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Innovators Insights




  • Collaboration
  • Employment and Labor Supply
  • National Law Enforcement
  • Social Services to Specific Populations
  • Policing and Crime Prevention
  • Courts and Legal Services
  • Alternative Schools
  • Emergency Management
  • Housing
  • Public Health
  • Collaboration
  • Teacher Recruitment and Training
  • Public Health
  • Banking
  • Participation
  • Community Revitalization

  • New Publication -- Full Disclosure: The Perils and Promise of Transparency
 
April 20, 2007
New on our site
Top 50 Programs Announced for the 2007 Innovations in American Government Awards

The Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government has announced the Top 50 Government Innovations for 2007.

These programs exemplify government's best efforts across a variety of policy areas, ranging from education to the environment, criminal justice to health care, and management to community development.

Click here to learn more about these award-winning programs.

Collaboration
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Google Earth zooms in on Darfur carnage; Company joins with Holocaust museum to press for action

04/11/2007 | The San Francisco Chronicle (California)

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, in partnership with the online mapping system Google Earth, has created Crisis in Darfur. By showing the consequences of four years of fighting in Darfur--a bird's eye view of burned villages and refugee camps combined with photos, data, and eyewitness testimony in pop-up windows--the Museum and Google hope to sensitize more citizens to the situation in the Sudanese region. The project is the first of the Museum's Genocide Prevention Mapping Initiative, which will provide information on potential genocides and encourage individuals and governments to respond.

Employment and Labor Supply
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Aid plan for unemployed gains support; Wage insurance backers see it as a way to help factory workers whose jobs have gone overseas

04/09/2007 | Los Angeles Times

Congressional representatives are debating legislation to expand wage insurance, a program offering older, displaced workers half of the difference between their old and new salaries for two years. Touted as a free market solution to unemployment and outsourcing, wage insurance first became available in 2003 and has thus far benefited about 7,000 Americans. Critics argue that the program pushes workers into low-paying jobs and gives short shrift to professional training.

National Law Enforcement
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Database to help fight shoplifting

04/09/2007 | San Bernardino County Sun (California)

In response to rising retail crime by organized gangs, the FBI and the retail industry have teamed up to launch the Law Enforcement Retail Partnership Network, a secure national database that keeps tabs on thieves. Retailers can enter crime incidents, share information with other members, and use reporting and analysis tools to identify criminal trends by sector, product, and geographic region. 

Social Services to Specific Populations
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Happy trailways to the homeless

04/07/2007 | Tampa Tribune (Florida)

The city of Gainesville, Florida, in collaboration with the St. Francis House homeless shelter, has created the Homeward Bound Program (HBP) to reunite homeless persons with family and friends. On behalf of homeless clients, HBP staff will contact family members in other cities who would be wiling to offer a place to live and support in transitioning from homelessness. The city then purchases a bus ticket for the individual to travel to their new homes. While critics of the program charge that this simply exports the homelessness problem, supporters argue that the program, based on a similar one in San Francisco, has led to many participant success stories.

Policing and Crime Prevention
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Device aims to take speed out of the chase; GP 'dart' would let police track car; other technologies in works

04/08/2007 | Richmond Times Dispatch (Virginia)

On the lookout to reduce the danger of high-speed pursuits, law enforcement officials in Los Angeles and Florida are field-testing an air-propelled dart, consisting of a plastic ball with a GPS locator, that attaches to a fleeing car. Once affixed, central dispatch can track the suspect vehicle in real-time, allowing police to intercede at a later time and place. 

Courts and Legal Services
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Fur therapy overrules victims' trial traumas; Testifying can be hard on crime victims; dogs can lend a comforting paw

04/04/2007 | Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville)

The Pet-Assisted Therapy Program in Jacksonville, Florida, uses trained therapy dogs to comfort children and sex crime victims as they give testimony in court proceedings. Supporters argue that the presence of the animals can be the crucial factor that encourages victims to take the witness stand.

Alternative Schools
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Learn to earn; Dropouts can try again at Massasoit - A second chance at an education

03/31/2007 | The Patriot Ledger (Quincy, MA)

Gateway to College gives students ages 16 to 20 who have dropped out of school the opportunity to earn a high school diploma while acquiring college credits. Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation at ten community colleges nationwide, the program instructs students in study and interpersonal skills in addition to a traditional academic course load. Program officials hope that the prospect of working with peers and advisors will rekindle their desire to learn.

