quote align=”center” color=”#999999″]”‘Four score and seven years‘ in the past, said Lincoln, ‘our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty. Today, in 1863, our generation faces […]

Going Beyond in Lawrence, Mass.

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Pioneer Institute believes that all kids deserve access to a great education. That’s why we have always supported choices for parents and students, whether through interdistrict programs, vocational-technical schools, private and parochial schools, or high-quality charter schools. Earlier this year, we visited Community Day Charter Public Schools, an excellent group of schools serving grades K-8 students in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Lawrence is an older, industrial city, marked by high unemployment, a significant crime issue and a dysfunctional government. Its school district is in state receivership due to chronic underperformance and criminal malfeasance by the previous superintendent. Community Day has played a vital role in improving the prospects for children in the city. We wanted to learn more about why LCDCPS is […]

Study: GASB Rules Improving, But Still Need Measured Reform

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Study Finds Further Reform of GASB Rules Necessary, But Must Be Measured A new Pioneer Institute white paper finds that further accounting rule and pension-investment regulation reforms are necessary to put public pension systems on a firmer footing and foster a gradual adjustment to new economic realities. The Logic of Pension Valuation: A Response to Robert Novy-Marx “The discount rate used to value pension liabilities has long been at the crux of the debate over the cost and risks associated with public retirement systems,” said Iliya Atanasov, senior fellow on finance at Pioneer. “While the new GASB methodologies certainly aren’t perfect, they are mostly a step in the right direction.” Atanasov’s paper The Logic of Pension Valuation: A Response to […]

Policy Research Internship: Better Government Competition

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Opportunity: spring internship Duration: flexible in the range January 2014-May 2014 Location: 185 Devonshire St, Boston, MA Pay: uncompensated About Pioneer. The Pioneer Institute is an independent non-partisan privately funded research organization that seeks to improve the quality of life in Massachusetts through civic discourse and intellectually rigorous, data-driven public policy solutions based on free market principles, individual liberty and responsibility, and the ideal of effective, limited and accountable government. We are a leading state policy think-tank, a resource for legislators on Beacon Hill and staff in the State’s executive offices, and attract more press than any other research institute in Massachusetts. Description. The intern will learn about and be trained to use and expand on information databases designed for […]

Lovett C. Peters Lecture: Honoring Harvard History Professor Niall Ferguson

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We’re proud to honor Harvard History Professor Niall Ferguson at our annual Lovett C. Peters Lecture, a dinner gathering with over 250 Pioneer supporters in Boston. The topic was, “The Ascent and Descent of Money: What Went Wrong with Western Finance?” Niall Ferguson is a world-renowned historian, award-winning writer and leading intellectual on free markets. He is author of numerous best-selling books including The Great Degeneration: How Institutions Decay and Economies Die, Civilization: The West and the Rest, and The Ascent of Money. The Peters Lecture is one of our annual signature events, through which we recognize innovative thought leaders who are advancing the public discussion on key issues. The Lecture serves as our way of giving back and saying […]

Cost of COLAs in Massachusetts Public Retirement Systems

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Study Finds Increased Pension COLA Will Require Communities to Appropriate Additional $500 Million Over 20 Years State, teachers’ and 47 of 103 local systems have raised base amount to which COLAs are applied BOSTON – Raises enacted by local public-employee pension systems to the base pension amount on which cost of living increases (COLAs) are applied will require communities across Massachusetts to appropriate an additional $500 million over the next 20 years according to a new study published by Pioneer Institute. The Cost of Cost-of-Living Adjustments in Massachusetts Public Retirement Systems Local retirement systems that have already raised the COLA base have an average funded ratio of 58 percent and a total unfunded liability of $3 billion. “Our goal is not to tell local […]

Urban School Reform: Event Recap

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On October 14, 2013, Pioneer hosted a forum, “Urban School Models: Choice and Charter Lessons from D.C. and New Orleans,” featuring a Pulitzer Prize winner, a former DC mayor, two former state education chiefs and the superintendent of Lawrence schools, which are currently in state receivership.  The event was co-sponsored by the Program on Education Policy and Governance at Harvard Kennedy School, Black Alliance for Educational Options, the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association, and SABIS®. Scroll through our Facebook photo album. Former Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty delivered the Keynote address. Education reform was a major focus of Fenty’s term, from 2007 to 2011. Watch this clip of his remarks: Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Jed Horne offered introductory remarks. Horne, then a […]

Let’s Guard Public Safety: Letter to MassDOT Secretary Davey

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Pioneer Institute is committed to improving the quality of life for Massachusetts residents. That includes promoting responsible oversight of the state’s transportation infrastructure, and transparency in government. In the letter below, Pioneer Research Director Gregory Sullivan called on Massachusetts Transportation Secretary Richard Davey to release information about the crash-worthiness of the barriers near the Zakim Bridge and the Leverett Connector. In the letter, he noted that three instances of truck rollovers have occurred in that vicinity since 2007, and that state officials had already known of the safety concerns surrounding use of 32-inch barriers several years before construction of the Zakim Bridge ramps. Watch the CBS I-Team report, “I-Team: State Promises To Change Barriers On I-93 After Serious Crashes.” View just […]

Why Boston’s Ban on Convenient Care Clinics Is Costing Taxpayers Millions

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Study Urges Boston Mayoral Candidates to Reverse City Policy, Open Doors for Convenient Care Clinics Clinics provide convenient, cost-effective care for minor illnesses and conditions BOSTON – Making it possible for convenient care clinics to open in Boston would help meet the statewide potential to save $6 billion over 10 years, steer patients away from costly emergency room visits and offer a cost-effective way to provide more families with better access to care for minor illnesses and conditions, according to a new Policy Brief published by Pioneer Institute. Mayor, Tear Down This Wall: Why Boston’s Ban on Convenient Care Clinics Is Costing Taxpayers Millions “As the Boston mayor’s race heads in to the home stretch, I hope the two finalists will […]

