History and Civic Education: The Learning of Liberty for Civic Life
Boston University School of Management | 2008-05-08
In her book Democratic Education Amy Gutmann, President of the University of Pennsylvania, said that “political education — the cultivation of the virtues, knowledge, and skills necessary for political participation — has moral primacy over other purposes of public education in a democratic society.”
How to ensure that democracy will endure has been a matter of concern since the founding of the Republic. This conference will explore the challenge of preparing citizens to embrace liberty and exercise it for the common good, both in the United States and in emerging democracies abroad.
Setting the historical and philosophical context for the discussion will be our keynote speaker, the Bancroft and Pulitzer Prize winning historian Gordon Wood. Conference participants will learn about Projects in Civic Engagement, which aim to apply core principles of liberty and democracy to the education of citizens in the U.S. and abroad. These projects include We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution, We the People: Project Citizen, Civitas International (Russia partnership), and Civics Mosaic (Eurasia). Who Will Save America's Urban Catholic Schools?
Omni Parker Hotel | 2008-04-29
To mark the release of the Fordham Institute's latest research on the nation's Catholic schools, Fordham Vice President Michael Petrilli will discuss this valuable but threatened educational resource, and what could be done to ensure that the next generation of Boston children can benefit from an affordable, high-quality education from the city's Catholic schools. Middle Cities At Work
Center for Economic Opportunity Annual Conference
Mechanics Hall, Worcester | 2008-04-25
Pioneer Institute is launching the Middle Cities Initiative to help the state and its cities implement a comprehensive agenda for reviving urban markets and improving city governance. Through the Initiative, Pioneer Institute promotes the use of data, performance measurement, and benchmarks to drive strategic decision-making in city management. In addition, the Initiative is intended to be a forum for sharing the best practices across cities.
Massachusetts’ older industrial cities are politically and economically in limbo between the traditional power base of greater Boston and the burgeoning political force of the suburbs, and between their former industrial role and newer market function. They are without political cohesion, and the state is also without a cohesive strategy to make the cities once again self-sustaining economic engines. The Middle Cities Initiative seeks to change that.
Please join us at this year's Center for Economic Opportunity Conference, to learn more about the Middle Cities Initiative.
Welcome
- › Jim Stergios, Executive Director, Pioneer Institute
Keynote Address
- › Greg Bialecki, Undersecretary for Business Development, Department of Business and Technology
Panel 1: Innovations and Best Practices in Economic Development
Panel 2: Using Data to Inform Policymaking
- › Mayor Joseph Curtatone, City of Somerville
- › Mayor Thatcher Kezer, City of Amesbury
- › Stephen Lisauskas, Executive Director, Springfield Finance Control Board
- › Stephanie Hirsch, Director, SomerStat
- › Roberta Schaefer, President & CEO, The Research Bureau
Shades of Green
Forum on Wetlands Protection and Smart Growth
Suffolk University Law School | 2008-03-06
All wetlands, including small seasonal pools, help clean rainwater, serve as drainage areas and provide habitat for many species. While there is broad consensus on the need for wetlands protection, there is less agreement about the best system for regulating development in and near wetlands.
Join us for a discussion of wetlands policy in Massachusetts.
Welcome
- › Ellen Roy Herzfelder, former Secretary of Environmental Affairs
Presentations of Research
- › Jim Stergios, Pioneer Institute
- › Amy Dain, Pioneer Institute
- › Jenny Schuetz, Assistant Professor of Economics, City College of New York
Panelists
- › Ken Pruitt, Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions
- › Patrick Garner, Wetlands Scientist and Hydrologist
- › Jeff Rhuda, Symes Associates
Data-Driven Student Achievement
BU School of Education | 2008-01-15
Using data to make decisions in our public schools and classrooms was was one of the core elements of the 1993 Massachusetts Education Reform Act. The result was the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, or MCAS.
Proponents of this system and the tests it uses argue they are essential learning tools and, right now, the best and most cost-effective way to ensure accountability in our public schools. Opponents argue that overly relying on MCAS leads to teaching to the test.
Pioneer explores both sides of this debate at Data-Driven Student Achievement.
