Events › Past Pioneer Events

No More Know-Nothing Laws: School Choice in Massachusetts

| 2012-03-15

Pioneer Institute, in conjunction with the Black Alliance for Education Options, Democrats for Education Reform and Harvard University’s Program on Education Policy and Governance, will examine the Blaine Amendments as obstacles to school choice and offer strategies for revocation. The keynote address will be delivered by Kevin Chavous, a noted attorney, author and national school reform leader. As Chair of the District of Columbia Council’s Education Committee, Mr. Chavous was at the forefront of promoting change within the public school system. His efforts led to over 500 million new dollars being made available to educate children in DC. Mr. Chavous will be introduced by Jay Greene, the 21st Century Chair in Education Reform at the University of Arkansas. Mr. Greene researches and writes about education policy, school choice, high school graduation rates, accountability, and special education. A panel of experts will be moderated by Thomas Finneran, WRKO radio host and former Massachusetts Speaker of the House. This event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. Please RSVP by Thursday, March 8th to Brian Patterson at 617-723-2277, ext. 217 or bpatterson@pioneerinstitute.org

Removing the Barriers: Virtual Schools and State Regulations

| 2012-03-01

Keynote Remarks by: Susan Patrick, President & CEO, International Association for K-12 Online Learning Thursday, March 1, 2012 3:00 PM - 5:15 PM Omni Parker House 60 School Street Boston, MA Introductory Remarks from Clayton Christensen, Professor, Harvard University School of Business. This event is co-sponsored by Pioneer Institute, Florida Virtual Schools, Democrats for Education Reform, and the Program on Education Policy and Governance (PEPG) at Harvard University. A panel will include experts such as Julie Young, President and CEO of Florida Virtual School.

Virtual Schools, Actual Learning
Digital Education in America
| 2011-12-05

Julie Young, President and CEO of Florida Virtual School, will deliver keynote remarks at Pioneer's forum, "Virtual Schools, Actual Learning: Digital Education in America," on December 5th, 3-5pm. Young will be introduced by former Massachusetts Governor Jane Swift, CEO of Middlebury Interactive Languages, LLC, a joint venture between K12, Inc., the largest virtual school provider in the United States, and Middlebury College. A lively panel discussion will follow, moderated by Dr. Paul Peterson, Director of Harvard University's Program on Education Policy and Governance. This event is free and open to the public.

Lovett C. Peters Lecture
Honoree: Sal Khan, Khan Academy
| 2011-11-16

The annual Lovett C. Peters Lecture was established to encourage and honor individuals of vision, to inform and enrich intellectual debate surrounding the great public issues of our day, and to recognize individuals whose ideas or accomplishments have left a mark on their world.Invitation-only. Honoree Sal Khan is the founder of the Khan Academy, a free online education platform and not-for-profit organization that has produced 2,500 popular instructional videos, which have received 50 million views by students from around the world. Born and raised in New Orleans to immigrant parents from Bangladesh and India, Khan earned three degrees from MIT, and an MBA from Harvard. In 2004, he began tutoring friends and family members in math and science over the internet. Five years later, he left his job as a hedge fund manager to focus full-time on developing his official channel, Khan Academy. Hailed by The Boston Globe as an “unlikely revolutionary,” Khan has been featured on the PBS NewsHour, CNN, NBC Nightly News and National Public Radio. Khan Academy received the Microsoft Tech Award for education in 2009.

The Morality of Capitalism

| 2011-10-26

Save the Date: Pioneer Institute and the Atlas Economic Research Foundation are pleased to sponsor an event featuring Tom G. Palmer, Cato senior fellow and editor of the new book, The Morality of Capitalism. More details to follow soon. If interested, please email Brian Patterson, bpatterson (at) pioneerinstitute.org

Changing the Bureaucracy
State DOEs and State-led Reforms
| 2011-09-20

This event features several state commissioners of education who will share their experiences reforming their agencies and leading state efforts. A panel of experts including David Driscoll, former Massachusetts commissioner and Rick Hess of AEI will offer commentary.

