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Pioneer Institute has long played a key role in reforming Massachusetts' government. Below is a short summary of just some of our accomplishments:
Special Education
- › Pioneer's 1994 study Special Education: Good Intentions Gone Awry, which examined special education legislation, enrollment trends, costs and financial impact on regular education in the Commonwealth, argued that the "maximum feasible benefit" standard should be replaced with "free and appropriate education".
- › The "free and appropriate education" standard was approved by the Massachusetts Legislature in 2000 and went into effect in 2002.
Bilingual Education
- › Pioneer's 1996 study Bilingual Education in Massachusetts: The Emperor Has No Clothes and its 1998 Agenda for Leadership both urged a "structured immersion" approach to teaching students with limited English proficiency.
- › Structured immersion was approved by public referendum in 2002.
Public Charter Schools
- › Pioneer was instrumental in advocating for and establishing the approximately 50 public charter schools now operating in Massachusetts.
Better Government
- › For 16 years, Pioneer's Better Government Competition has sought innovative, concrete ideas to improve the quality and reduce the cost of state government services. Since its inception in 1991, the competition has saved Massachusetts' taxpayers more than $400 million through the adoption of ideas it promoted. The competition has been replicated throughout the world.
Health and Human Services
- › Pioneer's 2002 study Rationalizing Health and Human Services suggested an integrated approach to managing the 15 departments overseen by the state's Executive Office of Health and Human Services.
- › Implemented by the EOHHS during 2003 and 2004, Pioneer's recommendations resulted in operational savings amounting to approximately $90 million annually.
Pension Reform
- › Pioneer's 2006 studies Public Pensions: Unfair to State Employees, Unfair to Taxpayers and Leaving Money on the Table: The 106 Pension Funds of Massachusetts highlighted loopholes in local pensions that have added $3 billion to the state's total unfunded pension liability and mismanagement that squandered $1.6 billion in potential investment gains.
- › Pioneer's recommendation to combine underperforming local pensions into the state's Pension Reserve Investment Trust (PRIT) was adopted by Governor Deval Patrick in his 2008 budget recommendations.
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