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Innovators Insights




  • Policing and Crime Prevention
  • Teacher Recruitment and Training
  • Growth Management
  • Civic Engagement
  • Business Incentives
  • School Violence
  • Emergency Management
  • Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention
  • Alternative Schools

  • Liability for Volunteers During Disaster Recovery
  • Smart City Radio: An In-Depth Look at Urban Life
 
May 19, 2006
New on our site
Innovations in American Government Award Finalists Presentations


On Thursday, May 25, the eighteen finalists for the 2006 Innovations in American Government Awards will be making presentations before the Innovations National Selection Committee from 1:30-5:00 (EST). You can watch these presentations as they happen. A few days before the event we will publish the link for this broadcast on the home page of the Government Innovators Network. 
Policing and Crime Prevention
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New effort to trace underage drinking; Program will help track down providers

04/29/2006 | The State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL)

The Illinois Liquor Control Commission is launching a new underage drinking awareness/enforcement program that targets and holds accountable those who sell alcohol to minors. Under Tracking Alcohol in Illinois (TrAIL), local authorities will report emergency room visits involving underage drinkers, thus beginning an investigation into the source of the alcohol. Specially trained personnel will then have authority to ticket the adult buyer of the alcohol, the establishment and purveyor of it, or both.

Teacher Recruitment and Training
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Schools seek help from within

05/10/2006 | Chicago Tribune

Through the Grow Your Own Illinois program, instructional aides, paraprofessionals, and volunteer parents working in Chicago Public Schools with high teacher turnover rates now have the opportunity to become fully licensed and certified teachers. A combination of $3 million in state funds, school district resources, and college and university initiatives will absorb the costs associated with teacher training. Program leaders hope to have 500 new teachers in school by next year and add 1,000 by 2016.

Growth Management
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In Jackson County, country living comes with an instruction manual

05/14/2006 | The Sunday Oregonian (Portland, Oregon)

Urbanites moving to Jackson County, Oregon, can now prepare themselves for the challenges and hazards of rural life thanks to a new booklet published by the county's Soil and Water Conservation District. The 28-page guide, inspired by a similar brochure launched in 2003 in Kittitas County, Washington, is a gold mine of information, including water rights, soil conservation, and pesticide use. County officials believe that the free copies of the booklet will help new residents avoid the disappointment often felt by unprepared and idealistic newcomers.
Civic Engagement
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Program helps immigrants navigate Canadian schools

05/09/2006 | The Record (Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario)

Immigrant parents, who may not realize the opportunities and benefits of becoming involved in their children's education, have a partner in Ontario, Canada. Organized by the Community Coalition on Refugee and Immigrant Concerns and the Kitchener Downtown Community Health Centre, the two-year pilot program familiarizes parents with the Ontarian school system. After learning how to advocate for their children and to prepare and handle meetings with teachers, the first participants became members of the school council or are serving as school volunteers.
Business Incentives
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Partnership promotes in-state 'off-shoring'

05/06/2006 | The Roanoke Times (Virginia)

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership aims to bring jobs to Northern Virginia by helping companies faced with the increased pressures of global competition find a cost-effective solution to maintain operations in Virginia. The Distributed Services Initiative is touting the benefits of moving their back-office operations to several lower-cost in-state communities rather than outsourcing abroad. Program officials point to the presence of an educated labor force that could instantly help businesses with software testing, accounting, and technical and customer support.

School Violence
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School garners national award

05/11/2006 | San Antonio Express-News

A variety of programs at one San Antonio school has helped educators to increase school attendance and dramatically reduce in-school violence. More than 180 students at Harris Middle School are participating in one of those programs, San Antonio Fighting Back, in which students form "social contracts" with each other to discourage violence, as well as smoking, drug use, and graffiti. School administrators recently won the National Youth Crime Watch of America Casey Award for their efforts.

Emergency Management
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College program benefits city police, firefighters

05/09/2006 | The State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL)

Federal funds will enable some of Illinois's first responders to have the chance to attend college for free. Program participants can receive degrees in management, business, and organizational behavior, among other offerings, at Benedictine University and Springfield College in Illinois. Officials believe that the program will serve as a recruiting tool for new police and fire personnel as well as help current first responders perform more effectively.

Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention
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Program identifies patients at risk for addiction

05/06/2006 | The Santa Fe New Mexican (New Mexico)

New Mexico, one of seven states to receive funding to initiate a program geared towards screening individuals at risk for substance abuse, is touting the program as a success. Under the Screening, Brief Intervention, Brief Treatment and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) program, behavioral health specialists work with doctors and nurses to provide the screenings at routine visits to health clinics. Those who are identified as at risk for addiction are offered three intervention options, differing in length of treatment. So far, more than 23,000 people have been screened, of whom about 20% have received treatment.

Alternative Schools
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Virtual high school offers real diplomas; Students can graduate without ever attending brick-and-mortar school

05/09/2006 | The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Business, schools combine for cool learning experience

05/09/2006 | Chicago Sun Times

While many schools offer on-line courses, this fall Washington will host the state's first entirely virtual public school. Insight Schools, a Portland-based company, will partner with Quillayute Valley School District to create the Insight School of Washington. This digital learning environment is an option for learners with physical disabilities, home-schooled children, and drop-outs, among others. Each student will receive a laptop and printer, funds to help pay for for Internet service, access to live teachers, and a complete state-certified high school curriculum.


A partnership between the Chicago Board of Education and a private business will enable all fourth- and fifth-graders in Chicago's public and private schools to take part this fall in "total immersion education," designed and run by Experiencia World. Fourth-grade students will study topics related to the environment, while fifth-graders will learn about civic life. After 40 hours of classroom lessons, students will be involved, with their parents, in interactive simulation games at a facility that offers a replicated outdoor habitat and a make-believe city.

Liability for Volunteers During Disaster Recovery

On Friday, May 26, at 2:00pm EDT, the National City Network will host an online chat with Claire Reiss of the Public Entity Risk Institute to discuss liability for volunteers during disaster recovery.

Smart City Radio: An In-Depth Look at Urban Life

Carol Coletta, the host of Smart City™ , talks with national and international public policy experts, elected officials, economists, business leaders, artists, developers, planners and others in this weekly, public radio talk show. 


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

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