Better Government Awards Dinner
Featuring Texas Governor Rick Perry, Keynote
| 2011-09-13

Pioneer's 20th annual Better Government Competition Awards Dinner and Ceremony recognized this year's winner Rep. Will Brownberger for his pension reform proposal, and four runners up. It also featured a retrospective of past winners, and speeches by former Gov. William Weld, former gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker, and Texas Governor and presidential candidate Rick Perry, Keynote speaker.

Celebrate Milton Friedman's Birthday with Pioneer & Friends

| 2011-07-29

This month would have been Milton Friedman's 99th birthday. To honor his legacy, Pioneer Institute, along with the Foundation for Educational Choice, invite you to attend a special guest lecture on school choice featuring Harvard Professor Paul Peterson. We are especially pleased to celebrate Friedman’s birthday with Paul Peterson, one of the nation’s preeminent researchers on educational policy. Dr. Peterson is the Henry Lee Shattuck Professor of Government and Director of the Program on Education Policy and Governance at Harvard University, a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and Editor-In-Chief of Education Next, a journal of opinion and research.

National Standards and Tests: An Unprecedented Federal Overreach

| 2011-07-27

Co-hosted by Pioneer Institute and the Heritage Foundation For nearly five decades, Washington’s role in education has been growing at a tremendous pace, wresting educational authority away from states and local school districts. At the same time, educational achievement has remained flat. Now, the Obama Administration wants to double-down on this failed strategy and is pushing states to adopt national standards and tests to define and measure what every public school child in American should know. An unprecedented federal overreach, the Common Core State Standards Initiative has been criticized for the quality of the content of standards, entanglement with federal incentives and a disregard for state educational authority. Join us as our special guests examine the problems and pitfalls that await if the push for national standards and tests is successful.

Muslims in the United States in the 21st Century

| 2011-05-11

Peter Skerry is Professor of Political Science at Boston College and Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, where his research focuses on social policy, racial and ethnic politics, and immigration. His work has appeared in scholarly publications as well as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post. His book, Mexican Americans: The Ambivalent Minority, won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. His forthcoming book, Will Allah Bless America? Muslims in the United States in the Twenty-First Century explores the social, cultural, and political integration of Muslims and Arabs in the United States.

The Liberal Arts & Closing Achievement Gaps

| 2011-03-29

Virginia Secretary of Education Gerard Robinson will deliver the Keynote address, following introductory remarks by Tom Birmingham, Senior Counsel, Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge LLP, former President of the Massachusetts Senate, and co-author of the Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993. Charles Barone, Director of Federal Policy, Democrats for Education Reform will moderate a roundtable discussion on the role of a liberal arts education in closing achievement gaps. Panelists include E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Chairman and Founder, Core Knowledge Foundation, Monty Neill, Interim Executive Director, Fair Test, and Tony Wagner, Co-Director of the Change Leadership Group, Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Dumping the Know-Nothing Amendments
Church, State, and School Reform
| 2011-03-16

Raymond Flynn, former US Ambassador to the Vatican and former Mayor of Boston, will deliver the Keynote address, followed by a policy talk by Professor Patrick Wolf, 21st Century Endowed Chair in School Choice, University of Arkansas. Martin West, Assistant Professor of Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education, will moderate a roundtable discussion on expanding school choice options for poor and minority students by lifting legal barriers on Catholic and private schooling in Massachusetts. Confirmed panelists include Dr. William McKersie, Associate Superintendent for Academic Excellence, Archdiocese of Boston, Catholic Schools, Professor Charles Glenn, Boston University School of Education, and Norma Shapiro, American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts.

Pioneer Members' Breakfast With Sally Pipes

| 2011-01-19

Sally C. Pipes is president and chief executive officer, and Taube Fellow in Health Care Studies at the Pacific Research Institute. Ms. Pipes addresses national and international audiences on health care issues, and Pioneer is pleased to welcome and introduce her to our membership.

Pioneer Institute Co-sponsoring Event: The Fallout from the New Dodd-Frank Financial Legislation

| 2010-11-10

Please join us to hear a panel of legal, financial and consumer protection experts, including some who were engaged in the debate surrounding the enactment of Dodd-Frank, discuss whether the new federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau created by the Dodd-Frank Act will fulfill its goals of preventing the next financial crisis and protecting consumers and whether the CFPB passes constitutional muster.

