Entries by Editorial Staff

Gerard Robinson, Keynote Speaker

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Gerard Robinson, former Virginia Secretary of Education, was a keynote speaker at the Pioneer Institute’s Charter School Forum. Feb. 21, 2013 Omni Parker House Boston, MA

Driving Reform: New Study on Real Solutions to Our Transportation Challenges

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STUDY: TIE NEW FUNDING TO PERFORMANCE, IMPLEMENTATION OF TRANSPORTATION REFORM Phasing in additional money based on MassDOT performance will improve service Massachusetts’ aging transportation infrastructure needs about $2.6 billion in new investment over six years that would come in stages based on the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s (MassDOT’s) performance on a series of publicly accessible metrics and implementation of reforms included in a 2009 state transportation law and earlier legislation, according to a new Policy Brief published by Pioneer Institute. In “Driving Reform: Real Solutions to Our Transportation Challenges,” Pioneer Senior Fellow Charles Chieppo and Executive Director James Stergios recommend that the new funding be evenly split between gas tax hikes and fare increases on one hand, and money freed […]

Gregory Sullivan Joins Pioneer Institute as Research Director

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Gregory Sullivan Joins Pioneer Institute as Research Director Influential think tank welcomes former Massachusetts Inspector General BOSTON, MA – Pioneer Institute announced today that Gregory W. Sullivan will become the organization’s new Research Director. Sullivan begins his position on April 2nd. “We are pleased to have Greg Sullivan join the Pioneer team,” said Stephen D. Fantone, the Institute’s Chairman and CEO of Optikos Corporation. “His experience and integrity further build Pioneer’s brand as an above-the-fray institute focused on policies that improve the quality of life in Massachusetts and ensure an accountable and effective government.” “The Pioneer team is really excited to have Greg on board,” said Jim Stergios, the Institute’s Executive Director. “Greg is a creative policy thinker and someone […]

150 Years of Lincoln’s New Birth of Freedom

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This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address, American historical texts whose significance far exceeds their immediate practical impact, fundamentally transforming the moral purpose of the Civil War. The Emancipation Proclamation, issued on January 1, 1863 in the third year of the war (though it was announced shortly after the Battle of Antietam in September, 1862) states: “That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.” [message_box title=”Join Us on April […]

Pioneer Requests Report That Predicts ACA’s “Extreme Premium Increases”

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Pioneer Files Request for the Administration to Release Its Report on the Impact of The Federal Health Law on Massachusetts’ Small Businesses The report is known to indicate that the ACA will cause “extreme premium increases” for small businesses BOSTON – Today Pioneer Institute filed a Freedom of Information Request (FOIA) for all drafts of a March 2012 Division of Insurance (DOI) initiated special examination report that looked at the impact that certain changes required by the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA or ObamaCare) will have on the small group market and to permissible rating factors used in Massachusetts. “In order to have an honest and transparent debate on the impending changes that our citizens will face under the ACA, […]

The Legacy of Anti-Irish Bigotry Blocks School Choice in the Bay State

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Massachusetts is one of most “Catholic” states in the country, yet it is one of  just two states with strict constitutional barriers, so-called anti-aid amendments that prevent public funds from being disbursed to working families to help them afford private or parochial school tuition. Pioneer has published numerous reports and op-eds exposing these amendments, vestiges of 19th-century bigotry against Irish-Catholic immigrants. Read Jamie Gass’s latest op-ed, “In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, repeal Know-Nothing law,” in The Patriot Ledger. Pioneer supports increased access to private and parochial schools, because parents should be able to choose the best school for their children, and no child should be trapped in an under-performing public school. Eighteen states, including Rhode Island, currently have education voucher or tax credit scholarship programs […]

Development Internship

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Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research DEVELOPMENT INTERN 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. Candidate Profile Interest in fundraising or non-profit administration, positive attitude, team player, attention to detail. Familiarity with social media platforms, Internet research, and Excel. Must have exceptional phone manner and feel comfortable making calls. Task Assignments Maintain development databases, perform outreach telephone calls, update social media platforms, participate in donor research, provide administrative support to development staff. Time Commitment Part-time: 15-20 hours per week, […]

Wall Street Journal: New Front in Charter Schools

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New Front in Charter Schools In Massachusetts, a Pair of Democrats Push to Lift Restrictions in Some Districts U.S. NEWS March 10, 2013, 7:40 p.m. ET Article http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323293704578334142723722634.html?mod=googlenews_wsj By JENNIFER LEVITZ BOSTON—Massachusetts lawmakers are considering eliminating a cap on the number of charter schools that can operate in the lowest-performing school districts, including here in the capital city. While other states also have weighed lifting caps, charter advocates point to left-leaning Massachusetts as a somewhat unlikely model for the movement. “This demonstrates that charter schools are a viable reform,” said Nina Rees, president of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, a nonprofit aimed at advancing the movement. “If it can happen in Massachusetts, it can happen anywhere.” Charter schools receive […]

