Adults with limited English skills comprise one-tenth of the commonwealth’s workforce. This makes English for Speakers of Other Language (ESOL) services key to the Massachusetts economy. While the field is innovating to increase access and improve the delivery of these services, state and federal funding has declined considerably over the past two decades, relative to
Housing for All
Forward-Looking Strategies for a Growing New Bedford
This report exposes the impact of the statewide housing shortage on Gateway Cities with an in-depth examination of New Bedford’s residential market. Produced in partnership with the Regeneration Project, the analysis pinpoints the forces contributing to rapid cost increases and explores the impact of rising housing prices on the local and regional economy. Detailed estimates
In Pursuit of Greatness
Bold Strategies to Grow a Strong and Diverse Educator Workforce
The increasing diversity of students in Massachusetts makes growing a diverse educator workforce a critical policy goal for the Commonwealth. In recent years, state and local leaders have responded to this challenge with a variety of programs and policy changes. This report details these efforts and their considerable impact to date. However, the findings show
Unpacking the promise of ranked-choice voting in city elections
Gateways Episode 44
In this episode of Gateways, we take a high-speed journey through the land of ranked-choice voting (RCV). Worcester-native Howie Fain helps us understand how RCV leads to more diverse city councils and school committees. The second installment in our series on electoral reform and
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Dear Friends, 2019 will go down as a year of promising advancement. From passage of the Student Opportunity Act to a historic board vote on Rail Vision, policies with the potential to make a tremendous difference to Gateway Cities gained real traction. Through the Gateways podcast, MassINC helped magnify the voices of Gateway City leaders. To sustain and build
MassForward: Advancing Democratic Innovation and Electoral Reform in Massachusetts
Event Recap
At a well-attended Boston Foundation forum earlier this month, MassINC opened up a new area of research inquiry: the state of governance in Massachusetts. Years of work on a range of policy matters led us to believe that it was time to examine how we counter the trends negatively impacting state and local government. Fewer people are
Massachusetts government is stubbornly unrepresentative
Report calls on Legislature to remedy structural forces that keep women, people of color, and Republicans from winning elected office
A new report by the nonpartisan think tank MassINC demonstrates that elected leaders in Massachusetts fail to represent the state’s diversity, the capacity to make laws and policy is far too concentrated in a few leaders, and limited electoral competition, declining state and local news coverage, and the absence of a strong opposition party weaken
Fares for Gateway Cities residents are off the rails
Gateways Episode 32
MassINC recently published a report on fare equity that confirmed what most of us already know: the lowest-wealth Commonwealth residents pay more of their incomes to get around the state than wealthier folks. Nowhere is this more apparent than on the MBTA’s commuter rail network, a public
Reducing train fares to achieve equitable TOD
The Gateway Cities Journal
MassINC released a policy brief this week that is a “classic” in the sense that its main finding—many Gateway City residents can’t afford to ride commuter rail—is blatantly obvious. While this problem has been apparent for some time, we think now is the moment to seek a remedy. Transportation has risen to the top of the
Prioritizing Equitable Growth Through Fare Policy
This policy brief explores the concept of fare equity and demonstrates why the current commuter rail fare structure makes train travel uneconomical for many Gateway City residents, especially those living in the immediate station areas. The brief also provides a deeper understanding of why affordable fares are a critical precursor for transformative transit-oriented development and