Emergency Management
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Alexandria becomes first city in U.S. to implement new system to authenticate credentials of first responders at emergency scene

04/03/2007 | US States News

Alexandria, Virginia, has become the first city to use the First Responder Authentication Credentials (FRAC) system to verify the qualifications of emergency professionals in crisis situations. The cards are encoded with the credentials of the holder, allowing commanders to dispatch appropriate personnel. The cards also facilitate more effective collaboration between state, local, and federal officials. The FRAC system was devised following 9/11 when civilians mingled with professionals, sometimes impeding rescue efforts. The initiative will eventually be expanded nationwide.

Housing
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Village requires landlords to attend crime seminar

03/30/2007 | Chicago Daily Herald

Mount Prospect, Illinois, now mandates that rental property owners learn how to keep their properties safe from criminal elements with the Crime Free Housing Program. Owners must successfully complete a seminar on preventing problems through active property management and cooperation with community policing resources. They must also attend yearly residential safety meetings, and submit to police inspections to ensure that the properties meet security requirements.

Public Health
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U is taking lead role in bird flu fight; A new center, one of six in the nation, will focus on tracking and identifying viruses among waterfowl, poultry and swine

04/03/2007 | Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is awarding $23 million per year for seven years to establish six Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance. Created to bolster influenza research in how the virus causes disease and how the human immune system responds to infection, the newly funded centers will inform the development of effective public health strategies.

Collaboration
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Giving more than mail; City, postal service team up for program that will indicate to letter carriers if a resident is in trouble

04/05/2007 | Newsday (New York)

Although letter carriers across the country often notify authorities regarding homes on their routes with uncollected mail, New York City's Carrier Alert Program recognizes the role postal workers can play in offering aid to those in distress, including seniors and people with disabilities. Homebound individuals, whose only regular human contact may be with letter carriers, can register with the City and place an orange sticker inside their mailbox to indicate their participation in the program.

Teacher Recruitment and Training
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City's alternative pay plan for teachers commended; A national report urging better incentives in teacher performance pay plans cites Minneapolis' efforts

04/11/2007 | Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)

Minneapolis Public Schools and the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers have partnered to develop and implement programs offering alternative compensation for education professionals. Alternative Teacher Professional Pay System rewards teachers for continuous improvement, giving teachers the choice to participate in a salary schedule pegged to student achievement, skill mastery, and leadership initiative.

Public Health
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City of Columbia plans "Walk a Hound, Lose a Pound" program

04/06/2007 | US States News

Columbia, Missouri, is joining a number of other cities in instituting the Walk a Hound, Lose a Pound program, which brings together two populations in need of regular exercise--local citizens and shelter dogs. In addition to offering companionship for both groups, the program encourages pet adoption and is ideal for people, like college students or senior citizens, whose circumstances prevent them from keeping a pet.

Banking
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FDIC hopes to enlist banks in payday battle

04/01/2007 | Spokesman Review (Spokane, WA)

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation is devising a pilot program to reduce the use of payday lenders--institutions providing small-dollar short-term loans a very high cost--by unbanked citizens. The program will provide financial incentives to banks offering loans as small as $300 combined with low rates, small fees, and long-term amortization.

Participation
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New program offers classes in leadership to area students; Sessions are geared toward helping juniors experience new opportunities

04/12/2007 | The Houston Chronicle

Leadership Montgomery County and the North Harris Montgomery Community College District have combined to offer Leadership High School for high school juniors. Selected students meet monthly to learn and discuss critical issues that affect their communities, in areas ranging from education, to health, to criminal justice. By networking with prominent community figures and each other, the students can develop skills and interests that will make them effective leaders and volunteers.

Community Revitalization
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`Garden' is state effort to strengthen marriages

03/31/2007 | Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock)

Concerned with the high divorce rate in their state, Arkansas public officials are enlisting faith-based groups to be part of the solution. More than 100 religious and community leaders will attend training sessions on creating strong marriages and receive free books on the subject. They will also be eligible for $10,000 awards to hold marriage-strengthening activities in their congregations.

New Publication -- Full Disclosure: The Perils and Promise of Transparency

Based on analysis of 18 major policies, Full Disclosure by Archon Fung, Mary Graham, and David Weil, is the first book that offers a comparative analysis of public disclosure laws designed to benefit citizens.

Newsletter produced by: Brendan St. Amant and Vanessa Ruget (researchers and writers); Joellen Secondo (editor).

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