Research
Browse research releases from the MassINC Policy Center.
Explore Topics
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Housing for All
Forward-Looking Strategies for a Growing New Bedford
February 16, 2024
- In New Bedford, rents have risen sharply, and demand has outpaced existing housing units by thousands of units
- Land assembly, prioritizing home ownership, and increasing the number of skilled real estate and construction workers, among other strategies, will help to build on the work New Bedford has done to balance the housing market
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In Pursuit of Greatness
Bold Strategies to Grow a Strong and Diverse Educator Workforce
February 5, 2024
- Despite strong growth in the number of teachers of color hired in Massachusetts, student diversity has increased faster, leading to a larger gap in representation that will continue to grow if left unaddressed
- Closing gaps in college access through Early College programs, adopting multiple approaches to licensure, and launching apprenticeship programs would strengthen pathways for teachers of color
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Criminal Justice Reform in Massachusetts
A Five-Year Progress Assessment
January 24, 2024
- Five years since Massachusetts passed landmark criminal justice reform legislation, the state’s incarceration rate is the lowest in the country and another order of magnitude below the US average
- Preparing a master plan to highlight lingering issues, committing more deeply to evaluation, and increasing continuing care treatment capacity would build on past investments in recidivism reduction and crime prevention
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Connected Communities
Providing Affordable Housing Residents with Unfettered Access to Digital Opportunity in Massachusetts
October 13, 2023
- Directing available federal digital equity funding to affordable housing developments is an effective way to close the digital divide
- While affordable housing developers may face challenges in retrofitting older buildings and navigating state procurement laws, broadband deployment can be streamlined by bulk purchasing design and construction services, as well as by creating a unified procurement framework for public investment
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Tapping the Power of Health Pathways in Early College High Schools
May 23, 2023
- The health care industry faces serious staffing issues, and Early College is a promising workforce development intervention, doubling the likelihood that students enroll and persist in college
- Early College programs that are academically robust, preparing students for selective clinical programs and allowing students to earn an associate degree in high school, will create strong health pathways
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Early College as a Scalable Solution to the Looming Workforce Crisis
May 23, 2023
- Massachusetts is predicted to lose hundreds of thousands of skilled workers by the end of the decade, absent any action
- Early College is a promising workforce development intervention due to its scalability, ability to align graduate skills with employer needs, and outsized postsecondary completion gains for low-income students and students of color
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Getting Question 1 Right: Investment Options for Equity in Public Higher Education
May 2, 2023
- Higher education no longer provides an equitable path to upward mobility, and conditions will worsen without strategic investments
- Using the funding from Question 1 towards need-based grants and cost of living stipends, the MassReconnect program, Early College programs, and competitive faculty pay will help to create equitable pathways
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New Data Shows Early College is Delivering as Promised for Massachusetts
January 19, 2023
- Early College doubles the likelihood that students in the target population enroll and persist in postsecondary studies
- Teasing out differences across programs and ensuring strong outcomes as Early Colleges grow will require a mixed-methods approach to evaluation
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