Tom Birmingham Archives - Pioneer Institute

MBTAAnalysis: A look inside the MBTA

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April 1, 2019

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

The Clock is Ticking…….

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February 20, 2017

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

Tax credit scholarship program would give Catholic schools fighting chance

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February 2, 2021

I am among the countless individuals whose lives have been shaped by Catholic education; in my case, it was attending high school at Austin Prep. Despite a stellar record, Catholic schools are facing a grim financial picture. But a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision gives new hope to the schools and to the many Massachusetts families with children who would benefit from attending them.

Voc-tech schools thriving despite pandemic strictures

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January 5, 2021

HANDS-ON EDUCATION plays a critical role at Massachusetts regional vocational-technical high schools, where students alternate weekly between academics and shop classes. Given that reality, you’d think the schools would be particularly hard hit by the switch to hybrid models under which students are in a physical school building only half the time. But thanks to innovative approaches to coping with pandemic-related restrictions, voc-techs are successfully bucking statewide public-school enrollment trends.

MCAS testing essential to address falling test scores

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November 12, 2020

Amid the chaos that was created by schools suddenly being shuttered in March as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it made sense to cancel administration of Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) tests. But supporters of pending legislation that would place a four-year moratorium on using MCAS as a high school graduation requirement and create a commission to study alternatives to the tests are no longer responding to a crisis; they are using it to advance their anti-reform agenda.

Easthampton High Scores A National Educational Victory During The COVID-19 Pandemic

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June 5, 2020

This spring, Massachusetts’ Easthampton High School was crowned national champion in the “We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution” contest. The competition brings together about 1,200 students from across the country to answer civics questions based on America’s Founding Documents including the U.S. Constitution; The Federalist Papers; and U.S. Supreme Court decisions.

Mass. schools must recommit to knowledge-based curriculum

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June 4, 2020

The Bay State’s leadership role has continued into the current century. Massachusetts made tremendous strides in the years following passage of a landmark 1993 education reform law. But it has been backsliding since 2010, when it adopted weaker English and math standards known as Common Core. To get back on track, Massachusetts must reform its school- and district-level curriculum to emphasize imparting a shared body of background knowledge and social commitment to students in all ZIP codes.

Join us on Oct. 16 for a Book Release Event: “The Fight for the Best Charter Public Schools in the Nation”

September 20, 2018

Join us for a lively discussion of Pioneer Institute's new book, The…

Press Release: Birmingham Touts 1993 Ed Reform Act’s Success, Expresses Concerns about Recent Policies

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April 5, 2018

BOSTON - Massachusetts Education Reform Act co-author and former…

Op-ed: A Novel Solution To An Old Problem

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December 14, 2017

By Tom Birmingham | The Boston Pilot | December 15, 2017 We…

Op-ed: Education focus, testing on history, civics critical to well-informed citizenry

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September 18, 2017

By Tom Birmingham Read this op-ed as published in WGBH News,…

Commemorating The 100th Anniversary Of U.S. Entry Into World War I

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April 7, 2017

On Tuesday, April 4th, at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for…

Op-ed: Voc-tech schools are a Mass. success story

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February 8, 2017

Read this entire op-ed online at CommonWealth Magazine, the…

Op-ed: Challenge and Opportunity for Catholic Education

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December 19, 2016

Given our desire to do as much as we can, especially to help poor urban kids participate fully in the American Dream, we need to provide them with access to school choice options: charter schools; vocational-technical schools; private and parochial schools; and METCO. Choice is what the privileged have for their children. Why shouldn't everyone have access to high quality academic options?