School and District Improvement Plans

A Review of Local Accountability Practice in Massachusetts Gateway Cities

The second installment in a series of three reports, this paper explores the extent to which communities in Massachusetts exercise local accountability through an examination of Gateway City school and district improvement plans. Data gleaned from a review of these plans suggest communities are not complementing and building upon state and federal performance measures with read more

Topic(s): Education, Gateway Cities

Local Accountability

The Forgotten Element in Education Reform

Ben Forman, Charles DePascale and Chris Domaleski

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 read more

Topic(s): Education

Opportunity Zones and Transformative Transit-Oriented Development in Gateway Cities

Catherine Tumber and Andrés Paxton-Martin

This policy brief is the first in a series exploring state and local level approaches to generating transformative transit-oriented development (TTOD) in Gateway Cities. Here, we examine strategies to maximize the benefits of the new federal Opportunity Zone Program. The analysis centers on Massachusetts’ census tracts designated as Opportunity Zones. Our findings show that the read more

Topic(s): Economic Development, Transportation, Gateway Cities, Transformative Transit-Oriented Development

Revisiting Correctional Expenditure Trends in Massachusetts

Ben Forman and Michael Widmer

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 read more

Topic(s): Criminal Justice, Research

The Promise and Potential of Transformative Transit-Oriented Development in Gateway Cities

Daniel Hodge and Ben Forman

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 read more

Topic(s): Jobs and Economic Security, Economic Development, Transportation, Gateway Cities, Research, Transformative Transit-Oriented Development

Improving College & Career Outcomes through Research-Practice Partnerships

A Case Study of ILP Implementation in Three Gateway City School Districts

Ben Forman

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 read more

Topic(s): Education, Research

The Geography of Incarceration in a Gateway City

The Cost and Consequences of High Incarceration Rate Neighborhoods in Worcester

Ben Forman and Lindiwe Rennert

In 2016, MassINC and the Boston Indicators Project issued a report detailing the geography of incarceration in Boston. Utilizing new data provided by the Worcester County Sheriff’s Department, this report extends that line of research by examining incarceration in a Gateway City. The analysis explores the cost and consequences of high incarceration rates in Worcester read more

Topic(s): Criminal Justice, Gateway Cities, Research

Public Opinion on Criminal Justice Reform in Massachusetts

Rich Parr and Steve Koczela

Massachusetts voters are ready to embrace major reforms to the state’s criminal justice system. A new MassINC poll shows most support reforms to both the front and back ends of the system to reduce repeat offending and refocus the system on prevention and rehabilitation. Voters perceive the current system as counterproductive; prisons are seen as read more

Topic(s): Criminal Justice, Public Opinion, Research

Getting Tough on Spending

An Examination of Correctional Expenditure in Massachusetts

Ben Forman and Michael Widmer

In 2013, a diverse cross-section of leaders stepped forward to form the Massachusetts Criminal Justice Reform Coalition. Led by Wayne Budd, Kevin Burke and Max Stern, members were drawn to the coalition by a shared understanding that the Commonwealth’s criminal justice system was riddled with counterproductive policies. They joined hands united in the belief that read more

Topic(s): Criminal Justice

The Public’s Take on Education Accountability

Results from a Survey of Massachusetts Voters

Ben Forman, Rich Parr and Steve Koczela

Understanding public opinion on education account- ability is crucial as policymakers work to implement the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the 2015 federal law that replaces No Child Left Behind (NCLB). MassINC partnered with The MassINC Polling Group to learn more about how voters throughout the Commonwealth feel about efforts to assess student learning, measure read more

Topic(s): Education, Public Opinion, Research

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