This report documents the Worcester Public Schools' performance along several measures including attendance and dropout rates, student mobility, family involvement, post-graduate placement, and MCAS scores.

Discusses the progress of the construction of the Route 146 Connector over the past two years, as well as the project's implications for Worcester and the surrounding region.

Discusses Worcester's FY04 budget and proposes several options for reducing expenditures, including restructuring municipal employee health insurance and pension benefits, restructuring other public safety benefits, and reorganizing public safety departments.

Analysis of how the adoption of CompStat and CitiStat, two municipal management programs, in Worcester could lead to improved performance of municipal agencies and increased accountability.

Performance measurement data related to public safety services provided by the Worcester Police Department, Worcester Fire Department, and UMass Memorial EMS (Emergency Medical Services).

This presents the full data from the 2002 CCPM survey of Worcester residents regarding their satisfaction with municipal services and includes comparisons with data from previous years.

After reviewing the work of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission in facilitating economic development in the Pioneer Valley, the Research Bureau encourages the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission to implement several recommendations.

An analysis of Worcester's Housing Market Study, particularly examining its economic relevance and feasibility to the City of Worcester.

Second annual report benchmarking economic development in Worcester.

Recommendation for a private sector-initiated organization in the southern part of Worcester County to be called the Worcester Regional Economic Development Alliance (WREDA).