Pioneer released a research paper on Massachusetts Catholic schools, giving them high marks for providing a high-quality education and a safe learning environment for poor and working-class families at a substantially lower cost than the average public school’s per-pupil expenditure.
Until state education leaders reinstate the MCAS history requirement, students won’t know important chapters in black — and Massachusetts — history.
High Tech Council, Pioneer Institute push reforms to nation’s most expensive safety net
WBUR interviews Pioneer Executive Director Jim Stergios on whether the state should be targeting particular industries for tax incentives and other benefits.
Teacher Union Contract Langiage in Massachusetts Author(s): Pioneer Institute — Publication date: 2011-01-21 Category: Education Abstract: A study of teacher contracts in 25 Massachusetts school districts finds they range from “professional” to “factory” models, with high-achieving districts more likely to have contracts that give teachers flexibility to make decisions. Contracting for Performance
Pioneer Institute’s Agenda for Leadership for 2010 and Beyond Author(s): James Stergios — Publication date: 2010-10-27 Category: Better Government Abstract: Whoever wins the election this November will need to make tough decisions about policy, budget priorities, and the role of government. Massachusetts has lost 300,000 jobs over the past decade, has exhausted its rainy day and stimulus funds, and faces a billion-dollar structural budget deficit. Hit the Ground Running, Pioneer Institute’s 2010 Agenda for Leadership series, is a must-read for newly elected officials seeking fresh but practical ideas for effective government across seven major policy areas: education reform, health care, job creation, government transparency, transportation, rebuilding our cities, and managing the budget. Agenda for Leadership 2010: Hit the Ground Running
A Review of the Rhode Island Program and Assessment of Possibilities in Massachusetts Author(s): Matthew P. Steinberg — Publication date: 2010-10-19 Category: Education Abstract: In 2007, Pioneer Institute offered groundbreaking, first-in-the-nation research on the expansion of educational opportunities for low-income students via tax benefits. That report outlined and assessed education tax credit programs in Florida, Minnesota, and Arizona. Building on that research, this policy brief reviews the new tax credit program in Rhode Island which facilitates the transfer of students from public to private schools with the assistance of corporate-funded tuition scholarships. Education Tax Credits
School Choice Models and Public School Reform Event to feature former District of Columbia Mayor Anthony Williams and a Roundtable Discussion among Education Leaders Contact Jamie Gass at 617-723-2277 ext. 210 or jgass@pioneerinst.wpengine.com Rhode Island Jewish Day Schools and Scholarship Tax Credits BOSTON – Former District of Columbia Mayor Anthony Williams, a nationally recognized leader in education reform, will address a forum on “School Choice Models and Public School Reform,” taking place on Wednesday, October 20th . The event is sponsored by Pioneer Institute, the Black Alliance for Educational Options, Democrats for Education Reform, and Harvard’s Program on Education Policy and Governance. Mayor Williams implement D.C.’s successful Opportunity Scholarship Program, a popular initiative which enabled low-income students to attend private […]
HIGHER STATE CHARTER CAPS A SMALL STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION New Study Finds Vague Language, Bureaucracy and Focus on Compliance Likely to Open the Door to More Political Interference, Limit Effectiveness Contact Jamie Gass at 617-723-2277 ext. 210, or jgass@pioneerinst.wpengine.com Charter School Caps and Strings Attached BOSTON – While the limited increase in the number of charter schools allowed in a bill enacted in January is a step in the right direction, vague language, provisions that pull charters into the very bureaucratic web they were designed to bypass, and a focus on promoting compliance over excellence limit the progress to baby steps, according to a new study published by Pioneer Institute. In “Charter School Caps and Strings Attached: The […]
Common Core Standards Still Don’t Make the Grade Former Massachusetts and California Math and ELA Standards Remain Superior to National Standards Contact Samantha Levine-Neudel at 617-723-2277 ext. 211, or slevine@pioneerinst.wpengine.com Common Core’s Standards Still Don’t Make the Grade BOSTON/SAN FRANCISCO – The Commonwealth’s adoption of national education standards is again in the news, with the issue debated in a gubernatorial debate this morning and candidate Tim Cahill’s reversal yesterday of his opposition to the move. This summer, Cahill called the decision to adopt the Common Core national standards “one of the most alarming and egregious of the last four years.” But speaking yesterday at an event hosted to Associated Industries of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education, he […]
The Business Climate in Context Author(s): Steve Poftak — Publication date: 2010-09-16 Category: Economic Opportunity Abstract: Massachusetts is a state with many economic and competitive strengths, but policymakers, elected officials, and business leaders must not ignore its weaknesses. Massachusetts offers compelling advantages to companies looking to expand businesses or start new ones, but other states are chipping away at the state’s advantages in this area. Of equal concern is the fact that the state’s shortcomings–notably, the cost of doing business and an unfavorable and unpredictable tax environment–create a disadvantage when compared to many of the Commonwealth’s national and international economic competitors. [wpdm_package id=54]
Press Release on Pioneer’s new paper which takes a look at economic growth in Massachusetts’ Middle Cities.