Urban School Models Forum to Feature Pulitzer Prize Winner, Fmr DC Mayor

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Pulitzer Prize Winner, Former D.C. Mayor, Two Former State Education Chiefs and Lawrence Receiver to Speak at Urban School Models Forum Event to focus on lessons from Washington, D.C. and New Orleans BOSTON – As Massachusetts leaders weigh a significant expansion of public charter schools in 29 low-performing districts, Pioneer Institute is assembling experts on the role of choice in New Orleans and Washington, D.C., cities with significantly larger percentages of families able to enroll their children in alternative urban education models than is the case in Massachusetts. “Urban School Models: Choice and Charter Lessons from D.C. and New Orleans” will feature a Pulitzer Prize winner, a former DC mayor, two former state education chiefs and the superintendent of Lawrence […]

2013 Better Government Competition Winner: Manufacturing Revitalization

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We were pleased to learn of the announcement this week of a Manufacturing Caucus in the state Legislature, led by Senator Richard Moore and Representative John Fernandes. State House News Service reports that the caucus will support workforce training, to address a problem highlighted recently by Pioneer’s 2013 Better Government Competition winner, Michael Munday, CEO of Newburyport-based Arwood Machine Corp. Munday’s submission, “Manufacturing Revitalization,” calls for realigning On-the-Job Training (OJT) programs, and is drawn from his experience as a manufacturing CEO and his 15 years of service on Massachusetts’ regional workforce investment boards. His proposal seeks to overcome hiring obstacles that often arise in traditional government-subsidized job training programs. If implemented, the plan would connect the unemployed to jobs and then provide them with the specific skills required to meet their […]

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

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BOSTON – National mathematics standards adopted by 45 states and the District of Columbia that supporters say are designed to make high school graduates “college- and career-ready” and improve the critical science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) pipeline do not prepare students to study STEM or even be admitted to a selective four-year college, according to a new study published by Pioneer Institute. Lowering the Bar: How Common Core Math Fails to Prepare High School Students for STEM “With the exception […]

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

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Your History Paper Could Win $2,500! Announcing The Frederick Douglass Prize U.S. History Essay Contest for Massachusetts High School Students New U.S. History Online Resource for Bay State Students: ACommonSense.org Pioneer Institute is pleased to announce The Frederick Douglass Prize U.S. History Essay Contest for Massachusetts’s high school students. Pioneer Institute is a private, non-partisan public policy think tank with a longstanding reputation for innovative education reform. We believe that Massachusetts’s students are capable of excellence in history. We need your essays to prove us right. Learn about The Frederick Douglass Prize US History Essay Contest (1st Prize: $2,500). Hear from Massachusetts’ students, policy makers, and education leaders on the importance of US History instruction. Explore our gallery of primary […]

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

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Archambault to Become Senior Fellow at Pioneer Institute and to Work on Medicaid Reform Implementation in States Outside Massachusetts BOSTON – Pioneer Institute is pleased to announce that Josh Archambault will be transitioning from his current role as director of the Institute’s Center for Healthcare Solutions to status as a senior fellow on healthcare.  Archambault will be taking on new responsibilities as a senior fellow with the Foundation for Government Accountability, working on the implementation of Medicaid reforms in states around the country. “Josh is an incredible resource – and recognized as such around the country.  This is an important opportunity to expand his ability to focus on other states in the country, where policymakers are willing to go beyond the […]

New Report: Massachusetts’ Tech Tax an Unnecessary Detour

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Report Finds Revenue Not Only Option for Plugging Transportation Funding Hole Caused by Tech Tax Repeal Savings from MBTA, privatization, taxi and prevailing wage reforms could eliminate need for new revenue BOSTON – The $160 million hole in state transportation funding that will be created by repeal of a sales tax on computer and data processing services need not be filled by new revenue alone, according to a new Policy Brief published by Pioneer Institute. Massachusetts’ Technology Tax an Unnecessary Detour “By exempting the MBTA from the commonwealth’s anti-privatization law, using proof-of-payment smart cards on the commuter rail, deregulating taxi and livery services, and using Bureau of Labor Statistics data to help set prevailing wages, we could at the very […]

Consolidating Public Pension Administrations Could Save $27M Annually

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REVISED STUDY FINDS THAT CONSOLIDATING ADMINISTRATION OF PUBLIC EMPLOYEE PENSION SYSTEMS COULD SAVE UP TO $27 MILLION ANNUALLY Huge disparity in staffing levels, number of beneficiaries served by 105 existing public retirement systems In July 2013, Pioneer released “Do We Need Them?” – a report suggesting that consolidating the administration of Massachusetts’ 105 public employee retirement systems would save up to $25 million annually in labor costs and board-member stipends that could be ploughed back into amortizing unfunded liabilities. Do We Need Them? How Many Retirement Boards Are Necessary to Provide Pension Benefits for Massachusetts Public Employees At the time of the report’s release, Pioneer received two criticisms. The Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission (PERAC) was critical of the report’s […]

New Research on Common Core Damaging State/Local School Autonomy

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Study Calls on U.S. Dept. of Education to Stop Using Adoption of Common Core as Condition or Incentive for Receipt of Federal Funds and Waivers In preface, Iowa’s U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley says education policy best made at level of government closest to students, parents BOSTON – The United States Department of Education (USED) should be prohibited from making adoption of national English and math standards known as Common Core a condition or incentive for receipt of federal funding, and both USED and organizations like the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, whose dues are paid with taxpayer funds, should make public the amount of time and money they have invested in promoting Common Core […]