Who Controls Health Care Costs? Experts Debate

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This week, Pioneer hosted its annual Hewitt Health Care Lecture, again bringing together influential leaders in medicine, business, and public policy to hear nationally recognized experts discuss our most pressing health care policy challenges. This year,  Harvard economist David Cutler and Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow Avik Roy discussed issues relevant to both the ACA (ObamaCare) and the new Massachusetts law (Chapter 224) that attempts to control costs and implement payment reform. The speakers delivered presentations on the problem of rising healthcare costs, followed by a moderated discussion, and audience Q&A. Check out our Facebook photo album; watch the video: Featured Speakers: David Cutler is Otto Eckstein Professor of Applied Economics in the Department of Economics at Harvard and holds secondary appointments at the […]

Pioneer Visits Phoenix Charter Academy

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Pioneer Institute visited Phoenix Charter Academy in Chelsea, where we talked with Phoenix Executive Director Beth Anderson and 2009 PCA graduate and current staff member Julio Hernandez about the unique mission of the school, which serves at-risk youth. They told us about the benefits that this educational model can bring to students from Springfield, Chicopee and Holyoke if Phoenix’s application to open a new Springfield school is approved.

Pioneer Visits City on a Hill Charter School

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Pioneer Institute visited City on a Hill Charter Public High School in Roxbury, which is applying to expand to two more schools located in Boston and New Bedford. We interviewed Executive Director Erica Brown, who told us about the school’s mission to help all students gain access to college.

Countdown to Fiscal Sanity: Meeting the Challenge of the FY10 Budget

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Meeting the Challenge of the FY10 Budget Author(s): Jim Stergios and Steve Poftak — Publication date: 2009-06-11 Category: Better Government Abstract: It took one day for the House of Representatives to raise the sales tax 25 percent. It took just one day for the Senate to do the same. [wpdm_package id=62]

The Founders and Slavery: Dr Howard Dodson, Jr.

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Teaching U.S. history in public schools was the subject of a Pioneer Institute event and book signing on Monday, January 28 at the Omni Parker House hotel in Boston. Keynote addresses were delivered by Dr. Howard Dodson, who directs Howard University’s Moorland-Springarn Research Center and Library System, and Dr. Jack Rakove, the William Robertson Coe professor of history and American studies and professor of political science at Stanford University. Professor Rakove won the Pulitzer Prize in History for his book Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution. Dr. Howard Dodson, Jr. is the Director of Howard University’s Moorland-Spingarn Research Center and Library System. Previously, he provided 27 years of service as Director of Harlem’s Schomburg Center […]

The Founders and Slavery: Dr. Jack Rakove

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Teaching U.S. history in public schools was the subject of a Pioneer Institute event and book signing on Monday, January 28 at the Omni Parker House hotel in Boston. Keynote addresses were delivered by Dr. Howard Dodson, who directs Howard University’s Moorland-Springarn Research Center and Library System, and Dr. Jack Rakove, the William Robertson Coe professor of history and American studies and professor of political science at Stanford University. Professor Rakove won the Pulitzer Prize in History for his book Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution. Dr. Jack Rakove is the William Robertson Coe Professor of History and American Studies and professor of political science and (by courtesy) law at Stanford University, where he has […]

The Founders and Slavery: Q&A Part 1

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Teaching U.S. history in public schools was the subject of a Pioneer Institute event and book signing on Monday, January 28 at the Omni Parker House hotel in Boston. Keynote addresses were delivered by Dr. Howard Dodson, who directs Howard University’s Moorland-Springarn Research Center and Library System, and Dr. Jack Rakove, the William Robertson Coe professor of history and American studies and professor of political science at Stanford University. Professor Rakove won the Pulitzer Prize in History for his book Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution. The panel discussion following the keynote addresses included: Moderator: Robert Pondiscio, Director of Communications, Core Knowledge Foundation Anders Lewis, Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School Will Fitzhugh, The Concord […]

The Founders and Slavery: Q&A Part 2

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Teaching U.S. history in public schools was the subject of a Pioneer Institute event and book signing on Monday, January 28 at the Omni Parker House hotel in Boston. Keynote addresses were delivered by Dr. Howard Dodson, who directs Howard University’s Moorland-Springarn Research Center and Library System, and Dr. Jack Rakove, the William Robertson Coe professor of history and American studies and professor of political science at Stanford University. Professor Rakove won the Pulitzer Prize in History for his book Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution. The panel discussion following the keynote addresses included: Moderators: Robert Pondiscio, Director of Communications, Core Knowledge Foundation Anders Lewis, Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School Will Fitzhugh, The Concord […]

Pioneer Interviews SABIS International Charter Schools

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Pioneer Institute interviewed SABIS Educational System’s Jose Afonso about the successful academic model provided by Massachusetts’ two SABIS schools in Springfield and Holyoke. He described the benefits SABIS can bring to families in Brockton, if the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education approves their application to open a school there.