Brenda Bond discusses her interviews with Police Chiefs regarding the economic crisis.
What leaders are saying about Pioneer.
Mayor’s Scott Lang (New Bedford), Lisa Wong (Fitchburg) and City Manager Bernard Lynch (Lowell) discuss challenges and lessons learned
Mayor’s Scott Lang (New Bedford), Lisa Wong (Fitchburg) and City Manager Bernard Lynch (Lowell) discuss what the state should do to help.
Mayor’s Scott Lang (New Bedford), Lisa Wong (Fitchburg) and City Manager Bernard Lynch (Lowell) discuss tracking data to reduce spending while maintaining services.
Mayor Lisa Wong (Fitchburg), and City Manager Bernard Lynch (Lowell) discuss areas most affected by funding cuts.
Mayors Scott Lang (New Bedford), Lisa Wong (Fitchburg) and City Manager Bernard Lynch (Lowell) discuss sources of funding with greatest decline.
This paper advocates for an approach to benchmarking that recognizes meaningful differences within groups (like the Middle Cities) that may be lost in a broader comparison or statewide context. Below we discuss three different examples of this method, first looking at different rates of vacant housing from town to town, followed by similar explorations of home values and commercial and industrial development. More broadly, whether the topic is housing, property tax, or something else (school performance, public safety, whatever), wise use of municipal benchmarks holds the promise to recognize ways that communities may be distinguishing themselves—or drifting further into problem territory—without getting drawn into sweeping generalities, broad despair, or defensive apologies. Municipal Benchmarks for Massachusetts Middle Cities: A Look at […]
Rhetoric and Reality: A Closer Look at the Massachusetts State Pension System Contact Samantha Levine-Neudel at 617-723-2277 ext. 211 or slevine@pioneerinst.wpengine.com Rhetoric and Reality: Pension Benefits for Retired Massachusetts State Workers BOSTON – A new Pioneer Institute report corrects a number of misconceptions about state pension system benefit levels. In Rhetoric and Reality, author James Bohn, a business economist with a Ph.D from Harvard and former principal of UHY Advisors, analyzes the actual pensions received by current state retirees across multiple dimensions, demonstrating a wide variation in pensions and surprisingly generous benefits for a few groups of state employees. “Pension reforms enacted to date have only addressed the most egregious abuses,” says Pioneer Executive Director Jim Stergios. “We can only […]
Public Safety Funds: Where Are They Going? Contact Samantha Levine-Neudel at 617-723-2277 ext. 211 or slevine@pioneerinst.wpengine.com [wpdm_package id=27] BOSTON – A new report underscores the lack of clarity around how federal and state public safety grants are distributed to Massachusetts cities and towns. Where Are Public Safety Funds Going?, a new study published by Pioneer Institute, recommends changes to how to track these funds and ensure fair and data-driven distribution, as well as accountability for resulting improvements on key public safety measures. In 2001, after the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security, which distributes public safety funds to state and local governments, local administrators turned their attention to the distribution of funds. They also questioned the rationale for the […]
National Standards Still Don’t Make the Grade Academic Standards in Massachusetts and California Remain Significantly Better Than the Proposed Common Core Standards Contact Jamie Gass at 617-723-2277 ext. 210 or jgass@pioneerinst.wpengine.com National Standards Still Don’t Make the Grade BOSTON/SAN FRANCISCO – Adopting the final draft of proposed national education standards in English language arts (ELA) would result in a significant weakening of the intellectual demands placed on Massachusetts and California students in language and literature, according to a review published jointly by the Pacific Research Institute and Pioneer Institute. In Part I of National Standards Still Don’t Make the Grade: Why Massachusetts and California Must Retain Control Over Their Academic Destinies, authors Kathleen Madigan, a senior research scientist for AccountabilityWorks […]