U.S. History Education and Civic Engagement

| 2010-03-31

A panel of education and policy experts will be in attendance to discuss the issue of U.S. History education and civic engagement.

Moderating the panel discussion will be Eugenia Kemble of the Albert Shanker Institute.

Panelists will be Linda Nathan, Lynne Munson and Sandra Stotsky.

2010 Colby Hewitt Health Care Lecture

| 2010-03-25

Dr. Jeffrey S. Flier is uniquely positioned to critique health care reform in Massachusetts and on the national level. Dean Flier is the Caroline Shields Walker Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. An endocrinologist, Dr. Flier served as Harvard Medical School Faculty Dean for Academic Programs and Chief Academic Officer for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). He has authored over 200 scholarly papers and reviews, and received numerous honors from professional medical societies.

Is the Massachusetts Model a Cure-All for the Country?

| 2010-03-11

Building on Pioneer Institute’s ongoing studies of the Health Care Reform Act of 2006, a panel of health care and legal experts, including some who had a direct hand in crafting and implementing the Massachusetts reform, will discuss how it is or is not working, how applicable it is for federal use, and whether federal mandates are constitutional.

Featuring

David Rivkin, Esq. — Baker & Hostettler, LLP, Washington, D.C.
Nancy Turnbull — Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA
Timothy Murphy — Beacon Health Strategies, Boston, MA
Wendy Mariner — BU School of Public Health, Boston, MA

Moderator

Amy Lischko — Pioneer Institute Senior Health Care Fellow;
Tufts University, School of Medicine

School-Based District Reform, with Whitney Tilson

| 2010-01-07

Whitney Tilson is a board member of KIPP Academy charter school in New York City, one of the founders of Democrats for Education Reform, and one of the founding members of Teach for America in 1989. Mr. Tilson received an MBA with High Distinction from the Harvard Business School, where he was elected a Baker Scholar, and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College, with a bachelor’s degree in Government.

A panel of education and policy experts will be in attendance to discuss the issues of charter public schools and school-based district reform. Acting as panel moderator will be Linda Noonan, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education. Panelists will be Karla Baehr, Kevin Andrews, Tom McDonald, and Paul Toner.

Pioneer Transparency Showcase

| 2009-09-30

Pioneer Institute has long been a proponent of transparency in government. That is why we have developed two new websites that offer clear, pertinent data to officials, administrators and citizens alike.

MassOpenBooks.org is an online tool where visitors can obtain data on state disbursements, state employees’ salaries and retiree pensions.

MassReportCards.org is a district and school rating tool that lets superintendents, parents and students see how their school ranks in the state.

Please join us for the showcase of these online tools to promote transparency and accountability in government.

18th Better Government Competition

| 2009-09-16

Pioneer Institute is proud to announce that Senior Link, an elderly care company administered by Caregiver Home of Massachusetts, is the winner of its 18th Annual Better Government Competition. Senior Link and 8 other entrants will be honored at an awards dinner September 16, 2009 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Boston. Guest speaker at the BGC awards dinner will be Dr. Mark McClellan, former Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.

Celebrating the life of Milton Friedman
with Dr. Jeffrey Miron
| 2009-07-31

To commemorate what would have been the 97th birthday of Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman, Pioneer will host a forum with Dr. Jeffrey A. Miron, who will put the current recession in historical perspective and discuss the current backlash against free markets.

Jeffrey A. Miron is Senior Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Economics at Harvard University. Dr. Miron previously taught at the University of Michigan and Boston University; at the latter, he was Department Chairman for six years. He has been the recipient of an Olin Fellowship from the National Bureau of Economic Research, an Earhart Foundation Fellowship, and a Sloan Foundation Faculy Research Fellowship. Dr. Miron holds a B.A. in Economics, magna cum laude, from Swarthmore College and a Ph.D. in Economics from M.I.T. Dr. Miron is a Fellow of the Cato Institute.