Keynote Speaker:
- › Mike Sentance, Regional Administrator for the US Department of Education
Introduced by:
- › Chris Anderson, Massachusetts High Tech Council, Massachusetts Board of Education
A panel discussion featuring:
- › Ruth Kaplan, Massachusetts Board of Education
- › Joseph Rappa, Educational Quality and Accountability
- › Alison Fraser, Education Management Audit Council
- › Bruce Bean, Community Partners Initiative
Moderator:
- › Linda Noonan, Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education
Managing Water Demand
Price vs. Non-Price Conservation Programs
Hynes Convention Center | 2008-01-12
High demand during the driest months of the year strains the state's water supplies. What are the best ways to conserve water during the summer and year round? This session will compare water pricing as a method to achieve conservation with other policy approaches.
A panel discussion featuring:
- › Amy Dain, Project Manager, Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research
- › Stephen Estes-Smargiassi, Planning Director, Massachusetts Water Resources Association
- › Eric Hooper, Public Works Superintendent, City of Sharon
- › Jim Stergios, Executive Director, Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research
- › Chris Woodcock, President, Woodcock and Associates
Moderator:
- › Jeff Nutting, Town Administrator, Town of Franklin
Why Democrats Support Charter Schools - Discussion Forum
Omni Parker House | 2007-12-11
Charter schools are too often viewed as a partisan issue. They're not. Both in Massachusetts and across the country, the success of charter schools has attracted support from across the political spectrum. See for yourself as the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association, with support from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, Democrats for Education Reform and Pioneer Institute, explains "Why Democrats Support Charter Schools."
A panel discussion featuring:
- › Joe Williams, Executive Director, Democrats for Education Reform, New York
- › Kevin Chavous, former member of the Council of the District of Columbia and Chair of the Council's Committee on Education, Libraries and Recreation
- › Rep. Eugene O'Flaherty, JD-Chelsea, Massachusetts House of Representatives
Moderator:
- › Andrea Silbert, 2006 Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor; President, EOS Foundation, Boston
Sponsored by:
- Democrats for Education Reform
- National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
2007 Lovett C. Peters Lecture in Public Policy
Boston Harbor Hotel Wharf Room | 2007-11-13
Can mega-prizes inspire better solutions to social and political problems than governments? Dr. Peter Diamandis, founder and CEO of the XPRIZE Foundation, thinks so. An MIT PhD and Harvard MD, he created the XPRIZE in 1995 to inspire radical innovations to benefit humanity. With $10 million in private funding, the first XPRIZE was awarded to a team led by Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen and aviation pioneer Bert Rutan, who launched SpaceShipOne to the edge of space twice in two weeks in 2004.
Dr. Diamandis will deliver the 2007 Lovett C. Peters Lecture, offering his thoughts on how mega-prizes can help solve seemingly intractable problems. We in Massachusetts have our share of such problems. Could an XPRIZE or two help?
*Invitation Only* Public Power, Private Gain
The Power of Eminent Domain in America
BC Law School | 2007-10-23
A panel discussion featuring:
Scott Bullock, Senior Attorney, The Institute for Justice
Zygmunt Plater, Professor of Law, Boston College Law School
Michael S. Greve, John G. Searle Scholar, The American Enterprise Institute; Adjunct Professor, Boston College Tax Credits for Scholarships: White Paper and Pioneer Forum
BU School of Education | 2007-10-05
While efforts to offer greater choice to Massachusetts public school students have stalled, other states have implemented innovative tax deductions and credit programs. A new Pioneer White Paper by William Howell of the University of Chicago and Mindy Spencer of UMass' Donahue Institute surveys the programs of Minnesota, Arizona, and Florida, and the lessons these states’ experiences offer the Commonwealth. Who Killed Health Care?
2007 Hewitt Lecture
The Conference Center at Harvard Medical School | 2007-09-25
Please join Pioneer Institute for the 2nd annual Colby Hewitt Health Care Lecture, to be delivered by Regina Herzlinger, Harvard Business School professor and author of "Who Killed Health Care?"
