Entries by Editorial Staff

Higher State Charter Caps: A Small Step in the Right Direction

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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

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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 […]

Keeping Massachusetts Competitive: The Business Climate in Context

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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]

Challenges

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Mayor’s Scott Lang (New Bedford), Lisa Wong (Fitchburg) and City Manager Bernard Lynch (Lowell) discuss challenges and lessons learned

State Aid

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Mayor’s Scott Lang (New Bedford), Lisa Wong (Fitchburg) and City Manager Bernard Lynch (Lowell) discuss what the state should do to help.

Data Tracking

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Mayor’s Scott Lang (New Bedford), Lisa Wong (Fitchburg) and City Manager Bernard Lynch (Lowell) discuss tracking data to reduce spending while maintaining services.

Funding Cuts

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Mayor Lisa Wong (Fitchburg), and City Manager Bernard Lynch (Lowell) discuss areas most affected by funding cuts.

Declined Funding

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Mayors Scott Lang (New Bedford), Lisa Wong (Fitchburg) and City Manager Bernard Lynch (Lowell) discuss sources of funding with greatest decline.

Municipal Benchmarks for Massachusetts Middle Cities: A Look at Financial Management

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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

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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?

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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 […]

Municipal Benchmarks for Massachusetts Middle Cities: Educational Achievement

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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

Municipal Benchmarks for Massachusetts Middle Cities: A Look at Educational Achievement

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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

2010 Hewitt Health Care Lecture

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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.

Heading Down: The Loss of Massachusetts Headquarters

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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

Why Race to the Middle? First-Class State Standards Are Better than Third-Class National Standards

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First-Class State Standards Are Better than Third-Class National Standards Author(s): Ze’ev Wurman and Sandra Stotsky — Publication date: 2010-02-23 Category: Education Abstract: The case for national standards rests on more than the need to equalize academic expectations for all students by remedying the uneven and often deplorable quality of most state standards and tests. The case also rests on the urgent need to increase academic achievement for all students. In mathematics and science in particular, we require much higher levels of achievement than our students now demonstrate for this country to remain competitive in the global economy. These goals are not compatible at the secondary school level, and the tensions they create are not easily resolved. For example, although the […]

Creating Jobs: Reforming Unemployment Insurance in Massachusetts

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Author(s): Steve Poftak — Publication date: 2011-02-10 Category: Economic Opportunity Abstract: Pioneer Institute and the Massachusetts High Technology Council are pleased to present a new study that meets this demand: “Creating Jobs: Reforming Unemployment Insurance in Massachusetts.” As the report highlights, Massachusetts’s Unemployment Insurance system – the most generous in the nation in terms of eligibility requirements and benefit duration – is actually inhibiting job creation. The report offers four reform proposals that could generate 10,000 new jobs and $7.5 billion in economic growth over the next decade. [wpdm_package id=53]

CPOE Initiative

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In 2004, the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC), in partnership with New England Healthcare Institute (NEHI), created the Massachusetts Hospital CPOE initiative, a six-year-long campaign to speed adoption of a computer technology that can drastically reduce the scourge of harmful medication errors. The Initative’s groundbreaking research revealed that one in every ten patients in a Massachusetts community hospital suffers a serious but preventable medication error. The finding spurred the Massachusetts Legislature, the state’s private payers and later the US Congress to enact policy changes encouraging or requiring the use of Computerized Physician Order Entry, or CPOE. [wpdm_package id=262]

Health Insurance Cost Control

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The combined use of limited, or slective, provider networks and a defined contribution strategy presents an immediate opportunity for government entities and employer groups to achieve significant and sustainable health insurance savings and reduce medical cost trends, while maintaing coverage leverls and quality of care. Health Insurance Cost Control

A National Market for Individual Health Insurance

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Health insurance markets are regulated by the states under the McCarran-Ferguson Act (15 U.S.C. 1011) of 1945. The ‘purpose clause’ of the Act states that regulation and taxation of the business of insurance by the states is in the public interest. As a result of McCarran-Ferguson, evey health insurer must be licensed in the policyholder’s state of residence. The states have responded with a complex patchwork of mandates and laws that vary widely acrcros the country. [wpdm_package id=260]

Wellness Health Incentive Payment Program

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Suitable healthcare should always involve an accountable partnership between the payor and the third party insurance administrator. The Wellness Health Incentive Payment (WHIP) Program facilitates better health/wellness outcomes by holding health insurance vendors fiscally responsible for health insurance administrative vendors according to the vendor’s wellness activity performance against nationally recognized health and wellness standards [wpdm_package id=259]

School-Based Management: A Practical Path to School District Reform

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A Practical Path to School District Reform Author(s): Cara Stillings Candal — Publication date: 2009-09-29 Category: Education Abstract: Located in the “bicep of Cape Cod,” the Town of Barnstable, Massachusetts, is widely considered that area’s economic and municipal hub. Home to a thriving business sector, healthcare facilities, an airport, and a host of other municipal services, many of Cape Cod’s citizens rely upon Barnstable and its seven surrounding villages for economic and cultural prosperity. But Barnstable’s status as a center of activity in the Cape Cod region is only one of the things that make the town unique. In recent years, Barnstable has received state and national recognition for its commitment to financial accountability and responsibility. This commitment has, in […]

Closing Sprinfield’s Achievement Gap: Innovative Ways to Use MCAS Data to Drive School Reform

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Innovative Ways to Use MCAS Data to Drive School Reform Author(s): Dr. Kathleen Madigan, Theodor Rebarber, and Dr. Bruce Bean — Publication date: 2009-10-19 Category: Education Abstract: Business leaders, educators, policy makers, and civil rights advocates are increasingly dedicated to fundamental reform to close the achievement gap that limits hope and opportunity for students from historically disadvantaged groups. Substantial gaps in academic achievement between groups of students based on race, ethnicity and similar factors should have no place in American society in the 21st century. For those students facing such deficits, the effects can be profound. They dictate which students receive the preparation necessary to succeed in their choice of college and work, and which ones continue to be left […]