Editorial Cartooning, Journalism and a Citizen's Responsibility in a New World Order
Pioneer Breakfast with Michael Ramirez
| 2009-06-24

Michael Ramirez is a two-time winner of the prestigious Pulitzer Prize in 1994 and 2008 and a three-time Sigma Delta Chi, Society of Professional Journalism Award winner. He is a Senior Editor and the editorial cartoonist for Investor’s Business Daily.

Ramirez is a Lincoln Fellow, an honorary member of Pi Sigma Alpha National Political Science Honor Society, and has won almost every journalism award in addition to the prestigious UCI Medal from the University of California, Irvine and the 2005 National Journalism Award, the 2008 Fischetti Award and The H. L. Mencken Award and is the author of the new book, Everyone Has the Right to My Opinion.

The Know-Nothing Amendments:
Barriers to School Choice
| 2009-04-06

The Blaine, or “Know-Nothing” Amendments, bar entry for inner city students to high quality education in Massachusetts’ parochial schools. Pioneer Institute, in conjunction with the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, the Black Alliance for Educational Options, and Harvard University’s Program on Education Policy and Governance, will examine the implications of the Blaine Amendments as constitutional obstacles to school choice and offer strategies and processes to repeal the Amendments.

Little Pink House: A Reception with Susette Kelo

| 2009-02-05

In conjunction with the Institute for Justice, Pioneer will host Susette Kelo, whose New London waterfront home was taken by eminent domain, sparking a court battle that ended in a controversial United States Supreme Court decision, and Jeff Benedict, the nationally reknowned investigative journalist whose latest book, Little Pink House, takes the reader behind the scenes of this landmark case.

The 2009 Colby Hewitt Healthcare Lecture

| 2009-01-15

Please join Pioneer Institute for the 3nd annual Colby Hewitt Health Care Lecture, to be delivered by Jon Kingsdale, PhD. Mr. Kingsdale is the Executive Director of the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority, an independent authority established under Massachusetts’ landmark health reform legislation of 2006, to promote coverage of the uninsured. Its mission is to develop key elements of the health care financing policy in Massachusetts and implement the 2006 Health Care Refrom Act.

Core Academic Knowledge:
Educating for Common Purposes
Omni Parker House | 2008-12-16

In conjunction with MassINC and the Program on Education Policy and Governance at Harvard University, Pioneer Institute welcomes noted curricular expert E.D. Hirsch and former State Senate President Tom Birmingham as they host a forum on K-12 academic standards and the liberal arts. Hirsch has lauded Massachusetts’ standards, claiming that the state decided "students should learn explicit, substantive things about history, science and literature, and...should be tested on such knowledge." Please join us at this engaging and timely event, as we consider Massachusetts’ hard-won education gains due to the quality of its standards and curriculum frameworks, as well as the continued opposition within certain circles to the MCAS and standards.

The 20th Anniversary of Pioneer Institute

Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Boston | 2008-11-13

Pioneer is 20. At the young age of 75, Lovett C. “Pete” Peters founded Pioneer Institute to change the intellectual climate in Massachusetts. The first two decades of Pioneer have been years of independent thinking and common sense that helped improve the Commonwealth’s schools, government and economy. Join us as we celebrate Pete and Pioneer Institute and kick off a campaign in his honor to secure a permanent home for Pioneer.

Celebrating Regional Vocational-Technical Schools
Successful Models for School-based Reform
Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology | 2008-10-17

Treasurer Tim Cahill will offer keynote remarks. He will be introduced by Rob Richardson from Intel Massachusetts, Inc.Also included in the agenda are Alison Fraser, who will present her research on Massachusetts' vocational-technical schools, which is set to be released at the event, and a roundtable discussion moderated by Katherine Craven, Executive Director of the Massachusetts School Building Authority, and composed of Ted Coghlin of Coghlin Electric, Michael Fitzpatrick of the Blackstone Regional Vocational-Technical School and Jeffrey Wheeler from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Judges of The Secret Court (Book Release)

Vinalia Restaurant Lounge & Wine Bar | 2008-10-15

In a radical departure from his previous books, Joe Giglio turns to fiction to dramatize how America’s transportation system can be transformed into a vigorous engine of economic growth and to make clear that our ability to meet the challenges of an increasingly competitive global economy depends on this transformation. Dr. Giglio is the author of Driving Questions: Developing a National Transportation Vision, Mobility, and Fast Lane to the Future: The Privatization Route.