One of the nation's most respected health care analysts, Regina Herzlinger's latest book explains how our current system, which is organized around payers and providers rather than the needs of its users, is dangerously eroding patient welfare and pushing costs out of the reach of millions.
As the 2007 Colby Hewitt Health Care Lecturer, Ms. Herzlinger will outline her bold new plan for a consumer-driven system that will deliver affordable high-quality care to everyone. Driving Questions
A Forum on Transportation Strategy for Massachusetts
Suffolk University Law School | 2007-09-14
Please join Pioneer Institute and our distinguished guests for a panel discussion of the transportation issues facing the Commonwealth.
In the wake of the Big Dig, previous administrations struggled to articulate a comprehensive transportation strategy for Massachusetts. As a new administration begins to outline its vision, this forum will explore the strategic and tactical issues facing the Commonwealth.
This forum will feature a keynote address by Professor Joseph Giglio of Northeastern University and panel discussions including the following participants:
› Secretary Bernard Cohen of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation and Public Works;
› Coby Chase, Director of the Texas Department of Transportation's Government and Public Affairs Division;
› Paul Haley, Senior Vice President of Lehman Brothers;
› Fred Salvucci, Former Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation; MIT Senior Lecturer; and
› Martin Capper, President of the IVHAS Division of MARKIV Industries.
This event is sponsored by the Intelligent Transportation Society of America, Weston & Sampson, Inc. and Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc., with support from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Massachusetts and the Boston Society of Civil Engineers Section/ASCE. Breathing Life into School Choice
Celebrating the Life of Milton Friedman
Cabernet Room, Vinalia Restaurant | 2007-07-31
To commemorate what would have been the 95th birthday of the Nobel-award winning economist, Milton Friedman, Pioneer Institute is hosting a brief discussion on the state of school choice in Massachusetts and across the country. Friedman pioneered the idea of improving the access of all to a good education through competition and school vouchers. To honor his memory
and the work Pioneer’s efforts to advance school choice, we will discuss what has been achieved to expand school choice in Massachusetts, what the immediate obstacles to continued expansion are, and what the next steps in the school choice effort should be. Managing Water Demand
Price vs. Non-Price Conservation Programs
Suffolk University Law School | 2007-07-19
Environmental economists Robert Stavins and Sheila Olmstead will present their new Pioneer white paper, Managing Demand: Price vs. Non-Price Conservation Programs. Their research compares water pricing as a method to achieve conservation with other policy approaches. A panel of experts will discuss their findings. 16th Annual Better Government Competition Awards Dinner
Hyatt Regency Boston | 2007-06-26
Now in its 16th year, Pioneer Institute’s annual Better Government Competition showcases
innovative ideas and programs to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of government.
Implementation of previous winning entries has saved Massachusetts citizens over $400 million. Strategies and Tools to Revitalize Our Middle Cities
Omni Parker House | 2007-02-08
The recent gubernatorial campaign drew attention to the perennial challenges of Massachusetts’ older urban centers. This Pioneer Institute event will advance this important conversation and discuss new approaches to urban policy-making, and also provide specific recommendations to revitalize Commonwealth’s Middle Cities.
Senator Jack Hart, of the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, will open the event, setting the tone for the subsequent two panels.
The first panel will review Springfield’s reform efforts and consider its lessons for other Middle Cities. Panel Two will present a variety of effective local practices for grass-roots business creation.
Measuring Up?
The Cost of Doing Business
Beechwood Hotel | 2006-12-12
Pioneer Institute and the Worcester Regional Research Bureau are pleased to sponsor a presentation of Pioneer's recent report, "Measuring Up?: The Cost of Doing Business in Massachusetts". The presentation will feature David Iaia, Senior Principal of Global Insight,and Steve Poftak, Research Director of Pioneer Institute.
Following the presentation, James Stergios, Executive Director of Pioneer Institute, will address the audience. Has Education Reform Stalled in Massachusetts?
