MBTAAnalysis: A look inside the MBTA

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The MBTA shuttles over a million passengers a day around Greater…

The Clock is Ticking…….

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The clock is ticking towards December 30, 2017.  As part of…

Improving the Bay State’s Public Pension Fund Investment Policies

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While current policies provide a solid basis for preserving assets in Massachusetts’ 105 public pension funds, improvements and updates would boost flexibility and investment returns, while promoting accountability and limiting unnecessary risks, according to a new study published by Pioneer Institute.

Exploring Jewish Day Schools in Massachusetts

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A new Pioneer Institute study of Jewish day schools in Massachusetts calls for the creation of an education tax credit program to ensure that children have the widest possible access to the schools their parents choose for them.

Rejection of Anti-Common Core Model Legislation a Sad End to a Bizarre Process

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Pioneer Institute's statement on the decision of the American Legislative Exchange Council Board to reject anti-Common Core model legislation that had been approved twice by ALEC’s education task force.

Continuing State Public School Enrollment Decline Will Increase Fiscal Pressure on Districts

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Enrollment in Massachusetts public schools is continuing to fall, and the decreases could result in under-utilized facilities, higher per-pupil costs and more political pressure to limit the growth of charter schools according to a new Pioneer Institute white paper, Enrollment Trends in Massachusetts: An Update.

Unrealistic Investment Return Assumptions Mask True Cost Of Retiring Unfunded Pension Liabilities

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Pension boards across Massachusetts must use more rigorous actuarial assumptions about pension fund investment returns and accelerate the rate at which they pay down unfunded liabilities to meet the 2040 statutory deadline for fully funding public pensions in the Commonwealth according to a new study published by Pioneer Institute, The Fiscal Implications of Massachusetts Retirement Boards’ Investment Returns.

Pioneer Forum to Focus on SABIS® and the Role of For-Profit Charter School Management Companies

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Pioneer forum on SABIS® and the Role of For-Profit Charter School Management Companies.

Big “Cadillac Tax” Ahead for Massachusetts’ Middle Class

A new brief from Pioneer Institute, The Impact of the Federal Health Law’s “Cadillac Insurance Tax” in Massachusetts, estimates additional costs associated with the ACA's so-called "Cadillac tax," will affect well over 50% of workers in Massachusetts.

Pioneer Announces Recipient of First Annual Ruth and Lovett Peters Fellowship

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Pioneer announces Umut Dur, University of Texas Doctoral Candidate, is recipient of first annual Ruth and Lovett Peters Fellowship to support school choice initiatives

New Study Suggests Remedies for Common Core Literature Deficit

State and local education policy makers in the 46 states that have adopted the Common Core State Standards should emphasize the literary-historical content that already exists in the standards and add an additional literature-based standard to address Common Core’s lack of literary content.

New Municipal Guide Provides Tools for Local Budgeting

The Guide to Sound Fiscal Management for Municipalities is intended as a resource for citizens, especially those serving on municipal finance committees, to analyze the effectiveness and efficiency of their community’s spending. Pioneer has distributed over 3,000 copies to city and town finance committee members throughout Massachusetts.

POLITICAL COLUMNIST MICHAEL BARONE TO HEADLINE 2012 BETTER GOVERNMENT COMPETITION AWARDS DINNER

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ichael Barone, best-selling author and respected political commentator, will deliver the keynote address, “Election 2012 and the American Experiment,” at Pioneer Institute’s 2012 Better Government Competition Awards ceremony.

Pioneer Institute Research Director Steve Poftak Joins Harvard’s Rappaport Institute

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Longtime Director of Pioneer Institute's Centers for Better Government and Economic Opportunity, Steve Poftak, will become Executive Director of the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

PIONEER INSTITUTE ANNOUNCES 2012 BETTER GOVERNMENT COMPETITION WINNER

Pioneer Institute is pleased to announce the winner of the 21st annual Better Government Competition (BGC): “Coordinating Medicare and Medicaid to Improve Care”

POLL FINDS LIKELY MASSACHUSETTS VOTERS OVERWHELMINGLY FAVOR MORE SCHOOL CHOICE

Likely Massachusetts voters overwhelmingly support educational choice, according to a poll conducted by David Paleologos’ firm, DAPA Research, for Pioneer Institute.

