Local Accountability
An Untapped Strategy for Advancing Student Achievement in Massachusetts Public Schools
Ben Forman Research Director, MassINC
ARTICLES By Ben Forman
Unveiling Gateway City Neighborhood Stabilization Bill
Show Your Support
Last week the Gateway Cities Legislative Caucus filed an omnibus bill to provide communities with more powerful tools to address blighted and abandoned property and stabilize distressed neighborhoods across the Commonwealth. This legislation includes all of the major tools described in a neighborhood stabilization policy blueprint that we developed collaboratively with Gateway City housing leaders over the
State and Local Blueprints for Comprehensive Neighborhood Stabilization
New report calls attention to Massachusetts’ “other housing problem.”
In recent years, much attention has been trained on Greater Boston’s tight housing market and the increasingly severe difficulty residents have finding affordable housing in the region. There is much less awareness of the very different challenge faced by residents of weak market neighborhoods, where housing is much less expensive but conditions are physically, socially,
Building Communities of Promise and Possibility
State and Local Blueprints for Comprehensive Neighborhood Stabilization
In recent years, much attention has been trained on Greater Boston’s tight housing market and the increasingly severe difficulty residents have finding affordable housing in the region. There is much less awareness of the very different challenge faced by residents of weak market neighborhoods, where housing is much less expensive but conditions are physically, socially,
Local Accountability
The Forgotten Element in Education Reform
Prepared in partnership with the Center for Assessment, this novel paper is a first attempt to define the purpose and principles of “local accountability” practices that complement state and federal accountability frameworks. The conceptual frame in a series of three reports, The Forgotten Element in Education Reform explores the shifting balance of responsibility for monitoring
Please Support Gateway City Legislative Leaders
Your advocacy can make a difference
Dear Friends: In the final days of this Legislative session, two items hang in the balance that have great importance to Gateway City economic development efforts. The first is the Housing Development Incentive Program (HDIP). After years of advocacy by Gateway Cities mayors, this market-rate housing production tool is finally doing exactly what it was
Revisiting Correctional Expenditure Trends in Massachusetts
MassINC is proud to present another installment in our “Justice Reinvestment At-A-Glance” research brief series. Revisiting Correctional Expenditure Trends in Massachusetts updates our 2017 report, Getting Tough on Spending. Our new analysis incorporates final expenditures through FY 2017, and projects outward using the House and Senate Ways and Means FY 2019 budget proposals. We hope
The Promise and Potential of Transformative Transit-Oriented Development in Gateway Cities
Gateway Cities can accommodate thousands of new housing units and thousands of new jobs on the vacant and underutilized land surrounding their commuter rail stations. This walkable, mixed-use urban land offers an ideal setting for transit-oriented development (TOD) to take hold. Currently, Gateway City commuter rail stations get minimal ridership from downtown neighborhoods and few
Generating more geographically-balanced growth
Connecting Gateway Cities with Boston’s Job Cluster
Gateway Cities like Brockton, Lynn, and Worcester can play an important function generating more geographically-balanced growth throughout Massachusetts. These communities all have strong transit connections to Boston, which positions them to tap the hub’s valuable assets, including its major research institutions, sophisticated service providers, skilled-workforce, and global connections. As regional centers, the economic activity they
Improving College & Career Outcomes through Research-Practice Partnerships
A Case Study of ILP Implementation in Three Gateway City School Districts
Public schools are under pressure to close wide opportunity and achievement gaps so that disadvantaged students can compete for jobs in today’s knowledge economy on an equal footing. While the resources to accomplish this important work are often limited, advances in education technology, data availability, and research methods can help schools get more learning out