Omni Parker House | 2006-11-06
Pioneer Institute will be hosting a breakfast forum for educational leaders, parents, education policy experts, and legislators on the progress of education reform in Massachusetts. This event will present two new research papers by Pioneer Institute, showing gaps between state polices and local practices in school districts. The purpose of these two studies is to analyze performance assessment data reported by the Massachusetts Office of Educational Quality and Accountability (EQA).
Our event will feature Thomas Birmingham, Senior Counsel with Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge and former Massachusetts Senate President.
The Massachusetts Health Care Reform: A Blueprint for the Future
Omni Parker House | 2006-06-13
Panel Featuring
John Goodman, President, National Center for Policy Analysis
Regina Herzlinger, Professor, Harvard Business School
Tim Murphy, Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Executive Office of Health and Human Services
Please join us for a breakfast discussion on the recently enacted Massachusetts health care plan, based in large part on a proposal by Governor Mitt Romney, which has come to the entire country’s attention. Its merits and deficiencies, as well as its applicability for other states, are being debated. The legislation calls for near universal care, market reforms, and new provider requirements. Regulations are due for publication this summer. What will they mean for Massachusetts? What are the key issues? And, most importantly, will it work?
Myths About Markets and Education
Omni Parker House | 2006-05-18
Featuring
John Stossel
ABCNEWS Correspondent and Co-anchor of “20/20”
Ideas matter-even, and maybe especially, when they are the wrong ideas. Investigative reporter John Stossel has spent his career dispelling myths. Pioneer is pleased to host Stossel as he discusses his new book Myth, Lies and Downright Stupidity—Get Out the Shovel—Why Everything You Know is Wrong.
Please join us for this thought-provoking luncheon.
Technology and Innovative Finance: Creating “MOBILITY”
Ritz Carlton Boston Common | 2006-05-11
Featuring
Joseph M. Giglio
Panelists
John Cogliano, Secretary, Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation
Martin Capper, Chairman, Intelligent Transportation Society of America; President, IVHS Division of Mark IV Industries
Mike Doyle, Board Member, Intelligent Transportation Society of America; Chief Executive Officer, Econolite Control Products
Trent Vichie, Senior Vice President, MacQuarie Securities USA
Henry Dormitzer, Managing Director, UBS Financial Services
Maria Matesanz, Senior Vice President – Infrastructure, Moody’s Investors Services
Fred Salvucci, Senior Lecturer, Center for Transportation and Logistics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; former Secretary, Massachusetts Department of Transportation
The transportation landscape has changed significantly in the first years of the new century, with substantial completion of the Big Dig, funding changes due to SAFETEA-LU, and the issuance of the Governor's 20-year transportation plan, as the Transportation Finance Commission continues its work to produce a strategic vision for transportation and suggest the means to pay for it. This morning’s conference will pose key strategic questions: What kind of transportation infrastructure do we need? How we will pay for it? And what role can technology play in improved service?
WATER MANAGEMENT AND THE MWRA
Omni Parker House | 2006-04-28
Panel Featuring
Mary Griffin, General Council, Executive Office of Environmental Affairs
Peter Hechenbleikner, Town Manager, Town of Reading
Fred Laskey, Executive Director, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority
Mark P. Smith, Director, Eastern U.S. Freshwater Program, The Nature Conservancy and former Water Policy Director, EOEA
The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) currently supplies water from the Quabbin and Wachusett Reservoirs to 50 municipalities. What if the MWRA expanded its service to communities with water supply concerns, such as those within the Ipswich, Charles and Sudbury-Assabet-Concord (SUASCO) river watersheds? Would it address stresses in key watersheds or drive uncontrolled growth, further stressing the watersheds? Would this offset the need for significant rate increases over the long-term to MWRA communities, or is it merely a short-term fix? What are the implications to the long-term health of the Quabbin and Wachusett Reservoirs and their tributaries? If expansion is undertaken, what statutory and regulatory issues would have to be addressed to ensure that an affordable, clean and abundant water supply remains available to Massachusetts residents for years to come?
