Pioneer Institute

From the City on a Hill to a Shrouded Statehouse: Massachusetts' Push for Government Accountability

Once seen as a city upon a hill, Massachusetts, the first state with a public viewing gallery for its Legislature faces persistent concerns about lack of government transparency. Data on Statements of Financial Interest (SFIs) from US DataLabs highlights those concerns and emphasizes the need for accountability. 
June 20, 2025

Riding toward a greener future? How Massachusetts public transport compares to other public transportation networks.

What is the relationship between public transportation usage and CO2 emissions in Massachusetts? To investigate this question, this blog uses a peer group of the only nine states with over 100 million total public transport trips in 2023, which are referred to as ‘high transport states’ throughout the blog.  
June 20, 2025

A Decade of Doubt

By failing to believe in students’ capabilities, and to set standards accordingly, we have condemned many to illiteracy and generally dire educational outcomes—in sum, incapability.  This need not be the case, and for a brief moment, in Massachusetts and other educational hotspots, it wasn’t.
October 25, 2023

New Book Calls on States to Improve U.S. History and Civics Education

Pioneer Institute is today releasing Restoring the City on a Hill: U.S. History and Civics in America's Schools, which details the decline of history and civics knowledge among students and offers a plan for how states and local school districts can foster understanding of and curiosity about our nation's history.
May 17, 2019

Presenting Pioneer’s New Annual Report: "Shaping Our Future"

We at Pioneer Institute work every day to promote policies that result in better school options, broader access to affordable healthcare, improved public services and infrastructure, and a more attractive climate for innovators and capital. In Pioneer’s 2018 Annual Report (available to...
April 3, 2013

Pioneer Institute Charter Forum, featuring Nina Rees

Nina Rees, president of National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, presents at the Pioneer Institute’s Charter Forum. Feb. 21, 2013, Omni Parker House Boston, MA
December 26, 2012

Get Involved with Pioneer

The Many Ways to Get Involved with Pioneer, Presented by Erin Blake Elefante, Director of Development
October 22, 2012

Pioneer’s 2013 Health Care Policy Agenda

Pioneer’s 2013 Agenda in Health Care Policy, Presented by Josh Archambault, Director of the Center for Healthcare Solutions