Losing the Relocation Lottery: Massachusetts Struggles to Attract and Retain Good Jobs Contact Samantha Levine at 617-723-2277 ext. 211, or slevine@pioneerinst.wpengine.com Playing the Lottery: The Impact of Interstate Relocation on Massachusetts Jobs BOSTON – Massachusetts jobs are relocating to states with lower taxes and business costs. Pioneer’s new study in its year-long series on jobs and the economy, Playing the Lottery, shows that Massachusetts has been losing companies and jobs to states that are more receptive to business. The study concludes that policy makers should focus their efforts on improving the general business climate in Massachusetts, not just targeted incentives. Otherwise, Massachusetts will get a few big wins, but lose out over the long term, just like playing the lottery. […]
New Pioneer/Pacific Research Institute Report: Weak National Standards Basis for Weak National Tests Contact Jamie Gass at 617-723-2277 ext. 210 or jgass@pioneerinst.wpengine.com The Emperor’s New Clothes BOSTON/SAN FRANCISCO – A new report demonstrates that fundamental flaws within the Common Core State Standards Initiative’s push for national academic standards, especially the weak definition of college and career readiness, will result in sub-standard national assessments. The Emperor’s New Clothes: National Assessments Based on Weak “College and Career Readiness Standards” is the third in a series of analyses of the proposed standards and assessments by Pioneer Institute and Pacific Research Institute. The CCSSI was formed in 2009 by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) to develop […]
Municipal Benchmarks for Massachusetts’ Middle Cities: A Look at Economic Growth Municipal Benchmarks for Massachusetts Middle Cities: A Look at Economic Growth BOSTON- A new policy paper from Pioneer Institute?s Middle Cities Initiative calls for citizens and city officials to shift their approach to municipal benchmarking to one that recognizes meaningful differences within cities that may be lost in a broader comparison or statewide context. Municipal Benchmarks for Massachusetts? Middle Cities: A Look at Economic Growth looks specifically at the performance of fourteen Massachusetts cities in regards to their economic growth. “Pioneer?s Middle Cities Initiative is really an effort to try and engage citizens, local businesses leaders and political officials in a meaningful way, and the best way to do […]
A Look at Educational Achievement Author(s): Dr. Robert D. Gaudet — Publication date: 2010-04-05 Category: Economic Opportunity Abstract: This analysis evaluates the educational performance of the 14 school systems that comprise the Pioneer Institute’s Middle Cities Initiative. These communities, which are outside of the Boston metropolitan area, struggle to attract businesses, maintain a viable tax base, control crime, and educate their children to the level needed to succeed in today’s world. Municipal Benchmarks for Massachusetts Middle Cities: Educational Achievement
A Look at Educational Achievement Author(s): Dr. Robert D. Gaudet — Publication date: 2010-04-05 Category: Economic Opportunity Abstract: This analysis evaluates the educational performance of the 14 school systems that comprise the Pioneer Institute’s Middle Cities Initiative. These communities, which are outside of the Boston metropolitan area, struggle to attract businesses, maintain a viable tax base, control crime, and educate their children to the level needed to succeed in today’s world. Municipal Benchmarks for Massachusetts Middle Cities: Educational Achievement
Pioneer’s 2010 Hewitt Health Care Lecture featured Dr. Jeffrey Flier, Dean, Harvard Medical School. Dr. Flier provided a historical overview of health care reform, and outlined his concerns about the federal heath care law, the Affordable Care Act.
The Loss of Massachusetts Headquarters Author(s): John Friar and Megan Gay — Publication date: 2010-03-05 Category: Economic Opportunity Abstract: This brief is the second in a series on employment trends in Massachusetts from 1990 to 2007, an eighteen- year period leading up to the current recession. From 1990 to 2007, the U.S. experienced net job growth of 26.6%; in the same period Massachusetts experienced a net job loss of 0.3%, losing a total of 11,816 jobs. From 1990 until 2003, Massachusetts job trends roughly followed US trends: losing jobs in 1990-1992 and 2001-2003 due to recessions and gaining jobs in intervening years. Heading Down: The Loss of Massachusetts Headquarters