Getting the Incentives Right
How to provide better health care to more people at lower cost
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center East Campus | 2006-04-05
Please join Pioneer Institute, in partnership with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, for the first lecture in the Colby Hewitt Health Care Lecture series. The event will feature Dr. Daniel H. Johnson, Jr., M.D., a diagnostic radiologist from Metairie, Louisiana who has served as President of the American Medical Association and the World Medical Association. The Colby Hewitt Health Care Lecture series has been established in honor of the late Colby Hewitt, a long time supporter and past Board Chairman of Pioneer Institute.
This event is open to all those interested in health care reform.
School Choice and Education Reform in Massachusetts
Competing in the 21st Century
Omni Parker House | 2006-01-31
Please join us for a breakfast discussion of the recent developments in Massachusetts’s education reform efforts and the role of school choice in making education reform thrive in the Commonwealth. The event will feature Christopher Whittle, a dynamic entrepreneur and founder of Edison Schools, and a major influence on re-establishing quality education in America. The forum will also highlight school choice and its prospects for driving academic improvements in Massachusetts.
This discussion will be of particular interest to: School Administrators, Academics, Parents, Education Policy Makers, and Legislators. Land-Use Regulation and Housing Prices
Suffolk University Law School | 2006-01-05
At this event, Pioneer Institute and the Rappaport Institute will release a publicly accessible database that details the full array of regulations that 187 communities use to shape residential development within their borders. The event will also mark the release of a major study by Glaeser, Schuetz, and Bryce Ward that analyzes whether and how local regulations have affected housing production and prices in the region. Trends in Small Business Financing: Best Theory and Practice
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, New England Room | 2005-12-15
The 6th annual conference of the Pioneer's Center for Urban Entrepreneurship organized in partnership with Massachusetts Community & Banking Council is entitled Trends in Small Business Financing: Best Theory and Practice.
Please join us for a half-day discussion of the critical issues related to small business financing in Massachusetts. The conference will be of interest to the wide range of professionals: business assistance providers, bankers, individual investors, researchers, state and local policy makers.
The conference will provide a forum for discussion of successful state-of-the-art financing models and best practices in making capital accessible to small companies. The emphasis will also be on effective ways to incorporate capital availability for small business into the state economic policy.
Creating Successful Schools
2005 Lovett C. Peters Lecture in Public Policy
The Four Seasons Hotel | 2005-11-01
As superintendent of schools in Edmonton, Canada, Angus McBeath has
revolutionized public education there – through extensive school choice
and competition for students, empowerment of principals, merit pay for
teachers, and parental involvement. Edmonton schools are frequently
held up as an example of what public education can and should be – the
schools are so good they have virtually run private schools out of business.
Set aside the evening of November 1 to hear his remarkable story
as our guest at a black-tie dinner at Boston’s Four Seasons Hotel! Urban School Reform
| 2005-06-09
A look at one of the most comprehensive school reform efforts in the United States by education scholar Frederick Hess, editor of a study of the seven-year reform initiative undertaken by the San Diego public school district. Panelists include Boston public school superintendent Thomas Payzant, one-time San Diego superintendent.
Rescuing Students in Chronically Underperforming Schools
| 2005-03-30
Featuring Paul Peterson, director of the Harvard Program on Education Policy and Governance; panelists: James Peyser, chairman of the Massachusetts Board of Education; Michael Contompasis, chief operating officer, Boston Public Schools; Richard Stutman, president of the Boston Teachers Union.
Regional Economies and Urban Enterpreneurs in Massachusetts
5th Annual Urban Entrepreneurship Conference
DCU Center, Worcester | 2004-12-07
A half-day conference exploring how urban entrepreneurs can fit into the regional economy, and highlighting the most effective ways to connect low- and moderate-income entrepreneurs to growth opportunities.
Common Sense School Reform
| 2004-03-18
At a Pioneer Forum held March 18, 2004, Frederick (Rick) M. Hess, the author of
a new book titled Common Sense School Reform, outlined his prescriptions for making
schools more effective. Respondents were Mark Roosevelt, managing director of the
Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education and an architect of the Commonwealth’s
1993 Education Reform Act, and David P. Driscoll, Massachusetts’ commissioner of
education. The discussion was moderated by Charles Glenn, professor of educational
policy at Boston University. Excerpts of each speaker’s remarks follow. |
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