HISTORY OF STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT SHOULD INFORM FUTURE POLICIES

A new Pioneer report calls on the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to focus on things it has demonstrated the ability to do well if it is to be as successful implementing the second wave of education reform as it was with the first.

POLL FINDS PARENTS, TEACHERS AND STATE LEGISLATORS ALL SUPPORT REINSTATEMENT OF U.S. HISTORY MCAS GRADUATION REQUIREMENT

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Three stakeholder groups overwhelmingly agree that Massachusetts should focus more attention on educating public school students in U.S. history

Controlling Education from the Top: Why Common Core Is Bad for America

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Why Common Core Is Bad for America Author(s): Emmett McGroarty…

POOR STUDENTS IN RURAL MASSACHUSETTS OUTPERFORM THEIR URBAN COUNTERPARTS AND ARE IMPROVING MORE RAPIDLY

New study finds that all students are scoring higher, but low-income rural students have improved more rapidly than low-income urban students.

No More Know Nothing Laws: School Choice in Massachusetts

Pioneer Institute hosts event with national education reform experts Kevin Chavous and Jay Greene, releases new research on Catholic and Jewish Schools

WITH FEDERAL HEALTH LAW FACING SUPREME COURT TEST, NEW BOOK OFFERS ALTERNATIVE

Pioneer's new book, The Great Experiment, proposes that the states take the lead in health-care reform, as Massachusetts did in 2006, and that Washington facilitate the transition, rather than try to dictate every move.

Four Models of Catholic Schooling in Massachusetts

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Author(s): Cara Stillings Candal, Ed.D. — Publication date:…

NEW STUDY EXPLORES POLICY CHALLENGES POSED BY VIRTUAL SCHOOLS

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NEW STUDY EXPLORES POLICY CHALLENGES POSED BY VIRTUAL SCHOOLS Existing…

STUDY ESTIMATES COST OF TRANSITION TO NATIONAL EDUCATION STANDARDS AT $16 BILLION

New study finds that aligning state and local educational systems to the Common Core State Standards in English language arts and math will cost the 45 states plus the District of Columbia that have adopted them nearly $16 billion over seven years.

IS THE US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION VIOLATING FEDERAL LAW BY DIRECTING STANDARDS, TESTS, AND CURRICULA?

Despite three federal laws that prohibiting the federal government from directing, supervising or controlling K-12 curricula, the U.S. Department of Education has placed the nation on the road to a national curriculum.

Pioneer and Northeastern Present State Transportation Scorecard

Use Pioneer's Transportation Dashboard, an online, interactive application designed to model a performance measurement system that could be deployed by the state’s Department of Transportation. It features an array of publicly-available data in an easy-to-digest format, and includes the latest information on key indicators of performance such as congestion, throughput, safety, construction management, and environmental stewardship.

Pioneer to Participate in U.S. History Competition for Students

Pioneer to Participate in U.S. History Competition for Students; “We the People” promotes U.S. history and civics education

Virtual Schools, Actual Learning: Digital Education in America

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Pioneer Institute event to feature state and national online education leaders.

A Fair and Cost Effective Tort System for Health Care

New study calls for comprehensive tort reform to address rise in number and average cost of malpractice payouts, and increase in insurance premiums, up by 63% in 2009 since 2001

STUDY: START-UPS KEY TO RECOVERY FROM RECESSION

Companies that are three years old or younger have been the key to creating Massachusetts jobs in the wake of the last two recessions, according to a new study from Pioneer Institute.

Outsourcing Helps Cities and Towns Provide Better Services for Less

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New Report Shows Municipalities across the Bay State Can Reduce Costs by 75% and Increase Productivity by Contracting Services