Update on Pioneer’s benchmarking efforts

| 2008-09-10

Through the Middle Cities Initiative, Pioneer has organized 8 community meetings across Massachusetts, and asked business owners, residents and community leaders how they would measure their government's performance in the areas of public safety, education, municipal management and economic development.

Almost 100 people participated and suggested over 500 benchmarks. Participants came from a broad range of ethnic and professional backgrounds and brought a diverse range of perspectives to the table.

Now, it is time for us to share our findings!

We invite you to come to a breakfast meeting, where we will present the most popular benchmarks for municipal government’s performance and also some interesting findings on how your city is doing in comparison to other cities in the State.

Differential Pay for Math and Science Teachers

Union Club | 2008-09-04

Within the purview of schools, there may be no more important factor in a child’s education than teacher quality. In areas of critical teacher shortage, like Math and Science, this is acutely true. Just one reason why the United States lags behind much of the developed world in these areas and why, among the recommendations in the Governor’s recently released Education Action Agenda, was included differentiated pay in high-need districts and highdemand disciplines.

Celebrating the Life of Milton Friedman

Union Club | 2008-07-31

To celebrate what would have been Nobel-award winner Milton Friedman's 96th birthday, Pioneer Institute welcomes renowned economist Edward Glaeser of Harvard University to discuss Milton Friedman's legacy and the role of the economist in helping to shape public policy in the 21st century.

17th Better Government Competition

Hyatt Regency, Boston | 2008-06-25

We are pleased to announce that, in the spirit of Pioneer's 17th Better Government Competition, which is focused on ideas to improve K-12 education, the keynote speaker at this year's awards dinner will be Chancellor Michelle Rhee of the Washington D.C. Public Schools. Ms. Rhee leads a district numbering 50,000 students and 144 schools. Chancellor Joel Klein, whose work in New York City's public schools is a model for effective change, said of her appointment that she is "the choice D.C. needs".

Prior to her appointment, Ms. Rhee founded and led the New Teacher Project. Her work helped improve teacher hiring in Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Miami, New York, Oakland, and Philadelphia.

Managing Water Demand

Holyoke Community College | 2008-06-24

People typically use the most water during the summer, the dryest time of year. Cities and towns launch all sorts of programs to promote water conservation, with mixed results, but they often overlook an effective policy tool - pricing. Study after study has shown that people respond to increases in the price of water just as they respond to increases in the price of gasoline - they use less. For more information on Pioneer's research, see our White Paper by Robert Stavins and Sheila Olmstead.

Implications of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel Report

Union Club | 2008-06-16

Pioneer recognizes that today Mathematics and Science are the currency of economic success. Few would dispute this, nor would many dispute that Math and Science education in the United States lags behind much of the first and even developing worlds. However, even fewer have proposed detailed agendas to address the issue.

Please join us as we discuss the recent findings of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel Report with a keynote from panel member Wilfried Schmid and the presentation of a policy brief by panel member Sandra Stotsky, who will outline recommendations for improving Mathematics instruction in Massachusetts' schools.

Featuring Panel Members

› Wilfried Schmid, Harvard University
› Sandra Stotsky, University of Arkansas

The Cult of the Presidency
America’s Dangerous Devotion to Executive Power
Suffolk University Law School | 2008-05-22

Pioneer Institute is proud to co-host this highly anticipated book and author luncheon, along with Washington D.C.'s Cato Institute.

Americans have increasingly expanded presidential power over recent decades by expecting the president to provide solutions for all national problems, prosperity for all, and protection from harm. Healy demonstrates how the president’s role needs to return to its properly defined constitutional limits, with its powers held in check by Congress and the courts. This splendid book provides the best account yet of how the Imperial Presidency, abetted by Democrats and Republicans alike, came to pose a clear and present danger to our republic.

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

› Mayor Lisa Wong, City of Fitchburg
› David Panagore, Chief Development Officer, Springfield Finance Control Board
› Adam Baacke, Director of Planning and Development, City of Lowell
› Timothy McGourthy, Director of Economic Development, City of Worcester

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

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